Question

The Summer You Learned to Swim
The Summer You Learned to Swim
By Michael Simms
The summer you learned to swim
was the summer I learned to be at peace with myself.
In May you were afraid to put your face in the water
but by August, I was standing in the pool once more
when you dove in, then retreated to the wall saying
You forgot to say Sugar! So I said Come on Sugar, you can do it
and you pushed off and swam to me and held on
laughing, your hair stuck to your cheeks—
you hiccupped with joy and swam off again.
And I dove in too, trying new things.
I tried not giving advice. I tried waking early to pray. I tried
not rising in anger. Watching you I grew stronger—
your courage washed away my fear.
All day I worked hard thinking of you.
In the evening I walked the long hill home.
You were at the top, waving your small arms,
pittering down the slope to me and I lifted you high
so high to the moon. That summer all the world
was soul and water, light glancing off peaks.
You learned the turtle, the cannonball, the froggy, and the flutter
and I learned to stand and wait for you to swim to me.
Question 1 (1 point)
Reread Line 3 below.

In May you were afraid to put your face in the water

What figure of speech is being used in this line?

Question 1 options:

Alliteration


Assonance


Consonance


Hyperbole

Question 2 (1 point)
When the poet states "I lifted you high/so high to the moon," what figurative language device is being used?

Question 2 options:

Hyperbole


Personification


Simile


Metaphor

Question 3 (1 point)
The poet uses a metaphor when he states, "That summer all the world/was soul and water, light glancing off peaks."

What mood is represented by the poet's choice in metaphor?

Question 3 options:

Sadness


Resignation


Elation


Forgiveness

Question 4 (1 point)
What figurative language device is used in the lines below?

Watching you I grew stronger—
your courage washed away my fear.
Question 4 options:

Simile


Metaphor


Hyperbole


Personification

Question 5 (1 point)
Saved
What figure of speech is represented in the lines below?

All day I worked hard thinking of you.
In the evening I walked the long hill home.
Question 5 options:

Assonance


Consonance


Alliteration


Irony

Answer 1

Here are the answers to your questions based on the poem "The Summer You Learned to Swim" by Michael Simms:

**Question 1:**
What figure of speech is being used in this line?
"In May you were afraid to put your face in the water"
**Answer:** Assonance (The repetition of the vowel sound in "face" and "water.")

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**Question 2:**
When the poet states "I lifted you high/so high to the moon," what figurative language device is being used?
**Answer:** Hyperbole (This is an exaggerated statement to emphasize the joy and love the speaker feels.)

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**Question 3:**
What mood is represented by the poet's choice in metaphor?
"That summer all the world/was soul and water, light glancing off peaks."
**Answer:** Elation (The imagery evokes feelings of joy and a sense of connection with nature.)

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**Question 4:**
What figurative language device is used in the lines below?
"Watching you I grew stronger—your courage washed away my fear."
**Answer:** Metaphor (The courage is metaphorically described as something that can wash away fear.)

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**Question 5:**
What figure of speech is represented in the lines below?
"All day I worked hard thinking of you. In the evening I walked the long hill home."
**Answer:** Consonance (The repetition of consonant sounds between the phrases, particularly with "worked" and "hard.")

Feel free to ask if you have any more questions!