Midterm Exam Texts Comprehension Questions

“Geraldine Moore the Poet” Explain the bad things that are happening in Geraldine’s life at the beginning of the story. How do we know that most people where Geraldine lives are poor, too? Why is Geraldine upset when Anita gives her tomato soup for lunch? How does Geraldine go about writing her poem? What can we infer about Mrs. Scott at the end of the story?

“Reply to the Question...” Look at the title. What question will this poem be answering? What object is changing throughout the poem? What is making it change? What does the author say you can do to become a poet (at the end of the poem)?

“A Loaf of Poetry” What is yeast? What does it mean to knead something? What is the author comparing making bread to? (see the title of the poem)

“Brazilian Wins” What kind of text is this? What is a marathon? Where can we infer that the marathon took place? What is the article’s main idea about the Africans and the marathon? What is the scope of the article?

“City of Hope” 1. What kind of source does this writing come from? Do you think it is fiction or nonfiction? How can you tell? 2. How can we infer that the author feels about New York City? 3. What does the author feel that the marathon does for the people in it? How does it bring them together?