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The Writing of Walt Whitman

Walt Whitman

FIRST READ: Comprehension

Identify the choice that best answers the question.

1. What is the most accurate conclusion that readers can draw from these lines in
the selection from “Song of Myself”?
I celebrate myself, and sing myself,
And what I assume you shall assume,
For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.

a. Whitman believes that he is an epic hero.

b. Whitman views humanity as an epic hero.
c. Whitman has a great appreciation for science.
d. Whitman thinks that he writes superior poetry.

2. What is the “singing” that the speaker hears in “I Hear America Singing”?
a. the language of different ethnic groups in the American melting pot
b. the songs from foreign lands brought to America by immigrants
c. the individuality of Americans in various walks of life
d. the poetry of Whitman and other American poets

3. What group of workers does Whitman focus on in “I Hear America Singing”?

a. office clerks
b. housewives
c. musicians
d. laborers

4. Consider the details in the selection from “Song of Myself,” in “I Hear America
Singing,” and in “On the Beach at Night Alone.” What can you infer about
Whitman’s attitude toward other people? Choose two options.
a. He greatly appreciates other people.
b. He likes to control the people around him.
c. He thinks that most people are very foolish.
d. He does not enjoy being around other people.
e. He believes that he has a connection to other people.

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 GRADE 11 • UNIT 2 • SELECTION TEST

THE WRITING OF WALT WHITMAN BY WALT WHITMAN

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FIRST READ: Concept Vocabulary

Identify the choice that best answers the question.

5. In which circumstance is it most accurate to describe a harvest as prolific?

a. when insects have destroyed the crops
b. when there is an especially abundant output
c. when enough laborers are available to collect it
d. when most of the seeds in the ground produce plants

6. If a person witnesses multitudes, which of the following must be true? Base

your answer on the meaning of multitudes.
a. An amazingly emotional experience has begun.
b. An unusually shocking event has transpired.
c. An incredibly beautiful scene has occurred.
d. An extremely large crowd has gathered.

7. If a city street can correctly be described as teeming, which of the following

must be true? Base your answer on the meaning of teeming.
a. It is covered in snow.
b. It is swarming with people.
c. It has traffic going both ways.
d. It is in desperate need of repair.

CLOSE READ: Analyze the Text

Identify the choice that best answers the question.

8. In the preface to the 1855 edition of Leaves of Grass, Whitman states, “The
United States themselves are essentially the greatest poem.” What does he cite
to support his opinion?
a. the rhythmic speech patterns of Americans
b. Americans’ respect for literary traditions
c. his own popularity as an American poet
d. the vitality and diversity of Americans

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 GRADE 11 • UNIT 2 • SELECTION TEST

THE WRITING OF WALT WHITMAN BY WALT WHITMAN

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9. Based on the following passage from the preface to the 1855 edition of Leaves
of Grass, identify what is most clearly suggested about Whitman’s attitude
toward the past.
America does not repel the past or what it has produced under its forms or amid
other politics or the idea of castes or the old religions … accepts the lesson with
calmness … is not so impatient as has been supposed that the slough still sticks to
opinions and manners and literature while the life which served its requirements has
passed into the new life of the new forms….

a. Whitman recognizes that Americans learn from the past while making a
new way of life.
b. Whitman thinks that Americans should include a study of the past in their
education.
c. Whitman wishes that Americans would give more honor to traditions of
the past.
d. Whitman believes that Americans have nothing to learn from the past.

10. The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B.

Part A What does the speaker in the selection from “Song of Myself” mean
when he says that he holds “Creeds and schools in abeyance”?
a. He believes in the value of religious education.
b. He has temporarily let go of traditional teachings.
c. He is opposed to any type of formal education.
d. He thinks that Americans of all creeds should attend school.

Part B Which of these passages from “Song of Myself” best supports the
answer to Part A?
a. I loaf and invite my soul, / I lean and loaf at my ease observing a spear of
summer grass.
b. My tongue, every atom of my blood, formed from this soil, this air.
c. ... I harbor for good or bad, I permit to speak at every hazard, / Nature
without check with original energy.
d. ... I jump from the crossbeams and seize the clover and timothy, / And roll
head over heels and tangle my hair full of wisps.

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 GRADE 11 • UNIT 2 • SELECTION TEST

THE WRITING OF WALT WHITMAN BY WALT WHITMAN

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11. What is the best interpretation of this excerpt from “Song of Myself”?
These are really the thoughts of all men in all ages and lands, they are not original
with me, / If they are not yours as much as mine they are nothing, or next to
nothing….
a. Whitman admits that he has borrowed poetic ideas from writers of the past.
b. Whitman thinks that his poetry is valuable only if his readers agree with
him.
c. Whitman believes that his observations are, in some sense, universally shared.
d. Whitman predicts that people who read his poetry in the future will
appreciate it.

