“The Wreck of the Hesperus” Poetry Quiz

MCAT

Brianna Dodd

EDC 371 – 02

December 7, 2013

This multiple choice exam was given in an 8th grade English/Language Arts class at Exeter

West Greenwich Junior High. The students read a poem, “The Wreck of the Hesperus” by Henry

Wadsworth Longfellow, which was in their literature textbook. As a class, we talked about the

poem and then the students took a nine-question quiz. One part of the Common Core State

Standards for 8th

grade ELA is being able to comprehend poetry and recognize figurative

language in literature. Longfellow’s poem includes many literary devices, such as simile,

allusion, imagery, and repetitions. Students should also be exposed to different types of

literature, including a variety of poetry, such as Longfellow’s narrative poem. In addition,

students should be able to extract quotes from a text that support an idea. This assessment

addresses the following Common Core State Standards:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.1: Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an

analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are

used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of

specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other

texts.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.10: By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature,

including stories, dramas, and poems, at the high end of grades 6–8 text complexity band

independently and proficiently.

Students were given the following quiz:

Name ______________________________________

The Wreck of the Hesperus

For each item, circle the choice that best answers the question. Explain your reasoning for choosing an

answer where it is asked for. If you need more room, use the back of the page. This quiz should take you

about 30 minutes.

Knowledge (1 point for each correct answer):

1. What is the rhyme scheme of the poem?

A ABAB

B ABCB

C AABB

D ABCA

2. Who does the skipper bring on the ship?

A His dog

B His wife

C His son

D His daughter

3. Why does the old sailor tell the skipper to pull into port?

A He fears a hurricane

B He forgot something

C The ship is leaking

D He is sea-sick

Understanding (1 point for each correct answer, 1 point for each correct explanation):

4. Line 78 of the poem says “The fisherman stood aghast.” Aghast is an adjective meaning “filled

with sudden fright or horror.” Which of the following words is a synonym of aghast that could

also be used to describe the fisherman?

Your Explanation

A Depressed

B Ashamed

C Horror-struck

D Ambitious

5. Which of the following lines from the poem is a simile?

Your Explanation

A Last night the moon had a golden ring

B Blue were her eyes as the fairy-flax

C The lantern gleamed through the gleaming

snow

D The salt sea was frozen on her breast

6. The skipper’s pride causes the ship-wreck. Which of the following lines from the poem shows

the skipper being proud?

Your Explanation

A “For I can weather the roughest gale,/That ever wind

did blow.”

B But the father answered never a word,/ A frozen corpse was

he

C The skipper he stood beside the helm,/His pipe was in his

mouth.

D “Come hither! Come hither! My little daughter,/ And do

not tremble so”

Thinking (1 point for each correct answer, 1 point for each correct explanation):

7. Which of the following lines from the poem is a Biblical allusion?

Your Explanation

A “O father! I hear the church-bells ring,/O say, what may it be?”

B To see the form of a maiden fair,/ Lashed close to a drifting mast

C Christ save us all from a death like this,/ On the reef of Norman’s Woe!

D And she thought of Christ, who stilled the wave,/ On the Lake of Galilee

8. Which of the following is the best piece of advice to give to the skipper?

Your Explanation

A Find a different profession.

B Don’t bring women on board ships.

C Don’t make reckless decisions.

D Don’t laugh at your sailors.

9. A theme of the poem is that people should respect the power of nature. Which of the following

lines from the poem displays this theme?

Your Explanation

A “O father! I hear the church-bells ring,/ O say what may it be?/ Tis a fog-bell

on a rock-bound coast!”/ And he steered for the open sea

B “Come hither! Come hither! My little daughter,/ And do not tremble so;/

For I can weather the roughest gale,/ That ever wind did blow”

C The skipper he stood beside the helm,/ His pipe was in his mouth,/ And he watched how the veering flaw did blow/ The smoke now West, now

South

D It was the schooner Hesperus,/ That sailed the wintry sea;/ And the skipper had taken his little daughter,/ To bear

him company.

1. What is the rhyme scheme of the poem?

A ABAB Not quite, the first and third lines of each stanza do not rhyme.

B ABCB Good job! The second and last lines of each stanza rhyme.

C AABB Not correct, take a closer look at which words at the end of each line rhyme with one another.

D ABCA Close guess, but the first and last lines of each stanza do not rhyme. Try to look more closely at the last word of each line.

2. Who does the skipper bring on the ship?

A His dog No, try looking back at the first stanza of the poem to see who the skipper brings on board the ship.

B His wife No, try looking back at the first stanza of the poem to see who the skipper brings on board the ship.

C His son No, try looking back at the first stanza of the poem to see who the skipper brings on board the ship.

