Read the poem “Birches” Then answer questions 24-24. Birches by Robert Frost : ‘When I see birches bend to left and right, ‘Across the lines of straighter darker trees, like to think some boy’s been swinging them. But swinging doesnt bend them down to stay. j Tee-storms do that. Often you musthave seen them Loaded with ice a sunny winter morning ‘Afier a rain. They click upon themselves 4 ‘As the breeze rises, and turn many-colored ‘As the stir cracks and crazes their enamel. Soon the sun's warmth makes them shed crystal shells. Shattering and avalanching on the snow-crust— Such heaps of broken glass to swee9 away Youid think the inner dome of heaven head fallen. ‘They are dragged to the withered bracken! by the load, ‘And they seem aot to break; though once they are bowed So low for long, they never right themselves You may see their tranks arching in the woods Years afterwards, trailing theif leaves on the ground Like girl on hands and knees that throw their hair Kefoie them over their heads to dry in the sun, But I was going to say when Truth broke in ‘With all her matter-of-fact about the ice-storm, (Now am [free to be poetical”) I should prefer to have some boy bend them ‘As he went out and in to fetch the cows— aa 1 brake age acre fer 2 poi shied or fod of poetry i dissay Some boy too far from town to lara baseball, ‘Whose only play was what he found himself, Sommer or winter, and could play alone. ‘One by one he subdued his father’ trees By riding them down over and over again Until he took the stifness out of them, And not one but bung limp, not one was left For him to conquer. He learned all there was ‘To learn about not launching out too soon ‘And so not carrying the tree away (lear to the ground, He always kept his poise ‘To the top branches, climbing carefully ‘With the same pains you use to fil a cup Upto the brim, and even above the brim. ‘Then he flung outward, fet frst, with a swish, Kicking his way down through the air to the ground. So was f once myself a swinger of birches. And so I dream of going back to be. és when I'm weary of considerations, And life is too much like a pathless wood ‘Where your face burns and tickles with the cobwebs Broken across it, and one eye is weeping From a twigs having lashed across it open. Ta lke to get away from earth awhile And then come back to it and start over, May no fate willfully misunderstand me ‘And half grant what I wish and snatch me away Notto return, Earth's the right place for love: 1 dorit know where it’ likely to go better. Talike to go by climbing a birch tree, ‘And climb black branches up a snow-white trunk ‘Toward heaven, till the tree could bear no more, But dipped its top and set me down again. “That would be good both going and coming back. One could do worse than be a swinger of birches.‘What can you conclude about birch tres from this poem? © Birch trees are more flexible than other trees i Birch trees are taller than other trees All birch trees grow in a bent-aver shape. 4 ooo Birch trees are more common than other trees. ‘When the poet describes birch troes afer a winter rain, he says they are ©. encased in enamel or with crystal shells © sparkling like stars in the heavens. © looking like pists drying their hair in the sun, (busied by an avalanche of snow and ice. 2 g a sic16 Inyour own words, explain what happens tothe birches afer an ie storm, Support your answer with a east five details from the poem. 177 Theauthor likes to imagine a boy swinging on birch trees. Which of the following statements about the boy is nat true? © Heplays a game in which he “conquers” the birch trees. He plays by himself because he lives far from other boys. ‘He swings on birch trees while tending to his father’s cows. & © © He tries to break the bitch trees by swinging on them.18 19 “Which of these words best describes the poet’ attitude about “swingers of branches"? © _ nostalgic O carefree © bitter © gloomy “the poet says that “fe sto muchlik a pathless wood” What does the post mean hen he compares life to a pathless wood? You are free to nike your own decisions © You must overcome obstacles in. ‘order to move forward. © Youmight be paralyzed with indecision. ° ‘Your choices are unlimited.ae 20 21 ‘What is the setting of the poem? ° oo°0 4 rural area in the northern United States ‘an urban area in the northern United States 1 rural azea in the southern United States aan urban area in the southern United States “According to the poet, why must a swinger of birches climb the birch trees carefully? ° ° ° ° so he doesn't break the branches so he can make the tree bend down as quickly as possible so he doesnt make the tee bend down before hc has climbed high enough so he doesrit fll out of the tree23 ‘Why are some birch trees permanently bent over? © Boys have swwung on them repeatedly. © Allbireh trees grow in a bent over shape. They ate growing in very windy areas. ° “They were bent over in ice storms. In your own words, tell why the poetdreams of going back to being a “swinger of birches?” Support your answer with two details from the poem. eee a Goon “Chctent weethek 7924 ‘Read this sentence from the poem. ‘They are dragged to the withered bracken? by the load, ‘The word brackers means leaves, ground. ferns, ° branches.