IXL | Read poetry | 4th grade language arts

Read the poem. Then, review the bolded text in the first stanza.

Dripping Paint

Drip! Drip! Watch me brush,

My painting of trees almost done.

Ring! Ring! Now watch me race.

Been waiting for an important one!

Yak! Yak! Then I hurry back.

The lines that were trees

Drizzled into streams

And decided to freeze.

I gasped a moment, then pretended

That this effect was all intended.

The bolded text requires an inference, or a guess, about missing details. Based on the text, which sentence is most likely to be true?

The artist hears an alarm that wakes her up.

The artist has been expecting a phone call.

The artist is so absorbed in painting that she doesn't answer the phone.

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Learn with an example

question

Read the poem. Then, review the bolded text in the first stanza.

Diamond Necklace

In the market's parking lot

Something shines right by my spot:

I spy a diamond on a chain.

I fly off with it like a jet plane.

I explain to the store clerk, who gives a grin.

"The diamond's owner just came back in!

She left it here, and I know that she

Will thank you for your honesty."

She gushes to me just what it meant—

"The necklace was a dear present."

She presses something in my hand

A bill stares at me, crisp and grand!

The bolded text shows a simile, which compares two things using like or as. What is the purpose of this text?

It signals that the speaker hurries quickly back to the market with the necklace.

It suggests that the necklace is almost as expensive as a jet plane.

It shows that the speaker decides to take the necklace on a plane.

key idea

Poems don't always directly state what the author is trying to tell you. So, you often need to look closely at a poem's text to help you figure out what the poem means.

Sometimes details about a poem's characters or events are missing. When this happens, you may need to make inferences, or guesses, about what happens and why.

At other times, a poem might use unusual words or phrases to describe the characters or events. These uses of language are called figures of speech. Authors often use figures of speech to bring characters to life or to create a certain mood or feeling for readers.

Making inferences and understanding figures of speech can help you understand a poem's theme. The theme is the main message that an author wants you to take away from the poem.

solution

Review the text.

I fly off with it like a jet plane.

A jet plane moves very fast, which shows that the speaker is moving quickly. This suggests that the speaker is hurrying to bring the necklace back to the market.

So, this is the purpose of the text:

It signals that the speaker hurries quickly back to the market with the necklace.

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$Confetti$

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Teacher tools

Work it out

Not feeling ready yet? These can help:

B.3Draw inferences from a text

H.5Analyze the effects of figures of speech on meaning and tone

B.2Determine the themes of myths, fables, and folktales

T.4Read poetry

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