D His daughter Correct! The first stanza of the poem tells us that the skipper brings his daughter on board.

3. Why does the old sailor tell the skipper to pull into port?

A He fears a hurricane Good job! The old sailor knows a storm is coming.

B He forgot something No, the sailor didn’t forget anything. Think about the warning that he gives to the skipper.

C The ship is leaking No, the ship is not damaged yet when the old sailor speaks. Think about the warning that he gives to the skipper.

D He is sea-sick No, the sailor isn’t sick, he is used to the sea. Think about the warning that he gives to the skipper.

4. Line 78 of the poem says “The fisherman stood aghast.” Aghast is an adjective meaning “filled

with sudden fright or horror.” Which of the following words is a synonym of aghast that could

also be used to describe the fisherman?

A Depressed The fisherman may be sad when he sees the dead body, but this is not a good synonym for aghast.

B Ashamed Ashamed means embarrassed or guilty. The fisherman is not ashamed, he is aghast. Think more closely about the definition of

the word and similar meanings.

C Horror-struck Correct! The fisherman is struck with horror when he sees the dead girl’s body.

D Ambitious Ambitious describes someone with a strong desire to succeed. This does not describe the fisherman; try to think more closely

about the definition of aghast and similar meanings.

Feedback:

5. Which of the following lines from the poem is a simile?

A Last night the moon had a golden ring

This phrase describes the moon with figurative language, but it is not a simile – a comparison using like or as. Try to look more

closely at the language of the poem.

B Blue were her eyes as the fairy-flax

Correct! This simile uses as to describe the daughter’s appearance.

C The lantern gleamed through the gleaming snow

This phrase uses imagery to describe the lantern and the snow, but it is not a simile – a comparison using like or as.

D The salt sea was frozen on her breast

This phrase uses figurative language to describe the image of the dead girl, but it is not a simile – a comparison using like or as.

6. The skipper’s pride causes the ship-wreck. Which of the following lines from the poem shows

the skipper being proud?

A “For I can weather the roughest gale,/That ever wind

did blow.”

Correct! The skipper is boasting about his ability to out-maneuver the storm.

B But the father answered never a word,/ A frozen corpse was

he

This quote shows the consequences of the skipper’s reckless actions, but it is not direct evidence of his pride. Try to think

more closely about the skipper’s words and actions.

C The skipper he stood beside the helm,/His pipe was in his

mouth.

This quote describes the skipper, but is not evidence of his pride. Try to think more closely about the skipper’s specific

words and actions.

D “Come hither! Come hither! My little daughter,/ And do

not tremble so”

This quote describes the skipper and his protective gesture toward his daughter, but it is not evidence of his pride. Try

to think more closely about the skipper’s specific words and actions.

7. Which of the following lines from the poem is a Biblical allusion?

A “O father! I hear the church-bells ring,/O say, what may it be?”

This quote talks about Church, but is not an allusion to a Biblical story. Think about other things that the daughter says, and her mention of specific stories

from the Bible.

B To see the form of a maiden fair,/ Lashed close to a drifting mast

This quote describes the image of the daughter, but has no mention of anything from the Bible. Think

about things that the daughter says, and her mention of specific Biblical stories.

C Christ save us all from a death like this,/ On the reef of Norman’s Woe!

This quote is the speaker’s final prayer, but is not an allusion to a Biblical story. Think about things that

the daughter says, and her mention of specific Biblical stories.

D And she thought of Christ, who stilled the wave,/ On the Lake of Galilee

Correct! The daughter is thinking about the story from Luke Chapter 8 of the Bible, where Jesus calms

a storm on the Lake of Galilee.

8. Which of the following is the best piece of advice to give to the skipper?

A Find a different profession. The skipper’s sailing skills were not what caused the tragedy of the poem. Think more closely about what he

does that puts the ship in danger.

B Don’t bring women on board ships. The daughter’s presence on the ship had no effect on the success of the voyage. Think more closely about

what the skipper does to put the ship in danger.

C Don’t make reckless decisions. Great! The proud skipper fails to listen to the advice of his sailor, and puts the ship in danger because of his

reckless decision-making.

D Don’t laugh at your sailors. The skipper is wrong when he laughs at the old sailor instead of listening to his advice, but this is not the best advice to give him. Think more closely about what the

skipper does to put the ship in danger.

9. A theme of the poem is that people should respect the power of nature. Which of the following

lines from the poem displays this theme?

A “O father! I hear the church-bells ring,/ O say what may it be?/ Tis a fog-bell

on a rock-bound coast!”/ And he steered for the open sea

This quote shows the consequences of the skipper’s reckless actions; he steers for the open

sea to try to avoid the rocky reef. Try to think about events that take place before this point in

the poem that might be more specific to the theme.

