(ASSIGNMENT)

ON A ONE WHOLE SHEET OF PAPER, ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS ABOUT THE
CHOICE OF VOCABULARY TERMS IN EACH FABLE.
A. FABLE OF THE WINGED ANTS
1. What is the effect of putting together “fury” and “delight” in the phrase “fury of
delight?”
2. Why does the light become more “animate” in the plate of water below it?
3. Why does the poet use the word “fatal” to describe the plate of water?
4. How does the words “delight” and “ecstasy” differ in shades of meaning?
5. Why does the poet use the phrases “acrobatic lives” and “trapeze arcs” to describe
the winged ants and their movements?
6. What is referred to as a “pendulum” in the poem?
B. FABLE OF THE SANITIZED MAN FLEXING HIS POWER AS BEST HE CAN
1. When do we say something is “sanitized?” why is the man described as “sanitized” in
the title?
2. When do we say the following?
a. a person is “outraged” c. someone or something “turned false”
b. a living creature is “maimed”
3. The gnat is described as “ miniscule.” What does this mean?
4. The following are synonyms of “obstreperous.” Choose the meaning closest to how it
is used in the fable.
a. unruly c. uncontrollable
b. mutinous d. rebellious
5. What kind of “concoction” is referred to in the poem?
6. What is metaphorically compared to a “filling station? For whom does it serve as a
filling station and what does it provide?