MCAS 2001, 8th Grade English (ELA), Questions 30 to 33
Read the poem entitled "Summer Night" and answer the questions that follow.
Summer Night
The sounds
Of the Harlem night
Drop one by one into stillness.
The last player-piano is closed.
5 The last victrola ceases with the
"Jazz Boy Blues."
The last crying baby sleeps
And the night becomes
Still as a whispering heartbeat.
10 I toss
Without rest in the darkness,
Weary as the tired night,
My soul
Empty as the silence,
15 Empty with a vague,
Aching emptiness,
Desiring,
Needing someone,
Something.
20 I toss without rest
In the darkness
Until the new dawn,
Wan and pale,
Descends like a white mist
25 Into the court-yard.
–Langston Hughes
From COLLECTED POEMS by Langston Hughes.
Copyright © 1994 by the Estate of Langston Hughes.
Reprinted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a Division of
Random House Inc.
Question #30
Lines 1—6 of the poem describe the
A. joy of living in Harlem.
B. sounds of night falling on Harlem.
C. music of Harlem.
D. sadness found in Harlem.
Question #31
What does the poet suggest about the noise and bustle of Harlem?
A. They cover a deep loneliness.
B. They make it impossible to think.
C. They keep people awake most of the night.
D. They make a lively place in which to live.
Question #32
In line 12, the word "weary" is an adjective modifying
A. I.
B. darkness.
C. night.
D. silence.
Question #33
In line 23, wan means
A. bright.
B. unusual.
C. colorless.
D. puffy.
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