Score Point 1

Student Copy
8 th Grade Guided Practice #4
Reading Literary RL.8.1, RL.8.5, RL.8.6, RL.8.9
Philip Freneau (1752–1832) became known as the ―poet of the
Revolution‖ during the American Revolutionary War, and he wrote
many poems about famous battles and important figures of that time. 1. _________________________________________
―On the Death of Dr. Benjamin Franklin‖ is a short piece Freneau
wrote as a way of honoring Benjamin Franklin.
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On the Death of Dr. Benjamin Franklin
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by Philip Freneau
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Thus, some tall tree that long hath stood
The glory of its native wood,
By storms destroyed, or length of years,
Demands the tribute of our tears. 4
The pile, that took long time to raise,
To dust returns by slow decays;
But, when its destined years are o'er,
We must regret the loss the more. 8
So long accustomed to your aid,
The world laments 1 your exit made;
So long befriended by your art,
Philosopher, 'tis hard to part!– 12
When monarchs tumble to the ground,
Successors 2 easily are found:
But, matchless FRANKLIN! what a few
Can hope to rival such as YOU, 16
Who seized from kings their sceptered 3 pride,
And turned the lightning darts aside.
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1. laments: grieves over or mourns
2. successors: people who replace others in an office or position
3. sceptered: an adjective form of the word scepter meaning:
a. a rod or wand borne in the hand as an emblem of regal or imperial power.
b. royal or imperial power or authority; sovereignty.
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Walt Whitman (1819–1892) wrote many uplifting poems about
life in his collection Leaves of Grass, but he was also deeply
affected by his experiences during the American Civil War.
Abraham Lincoln was a man Walt Whitman deeply admired
and is the captain to whom Whitman refers in this poem. As a
result, it was Lincoln’s death that affected Whitman the most.
This poem was written as a memorial to Abraham Lincoln who
was, in Whitman’s opinion, the greatest president in United
States history. ―O Captain! My Captain!‖ is an extended
metaphor and was written after the assassination of President
Abraham Lincoln, following the Union’s victory over the
Confederacy.
O Captain! My Captain!
By: Walt Whitman
O Captain! My Captain! our fearful trip is done,
The ship has weather'd every rack, 4 the prize we sought is won,
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting, 5
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring;
But O heart! heart! heart!
O the bleeding drops of red,
Where on the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead. 8
O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;
Rise up–for you the flag is flung–for you the bugle trills,
For you bouquets and ribbon'd wreaths–for you the shores acrowding,
For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;
Here Captain! dear father!
This arm beneath your head!
It is some dream that on the deck,
You've fallen cold and dead. 16
My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still,
My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will,
The ship is anchor'd safe and sound, its voyage closed and done,
From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won;
Exult O shores, and ring O bells!
But I with mournful tread,
Walk the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead. 24
4. rack: a cause of extreme anguish or suffering
5. exulting: rejoicing or celebrating
―On the Death of Dr. Benjamin Franklin‖ by Philip Freneau, written in 1788 and
published in American Poetry in 1918 by C. Scribner‘s Sons.
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O Captain! My Captain!
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Part 2: Focus on Multiple Choice and Extended Response
This section contains 4 multiple choice questions and one extended response question. Reread the poems,
“On the Death of Dr. Benjamin Franklin” and “O Captain! My Captain!” Pay close attention to the form and
structure of both passages. Think about how the author used the structure of the stanzas to contribute to the
meaning of the story. Look for the authors’ points of view. Carefully consider evidence from the text to help
you in selecting your answers. Then circle the correct answer for each multiple choice question. Complete the
Extended Response question on a separate sheet of paper.
1. Read the following line from ―O Captain! My Captain!‖
―From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won;‖
This line helps establish the historical outcome of the American Civil War. Which of the following lines
from ―On the Death of Dr. Benjamin Franklin‖ establishes the historical outcome of the American
Revolutionary War? (RL. 8.5).
a. ―The pile, that took long time to raise,‖
b. ―The world laments your exit made;‖
c. ―Philosopher, ‗tis hard to part!—‖
d. ―Who seized from kings their sceptered pride,‖
2. Which statement describes the structures of BOTH ―On the Death of Dr. Benjamin Franklin‖ and
―O Captain! My Captain!‖? (RL.8.5)
a. Both use flashbacks to build suspense for the audience.
b. Both use imagery and metaphors to honor a famous historical person.
c. Both showcase dialogue between the historical figure and the narrator.
d. Both use chronological order to create a narrative story.
