I don't need sleep, i need answers.. Things! Things! Things! A text written by Amos Russel and assigned with 7 questions in the US school System of 9th Grade Questions:
1. How does the repetition of the word “things” affect the meaning of the poem?

A It builds suspense regarding how the speaker will handle the number of things in his home.

B It creates a humorous tone as the speaker exaggerates the conditions of his possessions.

C It provides the reader a visual image of the variety of possessions in the speaker’s home.

D It reinforces the suffocating feeling of being surrounded by an overabundance of things.

2. What does the speaker mean in line 13 by saying “gone to smash”?

A The things are made from materials appropriate for recycling.

B The things are beyond repair.

C The things are noisy and distracting.

D The things are too valuable to discard.

3. What is the meaning of the word exasperating as it is used in line 19?

A creative

B irritating

C orderly

D soothing

4. Read lines 24-28.

Things that only gather dust,

Things that rot and things that rust,

Things that mold and things that freeze,

Things that harbor foul disease,

Things that mock us and defy,

What effect is created by these lines?

A The imagery helps the reader understand the speaker’s concern regarding his living

conditions.

B The imagery helps the reader understand the differences between perishable and

nonperishable possessions.

C The imagery helps the reader picture the disgusting conditions that can develop from

accumulating too many possessions.

D The imagery helps the reader picture the organizational categories the speaker is using to gain

control over the cleanliness of his home.

5. Part A - How is the speaker affected by the things in his home?

A The speaker is surrounded by memories of a life lived well.

B The speaker spends too much time working on an organizational system.

C The speaker is obsessed with regaining cleanliness and order.

D The speaker is lacking purpose and direction in his life.

6. Part B - Which set of lines from the poem provides support for the answer to Part A?

A “Bureaus crammed and closets filled,

Boxes packed and boxes spilled,” (lines 6-7)

B “Cellar, attic, all between,

One exasperating scene” (lines 18-19)

C “Things that take our precious time,

Hold us from the life sublime,” (lines 22-23)

D “Let me make my mansion clean,

Now and evermore to be” (lines 37-38)

7. Which two sets of lines provide examples of the reasons why people tend to become

overwhelmed by material things?

A “Bundles everywhere you go,

Heaps and piles and overflow” (lines 8-9)

B “Ancient things or things just bought,

Common things and things far-sought,” (lines 14-15)

C “Things you mean to throw away,

Things you hope to use some day,” (lines 16-17)

D “Things that mold and things that freeze,

Things that harbor foul disease,” (lines 26-27)

E “Let me with unsparing knife

Cut their canker from my life!” (lines 34-35)