12. The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B.

Part A Which of America’s qualities does Whitman most stress in “America”?

a. its extravagance
b. its permanence
c. its favoritism
d. its autonomy

Part B Which of these lines from “America” best supports the answer to Part A?
a. Center of equal daughters, equal sons….
b. All, all alike endear’d, grown, ungrown, young or old….
c. A grand, sane, towering, seated Mother….
d. … Chair’d in the adamant of Time

CLOSE READ: Analyze Craft and Structure

Identify the choice that best answers the question.

13. Which of the following elements of poetic structure does Whitman use in these
lines from “Song of Myself”? Choose three options.
I, now thirty-seven years old in perfect health begin,
Hoping to cease not till death.

a. anaphora
b. catalogue
c. exact rhyme
d. irregular meter
e. varying line length
f. natural speech cadence

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 GRADE 11 • UNIT 2 • SELECTION TEST

THE WRITING OF WALT WHITMAN BY WALT WHITMAN

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14. Which statement best explains why “On the Beach at Night Alone” can be said
to have an epic theme?
a. It expresses a belief in a connection among all people.
b. It presents an image of Earth’s place in the universe.
c. It refers to various heroes of ancient literature.
d. It explores the speaker’s private reflections.

15. Which of the following elements of Whitman’s poetic structure is best

represented in this passage from “America”?
All, all alike endear’d, grown, ungrown, young or old,
Strong, ample, fair, enduring, capable, rich,
Perennial with the Earth, with Freedom, Law and Love.…

a. exact rhyme
b. fixed meter
c. catalogue
d. anaphora

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT: Word Study

Identify the choice that best answers the question.

16. The word multilevel contains the Latin combining form multi-. Choose the
example that most clearly illustrates the meaning of multilevel. Base your
answer on your knowledge of the combining form multi-.
a. the height of a river during flood stage in spring
b. the presidency or chairmanship of a major company
c. a delicately balanced mobile hanging from a ceiling
d. a terraced garden with stairs connecting various flat surfaces

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 GRADE 11 • UNIT 2 • SELECTION TEST

THE WRITING OF WALT WHITMAN BY WALT WHITMAN

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17. The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B.

Part A If a corporation is multinational, which is most likely to be true? Base

your answer on your knowledge of the combining form multi-.
a. The corporation produces goods in several countries.
b. The corporation specializes in a domestic product.
c. The corporation is based in a nation’s capital.
d. The corporation is as large as a small nation.

Part B Which of these examples best illustrates the answer to Part A?

a. This manufacturing company is valued at $1.7 billion.
b. The law firm has headquarters in Paris with an office in Nantes.
c. Her company started in the United States, but it now has franchises in 119
countries.
d. His company sells to wholesalers, which then resell the products to
pharmacies.

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT: Conventions and Style

Identify the choice that best answers the question.

18. Which passage from the selections is the strongest example of anaphora?
a. In the history of the earth hitherto the largest and most stirring appear
tame and orderly to their ampler largeness and stir. (from the preface to
the 1855 edition of Leaves of Grass)
b. A vast similitude interlocks all, / All spheres, grown, ungrown, small,
large, suns, moons, planets, / All distances of place however wide. . . .
(from “On the Beach at Night Alone”)
c. I, now thirty-seven years old in perfect health begin, / Hoping to cease
not till death. (from “Song of Myself”)
d. I guess it must be the flag of my disposition, out of hopeful green stuff
woven. (from “Song of Myself”)

19. Which line from the selections is the best example of Whitman’s use of
sensory diction?
a. I am enamor’d of growing outdoors…. (from “Song of Myself”)
b. I stop somewhere waiting for you. (from “Song of Myself”)
c. … Singing with open mouths their strong melodious songs (from “I Hear
America Singing”)
d. All nations, colors, barbarisms, civilizations, languages…. (from “On the
Beach at Night Alone”)

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 GRADE 11 • UNIT 2 • SELECTION TEST

THE WRITING OF WALT WHITMAN BY WALT WHITMAN

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20. The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B.

Part A Which sentence contains an example of onomatopoeia?

a. The small, storm-tossed boat battled the waves.
b. The murmuring tide soon lulled the campers to sleep.
c. The sunset was sudden; the golden orb dipped and vanished.
d. The surf polished bits of glass until they were bottle-smooth.

Part B What is the main effect of the onomatopoeia used in the answer to
Part A?
a. It adds tension to the scene.
b. It directly addresses the reader.
c. It helps the reader imagine a sound.
d. It contrasts reality with imagination.

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