Multiple Choice Answers and Explanations
“If” by Rudyard Kipling
1. C
The answer is not A because he says
that men can’t be trusted, not that they are the imposters. It is not B because
he warns against being like a king in manner, not that kings are dangerous,
lecherous creatures. It is not D because although winnings and loses could hurt
you, they don’t hide from the truth. It is not E because although Kipling
refers to friends and foes as partially dangerous, he just advises to proceed
with caution. It is C because he explains that triumph and disaster can be taken
as good and bad, but if one takes them as both good, one will grow.
2. E
This one is a tricky one, but the
answer is E because Kipling focuses on a common term of heart mind and body.
Thus, “sinew” is talking about body and parallel to body is strength. It is not A because mind has already been
addresses. It is not B because the line addressed doesn’t mesh with outside
sources. It is not C or D because they are both part of the mind, and again,
the mind has already been addressed.
3. B
Although, the last line ends with “my
son!”, don’t be quick to pick B because son could just be used as a nickname of
sorts. In this case though, it is clear from the context and tone that an older
person is giving advice to a younger one. It is not C because the tone is more
jovial and friendly than formal. It is not D because the tone conveys a sense
of familiarity. It is not E because nowhere in the text does it mentions the
boy’s response. Between A and B, one
must inference from the text and the tone is that of a close father-son
relationship.
4. D
The poem is advising a young boy on
how to live life. It is not A because pedantic means to know obscure details.
It is not B because the speaker is not acting like he knows everything about
the world and how to live in it. It is not C because the speaker is not reminiscing
or wallowing in thoughts of the future. It is not E because he is not acting
like he as travelled the world, knowing all it’s riches. Didactic something one
can learn by and this poem is meant to advise and teach a boy.
5. B
In the poem, the speaker advises
many things but specifically in lines 25-26, Kipling says a leader must stay
true to oneself, not matter whom you converse with. It is not A because A is addresses
in lines 1-2. It is not C because C is addresses in line 10. It is not D; lines
11-12. Not E; 15-16.
Upon reading the poem “If” by Rudyard Kipling, I went through the multiple choice questions that followed in order to evaluate my original understanding of the poem and hopefully gain further insight into the poem’s meaning. In response the questions posed, I gave the following answers: 1) C; because Triumph and Disaster are the two nouns directly preceding the qualification of imposters. 2) E; because “heart and nerve” both speak to an internal strength, and it is these words which accompany the unknown word “sinew”. 3) B; because the last line directly states the words “my son” although my second guess would have been a sage to an adolescent as the advice contained within the poem is sound and speaks to experience. 4) D; because I would not describe this poem as being solemn or haughty because negative diction is not prominent, not boasting seems to be present, and while pedantic implies thoughtfulness, the poem contains numerous pieces of advice, mini-moral lessons, which leads to the didactic tone. 5) B; because the poem says to “keep your virtue” (25) even if in a crowd of differing values.
ReplyDeleteIn reading the correct answers, I found that all of my answers were a match to those designated the correct answer which confirmed my understanding of the poem was correct while at the same time underlining the significance of certain aspects of the poem. The score I got on these questions, however, leads me to believe that they are much simpler than would appear on the AP Multi exam.