Poem of the Week: “The Eagle”
Name _______________________________
Period ___________
Part I: Read the following poem and answer the questions that follow.
The Eagle by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
He clasps the crag with crooked hands; 1
Close to the sun in lonely lands, 2
Ring'd with the azure world, he stands. 3
The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls; 4
He watches from his mountain walls, 5
And like a thunderbolt he falls. 6
1. The “he” in the poem refers to:
a. The speaker of the poem
b. A lonely man
c. An eagle
d. A thunderbolt
2. In the line “He clasps the crag with crooked hands”
what is the most probable meaning of the word
“crag”?
a. stick
b. cliff
c. nest
3. The last line of the poem is an example of what type
of figurative language?
a. Simile
b. Metaphor
c. Personification
4. “The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls” is an example
of what type of figurative language?
a. Simile
b. Hyperbole
c. Personification
5. A synonym for “azure” (line 3) most likely is
a. White
b. Yellow
c. Black
d. Blue
(over)
6. Using evidence from the text, explain your answer for
your answer to #5. Cite two details that helped you
understand the meaning of “azure.”
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7. The main idea of the poem is:
a. Eagles sit on cliffs
b. Eagles are watchful
c. Eagles are awe-inspiring
8. Which two lines from the poem best represent
the main idea you choose in question 7?
a. Line 1
b. Line 2
c. Line 3
d. Line 4
e. Line 5
f. Line 6
7. Advanced: How do you think Alfred, Lord Tennyson, the author of “The Eagle,” felt about the subject of this poem?
How does his use of simile, personification and word choice contribute to this attitude? (Use the hot pink “How to Write
an Argument Paragraph” in your Reader’s Toolkit to help you write this.)
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