1 Who is the speaker in the poem? A nine-year-old addressing her older self An adult woman talking to her nine-year-old daughter An adult woman addressing the memory of her younger self An adult woman talking to a friend 2 What perspective does the poem use? second-person both first- and second-person first-person third-person omniscient 3 Describe the construction of the poem's stanzas. Six stanzas of varying length Six quintains Six tercets Seven stanzas of varying length 4 What collection was this poem originally published in? Out of the Blue, published in 2001 The Malarkey, published in 2012 Glad of These Times, published in 2006 Glad of These Times, published in 2007 5 Which best describes the significance of the change in number of lines per stanza? All the stanzas have the same amount of lines. The poem is composed of tercets. All the stanzas have the same amount of lines. The poem is composed of quatrains. The number of lines decrease as the adult speaker reminisces about the past and attempts to connect with her younger self. When she realizes she cannot change anything, the number of lines per stanza increase. The number of lines increase as the adult speaker reminisces about the past and attempts to connect with her younger self. When she realizes she cannot change anything, the number of lines per stanza decrease. 6 Which best describes why the speaker can't be friends with her nine-year-old self? The girl only exists in the speaker's memory. They have nothing in common beyond a few shared years. The speaker hates children, particularly the child she was. The girl dislikes adults. 7 Which of the following is a simile? "time to hide down scared lanes / from men in cars after girl-children" (Lines 23-24) “That dream we had, no doubt it's as fresh in your mind / as the white paper to write it on” (Lines 12-13) "You must forgive me" (Line 1) “careful of a bad back or a bruised foot” (Line 7) 8 Which best describes the tone of the poem? Melancholy, Ironic, and Bitter Nostalgic, Hypercritical, and Abrasive Nostalgic, Reflective, and Conversational Accepting, Dreamy, and Loving 9 What quality most differentiates the nine-year-old from her future self? Fearlessness Her bookishness Abrasiveness Her ability to focus on things 10 What does "perplexed" mean? baffled, uncertain surprised flabbergasted amazed, astonished 11 What is a vole? a green-brown reptile a small, typically burrowing, mouse-like rodent a musical instrument an apparatus used in gymnastics 12 What is symbolic about cesspits? Sewage can damage the environment It is a place where society dumps waste Sewage exposure is harmful to human health It is a place where snakes nest 13 Which of the following is an example of metonymy? scared lanes tuppence spoiled girl-children 14 Which of the following is a transferred epithet? girl-children leap from a height ice-lolly factory scared lanes 15 What is the climax of the poem? When the speaker's younger self hides down scared lanes from men in cars after girl-children When the speaker states that she cannot be friends with her nine-year-old self When the child builds a den beside a cesspit When the speaker departs from her nine-year-old self as the child picks a scab and tastes it 16 What do scars symbolize to the speaker? Unhealed wounds Pride Resilience Lessons learned from past physical mistakes 17 What does summer symbolize? a time of lushness, freedom, and prime of life a period of intense cold, as the poem takes place in the Southern Hemisphere a time of hope, renewal, and rebirth a time of struggle because of drought 18 What is the nine-year-old girl's favorite activity? Picking rosehips Leaping from a height Writing Balancing on her hands 19 What does leaping represent in the poem? Clumsiness. Childhood wonder. The ability to have fun and enjoy life. Fearing the unknown. Childhood naivety. Taking risks. Childhood naivety. 20 What does the speaker mean when she says, "I have spoiled this body we once shared?" The speaker ate too many sherbet lemons. The speaker lost her fearlessness as she aged. She now has scars and moves carefully. Age has inevitably changed the speaker's body. The speaker treated herself too nicely and now she it spoiled. 21 Which line has a more defined rhythm? "Time to pick rosehips for tuppence a pound" (Line 22) "I have spoiled this body we once shared" (Line 6) "I'd like to say we could be friends" (Line 19) "created an ice-lolly factory, a wasp trap" (Line 17) 22 What is significant about the final image of the poem? The speaker's younger self peels a scab and eats it. This contributes to the scars she will later have. The speaker's younger self peels a scab and eats it. This contributes to her spoiling her body as an adult The speaker's younger self peels a scab and eats it. She cries and the speaker comforts her. The speaker's younger self peels a scab and eats it. This contrasts the scars the speaker has as an adult. 23 How does the final image fit in the grand scheme of Dunmore's writing? Dunmore's work is environmentally concerned. Dunmore often writes sensuous details about eating. Dunmore often writes about children eating their scabs. Dunmore herself is the speaker addressing her nine-year-old self. 24 Why did the speaker lose her fearlessness? The speaker did not lose her fearlessness. She is still agile and carefree as an adult. It is not specified. It could be the maturity that comes with age, or perhaps something traumatic occurred. The speaker broke her leg falling from a height. The speaker had a traumatic encounter with a man. 25 How do clouds appear in the poem? It is often cloudy in Britain, where the poem takes place. The speaker does not want to "cloud" her younger self's summer morning. The speaker is worried clouds will appear in her younger self's summer morning. Clouds do not appear in the poem.
