River Traffic

The great rivers roll on their way to the sea.
And young men and boys ride on flat-bottomed boats
That carry great cargoes of lumber and wheat
To farms and the markets in blistering heat
In America’s South where the boats sell their loads.

The crews leave their houses in states like Kentucky.
They shepherd their wares through the rapids and floods
Of powerful rivers that splash, cut, and seethe
With dangerous snags, many made of drowned trees,
That the boatmen must watch for to protect their goods.

Their hope: to make money to carry back home
Once their barges slide into the huge Mississippi
From other great rivers, such as the Ohio.
It joins in the Father of Waters that flows
Without stopping, eternal and free,

And carries the boatmen on slivers of foam.
These slide to its surface from eddies beneath
The broad brown body of water and suspended loam
Carried light in its mass, never to roam
Past the banks that have grown over long centuries.

The boatmen are cautious, aware of its power.
They steer themselves well as the towns slide away,
Making some sigh and long for the white, standing towers.
They mark each community and ring out the hour
In some but in others have nothing to say.

When the river is calm it is soft as a bower.
But when it is angry—swollen with danger—
Then sometimes the minutes can turn into hours.
The men on its surface are scared of its power.
They know that the river is always a stranger.

But people need commerce, and the river's a free
Way to move our goods from place to place.
No one says, "Stop! Wait and see
Who owns this broad highway. Is it you or me?"
The river just laughs as it flows past your face.

The long winding roads that all lead to the sea
Sing their songs of far places, of forests and plains,
Of mountains that swell beneath jackets of trees,
Of icy sharp ridges and snow-covered peaks,
And water, sweet water, from life-giving rains.

Multiple Choice



1. Which of the following best describes the rhyme in the lines "Of powerful rivers that splash, cut, and seethe / With dangerous snags, many made of drowned trees? (1 point)
end rhyme
slant rhyme
internal rhyme
perfect rhyme
2. Which phrase in the poem contains an example of alliteration? (1 point)
The crews leave their houses
The boatmen are cautious
But people need commerce
These slide to its surface from eddies beneath
3. Which phrase from the poem is an example of assonance? (1 point)
slides to its surface
broad brown
swollen with danger
never to roam
4. The pattern of beats in the line “The boatmen are cautious, aware of its power” is called (1 point)
rhythm.
rhyme.
assonance.
alliteration.
5. Which of these lines from the poem contains a metaphor? (1 point)
Past the banks that have grown over long centuries
The men on its surface are scared of its power
To farms and the markets in blistering heat
They know that the river is always a stranger
6. In the poem, the river is most likely a symbol for (1 point)
human greed.
caution.
fear of the unknown.
the power of nature.
7. The speaker says, “The river just laughs as it flows past your face.” What is most likely the deeper meaning of that line? (1 point)
People need to trade goods and make money.
The river is more powerful than people or boats.
All roads lead to the river.
People should not pollute the river.
8. To which of the following experiences might a reader most likely connect the fifth stanza of the poem? (1 point)
watching television
confiding in a good friend
riding a bicycle on an uneven path
writing in a journal
9. What is most likely the meaning of the sixth stanza of the poem? (1 point)
The bargemen wish there were no towns along the river's banks.
The bargemen understand that the river is unpredictable.
The river is usually calm, so the bargemen are not afraid of it.
Guiding a barge down a river requires a great deal of concentration.
10. What is most likely the deeper meaning of the lines "The men on its surface are scared of its power. / They know that the river is always a stranger"? (1 point)
The river has its source in a foreign country.
The river is unpredictable and not well understood.
People who work on the river all the time understand it.
People overcome their fear of the river over time.
11. What do stanzas 6 and 8 have in common? (1 point)
They both contain similes.
They both contain personification.
They both follow an ABABA pattern.
They both use repetition to emphasize their main idea.

I'll be glad to check your answers.