Question 1
Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow.
_“The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”_ by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
It is an ancient Mariner,
And he stoppeth one of three.
“By thy long grey beard and glittering eye,
Now wherefore stopp'st thou me?
The Bridegroom's doors are opened wide,
And I am next of kin;
The guests are met, the feast is set:
May'st hear the merry din.”
But still he holds the wedding-guest—
There was a Ship, quoth he—
“Hold off! unhand me, gray-beard loon!”
Eftsoons his hand dropped he.
He holds him with his skinny hand,
“There was a ship,” quoth he.
“Hold off! unhand me, gray-beard loon!”
Eftsoons his hand dropped he.
Questions:
1. What is the speaker of the poem doing when the Ancient Mariner stops him?
2. What does the Ancient Mariner say to the speaker?
3. What is the speaker's reaction to the Ancient Mariner?
4. Why do you think the speaker is so afraid of the Ancient Mariner?
Question 2
Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow.
_“Ozymandias”_ by Percy Bysshe Shelley
I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;
And on the pedestal these words appear:
“My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!”
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.”
Questions:
1. Who is the speaker of the poem?
2. What does the traveller tell the speaker about?
3. What is the inscription on the pedestal?
4. What is the tone of the poem?
SECTION B: Writing
Question 1
Write a descriptive essay about a place you have visited that is special to you.
Question 2
Write a persuasive essay arguing for or against a specific topic.
Question 3
Write a short story about a time when you faced a challenge and how you overcame it.