3. The poems are written about different historical figures. Which statement describes the poets‘ points of
view about Franklin and Lincoln? (RL.8.6)
a. They describe how Franklin and Lincoln had similar childhoods.
b. They discuss the strategies that helped to win both wars.
c. They discuss how they were loved and revered after their deaths.
d. They describe the work they did during their lives.
4. How do the poets‘ points of view affect the readers of both poems? (RL.8.6)
a. Readers learn the poets‘ roles in the wars of their time.
b. Readers see how important Franklin and Lincoln were to royalty.
c. Readers learn the timeline of Franklin‘s and Lincoln‘s lives.
d. Readers share in the overwhelming sadness of the poets.
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Writing About Reading – Extended Response
The poems ―On the Death of Dr. Benjamin Franklin‖ and ―O Captain! My Captain!‖ have very similar themes, but their
authors have chosen to structure their poetry differently. (RL.8.5)
A. Compare and contrast the differing structures of the poems.
B. Analyze how each poem‘s structure contributes to its meaning.
Adrian’s Task/Heracles and the Augean Stables
The following passages, “Adrian’s Task” and “Heracles
and the Augean Stables,” are stories with similar themes.
The first story, “Adrian’s Task” is a modern work of
fiction. The second selection, “Heracles and the Augean
Stables,” is a traditional story or myth written a long time
ago.
Adrian’s Task
Adrian was pacing around the kitchen. ―But I‘ll be
gone for only four days!‖
His mother shook her head. ―Adrian, you know
there isn‘t enough time. The real estate agent is putting the
house on the market in two weeks, and there are a million
things to do to get it in shape for sale. Your dad and I
can‘t spare you.‖
Don‘t you care about my education?‖ Adrian
protested. ―It‘s a trip to Washington, D.C.! As a citizen of
this country, I think it is my duty to see our nation‘s
capital.‖
Adrian‘s mom rolled her eyes. She suspected that
Adrian was as interested in socializing with his friends on
the trip as he was in learning about civics.
―C‘mon, Mom,‖ he implored. ―I‘m fifteen years
old. I know how to manage my time. I wouldn‘t have
asked to go on this field trip if it would distract me from
my responsibilities. I‘ll still be able to help you and Dad.‖
His mother‘s eyes narrowed. ―You‘re right. If you
can still do your part to fix up the house, you should go.‖
She paused. ―I‘ll tell you what–clean out the entire garage
by the day after tomorrow, and I‘ll sign the permission
slip.‖ Adrian grinned. He tried to contain his excitement,
but inside he was dancing for joy. His glee lasted until the
moment he opened the garage door. Staring at the
mountains of old tools and stacked newspapers, he felt his
happiness pop like an overinflated balloon. This was
going to take forever. Adrian pictured himself as an old
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man with a long, gray beard, wearily sorting through the
dusty piles before him.
He sighed. What could he do but get started?
Adrian turned first to a large cardboard box and pulled
open the flaps.
―Mr. Snuggles!‖ Adrian exclaimed. From the box
he yanked a rather worn, friendly looking stuffed giraffe.
Mr. Snuggles was Adrian‘s best friend as a kindergartner.
The two of them would romp around the savanna of his
living room for hours on end. Nestling Mr. Snuggles
under his arm, Adrian looked back in the box and saw–
could it be?–Captain Fluff! Lost in memories, Adrian
jumped in surprise when his mom stuck her head into the
garage.
―Uh, Adrian? Spreading the mess around isn‘t
going to get the garage any cleaner.‖ Adrian looked
around, embarrassed. A squishy, colorful zoo surrounded
him on the floor. He had wasted a precious hour renewing
his old, cuddly friendships.
The next day, Adrian faced the garage with new
determination. He would make three piles: one for trash,
one for recycling, and one for items to be donated. He
easily moved several piles of newspaper into the recycling
pile; a bag of old clothes went to ―donation.‖ Gaining
confidence, he turned to an oddly shaped canvas bag.
Dumbbells! Dozens of bulky dumbbells weighing
between 15 and 55 pounds apiece. Altogether, the bag
must be three times his own weight. Adrian gawked at the
lumbering metal beast. Once again, his mom‘s head
popped through the garage door.
―Oh, you found our old exercise equipment!‖ she
exclaimed. ―I bet the Masons down the street would love
to have those. I‘ll call and tell them that you‘ll be bringing
the bag over this afternoon.‖ Adrian groaned.
At the end of the next day–after facing a stack of
old tires that turned his fingers black, a sack of sand that
spilled across the floor, six boxes of clothes, two knotted
garden hoses, and enough trash to fill eight garbage bags–
Adrian collapsed, exhausted, into a kitchen chair. He
closed his eyes for several minutes, thinking of nothing
else but how relieved he was to finally expose the bare
concrete of the garage floor.
