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Read the selection in your Student Edition and choose the best answer to each question.
Mirror
by Sylvia Plath
1 Which word best characterizes the speaker in the first stanza of the poem?
Critical
Objective
Sympathetic
Annoyed
2 The use of swallow in line 2 is an example of personification. What effect does it have on
the poem?
It reveals how hungry the mirror is for new images to consume.
It suggests the mirror reflects anything blocking its view of the wall.
It conveys the way the mirror completely consumes whatever it sees.
It explains why the mirror has grown tired of seeing the same things.
3 The metaphor eye of a little god in line 5 gives the impression that the mirror —
is serious
is cruel
controls all
sees all
4 When turning to those liars, the candles or the moon in line 12, the woman —
avoids discovering her true self
recognizes her true identity
sees her true physical beauty
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hopes to hear the truth about herself
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5 How does line 14 shape the meaning of the text?
It suggests that the mirror wants to communicate with the woman.
It suggests that the mirror enjoys watching the woman cry.
It confirms that the mirror is indifferent toward the woman’s feelings.
It confirms that the mirror is sympathetic toward the woman’s feelings.
6 The two short sentences in line 15 of the poem contribute to a tone of —
detachment
cynicism
sarcasm
earnestness
7 The poet uses the word drowned in line 17 to suggest —
the unavoidable passing of time
the eventual death of the girl
the woman’s acceptance of her aging
the woman’s sorrow at being alone
8 The poem shifts in the second stanza by —
revealing the mirror’s feelings of anger
exploring the godlike nature of the mirror
focusing on the woman’s reactions
comparing the light with the darkness
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9 Which two statements best describe the structure of the poem?
The poem emphasizes a steady beat.
The poem contains lines without a fixed meter.
The poem has a clear and regular rhyme scheme.
The poem maintains a strict syllabic count per line.
The poem is divided into two stanzas.
10 Which two sentences best express possible interpretations of the simile in the last two lines of
the poem?
The woman becomes more terrible each day.
The woman’s view of herself makes her grow older.
The woman loses a little bit more of her youth when she looks in the mirror.
The woman sees her image in the mirror move the same way a fish moves.
The woman’s view of her physical self grows more and more negative.
11 What single idea is developed throughout the poem? Cite evidence from the poem to support
your response.
Man's tendency to dismiss the inevitable truth about his declining age and waning
attractiveness is the central idea in the poem “Mirror.” The mirror reflects the true image of
the woman to her, but she is not ready to accept that she is no longer an attractive young
girl, but an aged woman.
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12 This question has two parts. First, answer Part A. Then, answer Part B.
Part A
Which theme can the reader infer from lines 15–18?
Romantic love never lasts.
The truth is quickly uncovered.
People should reflect on the past.
Beauty fading is inevitable.
Part B
Fill in the circle before the highlighted text from the poem that best supports the answer to
Part A.
15 I am important to her. She comes and goes.
Each morning it is her face that replaces the darkness.
In me she has drowned a young girl, and in me an old woman
Rises toward her day after day, like a terrible fish.
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