Chapter: 17. The Way Through The Woods
Practice Paper: The Way through the Woods
A. Answer these questions.
What specific action did “they” take seventy years ago regarding the road? What kind of birds and animals are mentioned in the poem as being present in the woods? How does the poet describe the sound of the horse’s feet? Why do the animals in the woods “fear not men”? What physical characteristic of the woods contributes to the mysterious atmosphere when the phantom sounds are heard? B. Answer these questions with reference to the context.
“Weather and rain have undone it again, / And now you would never know”
a. What does “it” refer to here?
b. What does the phrase “undone it again” suggest about the power of natural elements?
c. How does this line create a sense of loss or forgetting? “You will hear the beat of a horse’s feet, And the swish of a skirt in the dew,”
a. Who is implied to be riding the horse?
b. What time of day and season is this likely to occur, according to the poem?
c. What is significant about hearing these specific sounds on a non-existent road? C. Think and answer.
If the woods could speak, what might they say about the road that once passed through them? (Write 2-3 sentences from the perspective of the woods.) The poem ends by saying, “But there is no road through the woods.” How might the feeling of the poem be different if it ended with “And the road lives on in their memory”? Why do you think Kipling chose to set this mysterious event in “misty solitudes” on a “summer evening late” rather than, say, a bright, sunny afternoon? Appreciation
Enjambment: Identify another example of enjambment in the poem (different from those discussed in the chapter or previous answers) and explain how it influences the pacing or reader’s experience. Repetition: Besides “woods” and “road through the woods,” identify any other word or short phrase that is repeated in the poem (even if only twice) and explain its effect. Rhyme: Find an example of a word that could be considered an internal rhyme (even if approximate) in the third stanza and explain its effect. Learn About Language
Fill in the blanks by choosing the right correlative conjunctions.
He likes to read stories _____ poems. (both…and / either…or) The cat was hiding _____ under the bed _____ behind the curtain. (neither…nor / either…or) She is _____ a good singer _____ a talented dancer. (not only…but also / both…and) You can _____ come with us _____ stay home. (either…or / neither…nor) My brother is _____ taller than me _____ stronger. (no sooner…than / not only…but also)
Practice Paper