When he opened his eyes, he found that a piece of
paper had been slipped onto the table in front of him. It
was his field trip permission slip, signed with his mother‘s
flourishing signature at the bottom. Adrian smiled.
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Heracles and the Augean Stables
The great Greek hero Heracles, son of Zeus, was
bound to serve his cousin, King Eurystheus. The king
commanded Heracles to perform twelve near-impossible
tasks, known as the Twelve Labors of Heracles. The fifth
of these labors was to clean the famous Augean Stables,
by himself, in just one day.
The stables were owned by King Augeas of Elis,
who owned huge numbers of cattle, the most of anyone in
Greece. The gigantic stables had never been cleaned and
were renowned for their filthy, smelly condition. Augeas
made a wager that if Heracles were able to perform the
task in a single day, he would give the hero a tenth of his
cattle. The king was quite sure that the job was impossible
and he would never have to give up such a prize.
Heracles realized he would never succeed by
simply shoveling, so he formed an ingenious plan to
accomplish the mission. Using his tremendous strength, he
made openings in two opposite walls of the cattle yard in
which the stables were located. Next, he dug a narrow
canal and rerouted two nearby rivers, the Alpheus and the
Peneus, so that they would flow into the canal and toward
the stables. When Heracles released the rivers from their
banks, they merged with a mighty roar and cascaded
powerfully through the stables. The resulting torrent
washed the area totally clean. As an added benefit, the
manure that was swept away was deposited into the
surrounding fields, where it served as a valuable fertilizer
for the crops.
The king was stunned by this turn of events; he
had not expected Heracles to complete the task. Augeas
denied that he had ever made such a bet and refused to
give the hero his rightful winnings. Luckily, Augeas‘s son
had witnessed the wager and testified on Heracles‘s behalf
before a judge, and Augeas was forced to pay his debt to
Heracles. Augeas gave Heracles the cattle but was enraged
and banished his son and Heracles from the kingdom.
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Part 2: Focus on Multiple Choice and Extended Response
This section contains 4 multiple choice questions and one extended response question. Reread the poems,
“On the Death of Dr. Benjamin Franklin” and “O Captain! My Captain!” Pay close attention to the form
and structure of both passages. Think about how the author used structure of the stanzas to contribute
to the meaning of the story. Look for the authors’ points of view. Carefully consider evidence from the
text to help you in selecting your answers. Then circle the correct answer for each multiple choice
question. Complete the extended response question on a separate sheet of paper.
1. Read the sentence from ―Adrian‘s Task.‖
―Uh, Adrian? Spreading the mess around isn‘t going to get the garage any cleaner.‖
What makes this sentence humorous and an example of dramatic irony? (RL.8.9)
a. The reader knows that Adrian was actually playing with the toys.
b. The reader knows that Adrian was trying to avoid cleaning the garage.
c. The reader knows that Adrian would rather clean the garage than go on the trip.
d. The reader knows that Adrian would like to give the toys away rather than throw them out.
2. Which statement describes the structures of BOTH ―Adrian‘s Task‖ and ―Heracles and the Augean
Stables‖? (RL.8.5)
a. They both are organized to use flashbacks to build a sense of suspense for the audience.
b. They both are organized with a focus on detailed descriptions of the main character.
c. They both are organized in chronological order to create a traditional narrative style.
d. They both are organized to showcase dialogue between characters to develop relationships.
3. If Adrian had been faced with Heracles‘ task, how would his reaction MOST LIKELY have been
different from Heracles‘? (RL.8.9)
a. by stubbornly refusing to do the work
b. by cheerfully agreeing to start right away
c. by pretending to work but then falling asleep
d. by starting the work but then daydreaming
4. What is the overall theme or message in each story? (RL.8.9)
a. Though a task seems impossible, if you stick with it, it can be accomplished.
b. Difficult tasks can be fun if you look for ways to make them fun.
c. Examining a task carefully may provide you with a solution that has many benefits.
d. Always stay focused on a task. It may take a long time and someone will help.
Writing About Reading
5. In both stories, the characters had to overcome a seemingly impossible task.
a. Compare the two problems encountered by the main characters in each story.
b. Explain how each character used his wits to tackle the task.
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Score Point 2
Score Point 1
Score Point 0
Kentucky Short-Answer Question
General Scoring Guide
You complete all components of the question and
communicate ideas clearly.
You demonstrate an understanding of the concepts and/or
processes.
You provide a correct answer using an accurate explanation
as support.
You provide a partially correct answer to the question and/or
address only a portion of the question.
You demonstrate a partial understanding of the concepts
and/or processes.
Your answer is totally incorrect or irrelevant.
Blank You did not give any answer at all.
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