"Artistic Talent"
In which lines does the poet use personification to create a somber mood?
A. Lines 3 through 5
B. Lines 9 and 10
C. Lines 17 through 19
D. Lines 28 and 29
What is "C. Lines 17 through 19"
In paragraphs 3 through 5, the phrases “Let me guess” and “no doubt” give the son’s dialogue a tone that is —
A. naive
B. hypercritical
C. indignant
D. sarcastic
What is "D. sarcastic"
Both the daughter's paintings in "To a Daughter with Artistic Talent" and the father's stories in the excerpt from Big Fish -
A. depict a world that seems more fanciful than realistic
B. contain imagery drawn from well-known fairy tales
C. are difficult for others to understand
D. portray heroic characters
What is "A. depict a world that seems more fanciful than realistic"
How does the daughter feel about her art as expressed in her father's poem?
A. Indifferent
B. Deeply connected and expressive
C. Frustrated and lost
D. Uncertain about her talent
What is "B. Deeply connected and expressive"
What is a metaphor, and how is it used in the excerpts?
A. A direct comparison between two things; to show similarity
B. A figure of speech that exaggerates for emphasis; to create humor
C. A figure of speech that makes a comparison between unrelated things; to convey deeper meanings
D. A statement that contradicts itself; to create confusion
What is "C. A figure of speech that makes a comparison between unrelated things; to convey deeper meanings"
Lines 20 and 21 suggest that the speaker -
A. wants to be honest about how little he understands the creative impulse
B. does not want to mislead his daughter into believing that she has special talent
C. is now willing to risk hurting his daughter's self-esteem by telling her the truth about her work
D. wants to admit his confusion about the sometimes-stifling life choices that creative people make
What is "A. wants to be honest about how little he understands the creative impulse"
Read paragraph 15:
"His old scaly hand crawls over to touch my
knee. His fingers are white, the nails cracking
and dull, like old silver."
In this paragraph, the author uses imagery to -
A. show the son’s fear of being touched by his father
B. imply that the father may not really be dying after all
C. emphasize how aged and decrepit the father appears to his son
D. suggest that the son has little respect for his father
What is "C. emphasize how aged and decrepit the father appears to his son"
Read the quotations:
To a Daughter with Artistic Talent
"You have painted every day
for as long as I can remember
and will be painting still
when you read this, some cold
and distant December when the child
is old and the trees no longer silver
but black fingers scratching a grey sky."
Big Fish
"'No', he says. Then, 'Yes. I don't know. At
least you remembered. The point is, I think -
the point is I tried to get home more. I did.
Things happened, though. Natural disasters. The
earth split once I think, the sky opened several
times. Sometimes I barely made it out alive."
Both quotations use imagery that conveys a sense of -
A. inner turmoil
B. stubbornness
C. guilt
D. exaggerated self-confidence
What is "A. inner turmoil"
What does the son think about his father's stories in "Big Fish"?
A. They are silly and unimportant
B. He admires them and recognizes their significance
C. He believes they are entirely fictional
D. They annoy him
What is "B. He admires them and recognizes their significance"
Identify an example of imagery from both passages.
A. Descriptions of success and failure
B. Descriptions of physical appearances
C. Descriptions of time and place
D. Descriptions of the daughter's paintings and the father's hands
What is "D. Descriptions of the daughter's paintings and the father's hands "
Read lines 26 and 27 from the poem:
"when the sky is a surreal sea
in which you drown..."
This image can best be interpreted as meaning that
A. a child sees the sky as a magical ocean full of mysterious creatures
B. the speaker hopes to save his daughter from a terrible future
C. artists experience a sea of wild and unpredictable emotions
D. there is a danger that artists may get lost in their own creations
What is "D. there is a danger that artists may get lost in their own creations"
The story explores a theme of a son -
A. disappointing his father
B. imitating his father
C. trying to impress his father
D. making peace with his father
What is "D. making peace with his father"
What is a difference in how the two selections portray fathers?
A. While the father in “To a Daughter with Artistic Talent” is optimistic, the father in the excerpt from Big Fish is cynical.
B. While the father in “To a Daughter with Artistic Talent” seems caring, the father in the excerpt from Big Fish seems self-centered.
C. While the father in “To a Daughter with Artistic Talent” is open-minded, the father in the excerpt from Big Fish is judgmental.
D. While the father in “To a Daughter with Artistic Talent” seems defensive, the father in the excerpt from Big Fish seems relaxed.
What is "B. While the father in “To a Daughter with Artistic Talent” seems caring, the father in the excerpt from Big Fish seems self-centered."
