How to Determine and Analyze Theme in Poetry Passages
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SSAT Elementary Level Reading › How to Determine and Analyze Theme in Poetry Passages
Adapted from "A Good Boy" by Robert Louis Stevenson (1913)
I woke before the morning, I was happy all the day,
I never said an ugly word, but smiled and stuck to play.
And now at last the sun is going down behind the wood,
And I am very happy, for I know that I've been good.
I know that, till to-morrow I shall see the sun arise,
No ugly dream shall fright my mind, no ugly sight my eyes.
But slumber hold me tightly till I waken in the dawn,
And hear the thrushes singing in the lilacs round the lawn.
Which of the following best describes the narrator's day?
Enjoyable
Scary
Frustrating
Dreadful
Unpredictable
Explanation
Through reading the poem, we learn that the main character spent most of his day playing and he was "happy all the day"; even bedtime is a positive occurrence, since "no ugly dream shall fright \[his\] mind, no ugly sight \[his\] eyes." So, the best answer choice is "enjoyable."
All of the other answer choices are mostly negative, in contrast to the main character's very positive day.