Question

The seasons change, a cycle grand,
Spring brings blooms across the land.
Summer follows, warm and bright,
Long days filled with golden light.

5 Autumn's crispness in the air,
Leaves turn vibrant, colors rare.
Winter blankets earth in white,
Quiet stillness, pure delight.

Each season's charm, its own to show,
10 A journey through the year we go.


Passage 2. The Burden of the Seasons

The seasons shift, a restless spin,
Spring stirs pollen on the wind.
Summer marches fierce and bright,
Heavy heat both day and night.

5 Autumn’s chill seeps through the air,
Trees stand bare where leaves once flared.
Winter’s frost grips earth too tight,
Harsh and endless, cold as night.

Each season’s trials ebb and flow,
10 A weary cycle we undergo. How do the two poets develop contrasting perspectives on the seasons in their poems?

by offering background information about the origins of each season in the opening lines

by using positive imagery in Passage 1 and negative imagery in Passage 2 to convey opposing emotional responses to the same seasonal cycle

by summarizing each speaker’s reflections about seasonal change at the end of the poems

by explaining the reasons each speaker prefers certain seasons using alternating lines and stanza structures
Question 2.a


This question has two parts. Answer Part A, and then answer Part B.
Part A

Determine how each poet’s word choice contributes to tone throughout "The Burden of the Seasons." Move each line into the correct section of the chart.

Irritated

Harsh



Weary

Barren

Question 2.b
Part B.

In lines 5–8 of each poem, how does a poetic technique help develop the poet’s perspective on the seasons?

By using vivid imagery, each poet emphasizes the emotional impact of autumn and winter, strengthening their contrasting viewpoints.

By shifting from rhyme to free verse, each poet signals a change in speaker and viewpoint.

By describing the scientific causes of seasonal weather, the poets clarify why each perspective exists.

By introducing dialogue, the poets allow other characters to comment on the changing seasons.
Question 3.


Using knowledge of the base word "still," complete the chart by moving the words into the first column that match the definitions in the second column.

Word Definition
not moving; calm
the state of being quiet or motionless
made quiet or calm
not calm; lacking stillness


Question 4.a



This question is in two parts. Answer Part A, and then answer part B.
Part A.

Use the information from the thesaurus entry to answer the question.

vibrant adj.—bright, vivid, energetic, lively

Read the line from The Changing Seasons:

"Leaves turn vibrant, colors rare."

Which word from the thesaurus entry BEST explains the meaning of vibrant as it is used in the sentence?

bright

energetic

lively

vivid
Question 4.b
Part B.

Read the lines from The Changing Seasons:

"Quiet stillness, pure delight"

How does adding the suffix -ness to the word still change its part of speech and meaning?

It changes the word to a verb meaning “to remain unmoving.”

It changes the word to a noun meaning “the state of being calm or quiet.”

It changes the word to an adjective meaning “very calm.”

It changes the word to an adverb meaning “in a quiet way.”
Question 5.



Which pair of lines could be added after the final line of either poem to BEST maintain each poem's established rhyme scheme and imagery?

Through every change the skies unfold,
New stories in the breezes told.

The seasons move from cold to heat,
And bring new tasks we must complete.

Flowers dance as warm winds call,
While raindrops gently start to fall.

Storms arrive with thunder loud,
Hiding sunlight behind a cloud.

Though time moves on and moments pass,
Each season fades like shattered glass.

Answer 1

Q1
- by using positive imagery in Passage 1 and negative imagery in Passage 2 to convey opposing emotional responses to the same seasonal cycle

Q2.a (Part A) — place lines under tone labels
- Irritated: "The seasons shift, a restless spin."
- Harsh: "Summer marches fierce and bright."
- Barren: "Trees stand bare where leaves once flared."
- Weary: "A weary cycle we undergo."

Q2.b (Part B)
- By using vivid imagery, each poet emphasizes the emotional impact of autumn and winter, strengthening their contrasting viewpoints.

Question 3
- still — not moving; calm
- stillness — the state of being quiet or motionless
- stilled — made quiet or calm
- restless — not calm; lacking stillness

Q4.a
- vivid

Q4.b
- It changes the word to a noun meaning “the state of being calm or quiet.”

Question 5
- Through every change the skies unfold,
New stories in the breezes told.