How do the fathers influence their children's perspectives on life?
A. By imposing strict rules
B. By ignoring their needs
C. By encouraging creativity and self-expression
D. By promoting competition
What is "C. By encouraging creativity and self-expression"
How do the authors use dialogue to reveal character traits?
A. By making characters speak in riddles
B. By providing factual information
C. By showcasing vulnerability and skepticism through conversations
D. By having characters remain silent
What is "C. By showcasing vulnerability and skepticism through conversations"
The final line of the poem suggests that -
A. the daughter will develop an interest in more practical pursuits as she matures
B. the speaker expects his daughter's art to transform as she grows older
C. the daughter's paintings will become more whimsical as she develops her technical skills
D. The speaker believes that his daughter will one day be a successful professional artist
What is "B. the speaker expects his daughter's art to transform as she grows older"
What does paragraph 16 reveal about the son?
A. He blames himself for his father’s long absences.
B. He thinks his father never gave them the opportunity to be close.
C. He is too willing to forgive his father for lying.
D. He is unwilling to share what he knows with his father.
What is "B. He thinks his father never gave them the opportunity to be close."
Read the quotations from the two selections:
To a Daughter with Artistic Talent
"And you never know why (I was lying
before when I said I knew)."
Big Fish
"I don't know what makes a man great.
I've never thought about it before."
These quotations provide evidence that both the speaker in “To a Daughter with Artistic Talent” and the narrator in the excerpt from Big Fish feel —
A. as though they must prove something
B. embarrassed by their ignorance
C. compelled to admit their mistakes
D. challenged to explain something difficult
What is "D. challenged to explain something difficult"
What emotions are conveyed in the father-son relationship throughout the narrative?
A. Anger and resentment
B. Jealousy and rivalry
C. Indifference and neglect
D. Love, disappointment, and a desire for understanding
What is "D. Love, disappointment, and a desire for understanding"
What role does nostalgia play in both selections?
A. It evokes feelings of regret and longing
B. It has no impact on the characters
C. It serves as a source of humor
D. It creates confusion among readers
What is "A. It evokes feelings of regret and longing"
Which sentence describes a shift in the poem's focus?
A. In stanza 1, the speaker focuses on his daughter’s creative struggles, while in stanza 2, he imagines her eventual success as an artist.
B. In stanza 1, the speaker focuses on his daughter’s paintings, while in stanza 2, he describes his own artwork.
C. In stanza 1, the speaker focuses on his daughter’s art as an expression of childhood, while in stanza 2, he considers her future as a mature artist.
D. In stanza 1, the speaker focuses on his daughter’s early artistic success, while in stanza 2, he questions whether she should pursue a career as a painter.
What is "C. In stanza 1, the speaker focuses on his daughter’s art as an expression of childhood, while in stanza 2, he considers her future as a mature artist."
Which sentence best describes the father’s moral dilemma?
A. He must choose between impressing his son with outlandish stories and admitting that he is a financial failure.
B. He must resolve feelings about his failure to persuade his son to follow in his footsteps.
C. He must decide whether to continue to pursue his dreams or devote himself to helping his son.
D. He must reconcile his lifelong desire to be important with the knowledge that he neglected his family.
What is "D. He must reconcile his lifelong desire to be important with the knowledge that he neglected his family."
Which sentence best states a difference between the attitude of the speaker in the poem and the attitude of the narrator in the story?
A. The speaker in the poem worries that his daughter gets carried away by her imagination, while the narrator in the story admires the way his father uses his imagination.
B. The speaker in the poem believes that his daughter paints to express her true feelings, while the narrator in the story believes that his father tells stories to escape reality.
C. The speaker in the poem thinks his daughter paints to bring them closer together, while the narrator in the story thinks his father tells stories to distance himself from others.
D. The speaker in the poem believes that painting is good for his daughter’s health, while the narrator in the story worries that his father’s stories are a symptom of illness.
What is "B. The speaker in the poem believes that his daughter paints to express her true feelings, while the narrator in the story believes that his father tells stories to escape reality."
What legacy do both characters hope to leave for their children?
A. A reputation for wealth
B. A history of success in business
C. A sense of creativity and connection
D. A record of accomplishments
What is "C. A sense of creativity and connection"
How does tone affect the reader's understanding of the themes in both passages?
A. It distracts from the main ideas
B. It complicates the plot
C. It has little to no effect
D. It establishes the mood, influencing perceptions of characters' emotions and motivations
What is "D. It establishes the mood, influencing perceptions of characters' emotions and motivations"