Tone & Mood
Imagery
Figurative Language from Dear Basketball
Figurative Language Practice
Bonus Challenge
100

Which line from the poem best shows an attitude of affection? 

A. "A love so deep I gave you my all -"

B. "I never saw the end of the tunnel."

C. "And so I ran."

A. "A love so deep I gave you my all -"

100

Which line from the poem best shows an image of a scoreboard?

A. "Ball in my hands."

B. ":05 seconds on the clock"

C. "I fell in love with you."

B. ":05 seconds on the clock"

100

The line, "Dear Basketball," best shows which type of figurative language?

A. Simile 

B. Metaphor

C. Hyperbole

D. Personification

D. Personification

100

How many examples of figurative language are in the following example and which are they?

"Basketball loves me like a kid loves candy." 

2 Examples: Personification & Simile

100

Create an example of a metaphor that portrays an image of someone running super fast.

Answers will vary. 

Example: Kobe is a cheetah running after the loose ball on the court. 

200

Which word best describes the attitude that Kobe has toward basketball?

A. Regretful

B. Thankful

C. Hopeful

B. Thankful

200

Which line from the poem best shows an image of something that is going from light to darkness?

A. "I never saw the end of the tunnel."

B. "I gave you my heart"

C. "My heart can take the pounding"

A. "I never saw the end of the tunnel."

200

The lines, "I never saw the end of the tunnel. / I only saw myself / Running out of one," best shows which type of figurative language?

A. Hyperbole

B. Simile 

C. Metaphor

D. Alliteration

C. Metaphor

200

Which of the following is an example of an onomatopoeia you would hear when making a basketball shot?

A. Brick

B. Swish

C. Kaboom

B. Swish

200

Create an example of personification that portrays an image of basketball having feelings. 

Answers will vary.

Example: The basketball cried when I missed the game winning shot. 

300

Which line from the poem gives the reader a mood of acceptance? 

A. "But my body knows it's time to say goodbye."

B. "I played through the sweat and hurt"

C. "I did everything for YOU"

A. "But my body knows it's time to say goodbye."

300

The lines, "I ran up and down every court / After every loose ball for you," best shows the reader an image of -

A. Kobe being lost

B. Kobe hustling as he plays basketball

C. Kobe watching basketball on TV

B. Kobe hustling as he plays basketball

300

The line, "To my spirit and soul," best shows which type of figurative language?

A. Hyperbole

B. Simile 

C. Metaphor

D. Alliteration

D. Alliteration

300

Fill in the blanks.

Giving a basketball _______ qualities is personification, while comparing a basketball to the world using the word "like" is a _______.

human, simile

300

Create a line to add to the poem "Dear Basketball" that would show a feeling of appreciativeness that Kobe feels toward basketball. 

Answers will vary.

Example: Thank you basketball, for the memories we have are sweet like honey.

400

The line, "I played through the sweat and hurt," best shows that Kobe sometimes played through -

A. fire and broken bones

B. heat and heartbreak

C. tiredness and pain

C. tiredness and pain

400

The lines, "I started rolling my dad's tube socks / And shooting imaginary / Game-winning shots," best shows the reader an image of -

A. Kobe practicing hard in a gym

B. Kobe in a pile of clothes

C. Kobe as a kid dreaming of being a great basketball player

C. Kobe as a kid dreaming of being a great basketball player

400

Which of the following lines is an example of an idiom? 

A. "I gave you my heart."

B. "I fell in love with you."

C. "I'll always be that kid"

A. "I gave you my heart."

400
Fill in the blank to make the following sentence a hyperbole.


Kobe could make a _______ three point shots in one game.

hundred, thousand, million, etc. 

400

Use the word "basketball" to create a sentence that is both a both a personification AND a hyperbole.

Answers will vary.

The basketball screamed as it was bounced into outer space. 

500

The line, "I'm ready to let you go," best shows that Kobe has a feeling of - 

A. eagerness

B. contentment

C. concern

B. contentment

500

Which line from the poem best shows an image of success and defeat? 

A. "You gave a six-year-old boy his Laker dream"

B. "The good and the bad."

C. "But I can't love you obsessively for much longer."

B. "The good and the bad."

500

Fill in the blanks.

This poem mostly uses personification because Kobe is speaking to ___________ as if it were a ________.

basketball, person

500

How many examples of figurative language are in the following example and which are they?

"The basketball boinged as it bounced to the moon."

3 Examples: Alliteration, Onomatopoeia, Hyperbole

500

Fill in the blanks.

If I ____________ how fast the ball was passed around, then I have created a hyperbole. _______ words would create example of onomatopoeia. The occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of closely connected words is ______________.

exaggerate, Sound, alliteration