B “Come hither! Come hither! My little daughter,/ And do not tremble so;/

For I can weather the roughest gale,/ That ever wind did blow”

Correct! The skipper is boasting about his ability to out-maneuver even the roughest storm, which of

course ends up badly for him.

C The skipper he stood beside the helm,/ His pipe was in his mouth,/ And he watched how the veering flaw did blow/ The smoke now West, now

South

This quote describes the skipper before his reckless decision. Think about events that take place after this point in the poem that might be

more specific to the theme.

D It was the schooner Hesperus,/ That sailed the wintry sea;/ And the skipper had taken his little daughter,/ To bear

him company.

This quote sets up the conflict between the skipper and nature to come later in the poem. Try

to think about events that take place after this point in the poem that might be more specific to

the theme.

Student Example #1

Because Horror-struck is like

being frightened and I feel it

is a close meaning.

Because he didn’t think

about what could happen if

he listened to the sailor, he

was just excited so it was

reckless thinking.

Student Example #2

Student Example #3

Student Example #3

Horror-struck because it’s the most

similar to aghast and it means to be

filled with horror and aghast has the

closest to the same definitions

b because a simile refers to something else

and has the words like or as in them

I chose A because he says “for I can

weather the roughest gale,/ that ever

wind did blow” he says he can go

through the strongest winds

I said C because it sounds like the

most Biblical sentence out of all 4

of them. And Norman’s Woe is

something in the Bible

I said b because women can just

cause such destruction. Also they

may cause you to mess up on

something by trying to correct you

or talking too much.

I said A because it’s showing

when the storm is coming in and

then there is a lot of fog

Based on the results of the exam, it is fairly simple to see which students were paying

attention during our discussion of the poem, and which ones were not. After we read the poem,

the students and I talked about the text, specifically in terms of Longfellow’s use of literary

devices. We discussed his use of simile and metaphor, reviewing the definition and use of these

as literary devices. We talked about the effect of repetition, imagery and allusion. On a more

basic level, we discussed the plot of the narrative poem and I tried to make sure that every

student had comprehended the meaning of the story. Reading comprehension was assessed with

the first few questions on the exam, which virtually every student answered correctly. Therefore,

it can be concluded that they all understood the poem itself. However, some students failed to

identify a simile or a Biblical allusion when confronted with a range of choices. Some also

struggled with identifying the best quote to support a theme of the text. As we talked about these

concepts in some detail before I handed out the quiz, there are a couple of conclusions that I can

draw. Either the students were not paying full attention during the discussion, or they need

further support in developing these skills when it comes to analyzing literature. One of the

biggest focuses of the ELA Common Core State Standards is to teach students to extract

evidence from a text in support of an idea about that text. The last question of the exam

specifically assesses this skill. So, based on the students’ mastery of that question I can get an

idea of how well they are able to apply it individually.

This format of multiple-choice, in which the students have to explain their reasoning for

giving a certain answer, can be particularly useful in ELA classrooms. When students analyze

and respond to literature, the main skill involved is extracting specific textual evidence, and then

explaining in their own words with supporting details. In this multiple-choice format, teachers

can assess two things: one, if students are able to choose effective quotes from a text; and two, if

students are then able to explain that evidence in their own words. As with question number 9 on

this assessment, the students have to find the best supporting quote from a number of different

choices, and then explain the relationship between the evidence and an idea when they elaborate

on their answer. This is a good alternative to extended written responses, especially for younger

students. At the high school level, students should be expected to display these skills in extended

responses and essays. However at the middle school level, students are still learning and honing

these skills. This format is a good way to lead them to the end goal. By providing a range of

answers which students have to sift through, and then requiring them to briefly explain that

answer, we guide students through the literary analysis process. This type of exam will lead

students to be able to look through an entire text on their own, choose appropriate quotes, and

then develop a response in their own words.

After reading all of the quiz results, one thing I noticed in terms of improvements is the

actual answers I chose. Questions 9 and 6 ask students to choose the quote that correctly supports

the idea in the question. However, both answers are the same quote from the poem. Based on the

results, it seems that this might have seemed like a trick to some students. I think they may have

deliberately chosen an incorrect answer to the last question because they thought that it couldn’t

possibly be the same quote that correctly answered question 6. After reviewing the quiz, I

probably would have thought the same thing as a student. This was a design flaw on my part that

I would avoid in future quizzes. In addition, I would probably change some of the

“Remembering” questions to be a little more challenging. The questions that I asked about

simple facts of the story were very simple and no students missed the answers. This is a good

thing in one sense, because it means that the students comprehended the story. However, I

definitely could have challenged them to think a little more deeply.