Test yourself on three questions from the 2004 standard eighth-grade reading test released by the Virginia Department of Education. I credit washingtonpost.com with sharing this and making me laugh this morning, and I needed a laugh today. So, go ahead, read the poem, and test yourself.
Dragonflies
Shimmering, they flit
over soggy fields under
oak and willow; hovering in
a blur of wings,
frozen in a flick
that ends with an upward
zoom and buzz.
Blue-bodied,
shiny as metal, they swarm
when heat has stilled most living things,
translucent wings glorious and fragile
as summer.
Wait for it. Wait for it. Okay, here are the questions.
27. In "Dragonflies," "buzz" and "zoom" are both examples of:
A) simile
B) onomatopoeia
C) alliteration
D) personification
28. In "Dragonflies," "when heat has stilled most living things" provides an image of:
F) a hot day when nothing seems to move
G) a warm day when dragonflies rest
H) a quiet day when no wind blows
J) a sunny day when only insects fly
29. Which phrase from "Dragonflies" offers the best visual description of the insects" movements?
Answers: 27, B; 28, F; 29, C
Okay, I have the next question. Think hard, this is a tough one.
30. Who cares about this poem?
A) the author
B) the insects
C) the test makers
D) the teachers
What about the eighth graders? I don't think so. Some would still be trying to see the insects simile, I mean smile.