Still I Rise

1. How does the change in stanza structure between Stanzas 7 and 8 support meaning in the poem?

A) It emphasizes the shame readers should be feeling.

B) It challenges expectations as does the speaker.

C) It draws attention to the pain of the speaker.

D) It mimics the leaping wideness of the black ocean.

2. How does the speaker use repetition in the poem’s last three lines?

A) To mimic the action of rising

B) To contrast earlier mentions of falling

C) To suggest triumph over her oppressors

D) To show the rise and fall of ocean waters

3. How does the poem’s irregular rhyme scheme function?

A) It reinforces the speaker’s brokenness.

B) It emphasizes the speaker’s haughtiness.

C) It mimics the rhythm of spirituals.

D) It creates a shift in tone or attitude.

4. What is the effect of the speaker’s rhetorical questions?

A) Mockery toward her oppressors

B) Disrespect toward her readers

C) Respect toward her ancestors

D) Indifference toward her people

5.To what do diamonds, huts, and the black ocean allude?

A) Hatefulness

B) Colonialism

C) Environment

D) Resources