RL.7.4: Word Meanings and the Sound of Poetry: Rhyme, Repetition and Alliteration
In plain English: RL.7.4 is the Common Core grade 7 ELA standard that asks students to determine what words and phrases mean as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings, and to analyze the impact of rhymes and other repeated sounds, such as alliteration, on a specific stanza of a poem or section of a story or drama. It builds on RL.6.4.
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of rhymes and other repetitions of sounds (e.g., alliteration) on a specific verse or stanza of a poem or section of a story or drama.
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy · Domain: Reading Standards for Literature · Cluster: Craft and Structure · Official standard
Poems are written to be heard. RL.7.4 asks seventh graders to do two related jobs with a poem, story or play: work out what words and phrases mean as they are used, including their figurative and connotative meanings, and explain the impact of rhymes and other repeated sounds on a specific stanza or section. The modeled reading is the first two stanzas of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Bells" (1849), in which small silver sleigh bells and golden wedding bells each get their own sounds, and students see how Poe's rhymes, repetitions and alliteration make the reader hear the bells.
In Guided Practice, the class reads Poe's third stanza, where brass fire-alarm bells clang and shriek, and compares its harsh sounds with the first stanza. In Independent Practice, students read the opening stanzas of Alfred Noyes's "The Highwayman" (1906), a story told as a poem, and analyze its metaphors, colors and repeated sounds. The homework continues with the next three stanzas of the same poem.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
Determine the meaning of an unfamiliar or old-fashioned word from how it is used in a line of poetry
Explain what a simile, metaphor or personification means and what picture or feeling it creates
Explain the connotations of a word, the feelings and ideas it carries beyond its dictionary meaning
Identify end rhyme, internal rhyme, alliteration, onomatopoeia and repeated words in a specific stanza, and explain their impact on its mood and meaning
Prior Knowledge Required
Students should already be comfortable with:
Determining figurative and connotative meanings and the effect of a specific word choice on meaning and tone RL.6.4
Using context clues to work out the meaning of a word L.6.4
Knowing the difference between a line and a stanza in a poem
Recognizing a simile (a comparison using like or as)
"Say these two sentences out loud: 'The small bell rang.' and 'The tiny bell went tinkle, tinkle, tinkle.' Which one lets you hear the bell? Write one word that names a sound by imitating it, like buzz or crash, and one sentence in which three words start with the same sound."
Take a few answers. Students usually agree that the second sentence is louder in the mind: the word "tinkle" imitates the sound, and saying it three times makes the bell keep ringing. Write onomatopoeia on the board: a word that imitates the sound it names. Then collect the same-sound sentences and name the device: alliteration, the repetition of the same first sound in nearby words. Tell the class that today they will read a poem that is almost made of bell sounds, and explain what those sounds do.
Direct Instruction15 minutes
Two jobs, eight key words:
Figurative meaning: a meaning that is not literal (not word for word). A simile compares with like or as; a metaphor says one thing is another; personification gives human actions or feelings to something that is not human.
Denotation: the dictionary meaning of a word. Connotation: the feelings and ideas a word carries with it. "Silver" and "gray" can name nearly the same color, but silver suggests something bright and valuable.
Rhyme: words that end in the same sound (bells, wells). End rhyme comes at the ends of lines; internal rhyme falls inside a line.
Other repetitions of sounds: alliteration (same first sound: merriment, melody), onomatopoeia (tinkle), and repeated words or lines.
Impact: what a device does to the stanza. Name the device, quote it with its line number, and say what it makes the reader hear, see or feel.
Introduce the text: Poe wrote "The Bells" near the end of his life, in 1849. Each stanza is about a different kind of bell. Stanza I is about the small bells on a horse-drawn sleigh at night; stanza II is about church bells at a wedding. Words to know: sledges (sleighs), foretells (tells ahead of time), oversprinkle (sprinkle over), Runic (like the runes, the letters of the ancient Norse people, so old and mysterious), tintinnabulation (the ringing of bells, from the Latin word for a bell; Poe helped make this rare word known), mellow (soft and rich), balmy (mild and pleasant), molten (melted), ditty (a short, simple song), turtle-dove (a small dove, a symbol of faithful love), euphony (pleasant sound), voluminously (in great amounts), rapture (great joy) and impels (drives forward). Read the stanzas aloud twice while students follow the line numbers.
1Hear the sledges with the bells— Silver bells! What a world of merriment their melody foretells! How they tinkle, tinkle, tinkle, 5In the icy air of night! While the stars that oversprinkle All the heavens, seem to twinkle With a crystalline delight; Keeping time, time, time, 10In a sort of Runic rhyme, To the tintinnabulation that so musically wells From the bells, bells, bells, bells, Bells, bells, bells— From the jingling and the tinkling of the bells.
15Hear the mellow wedding-bells Golden bells! What a world of happiness their harmony foretells! Through the balmy air of night How they ring out their delight!— 20From the molten golden-notes, And all in tune, What a liquid ditty floats To the turtle-dove that listens, while she gloats On the moon! 25Oh, from out the sounding cells, What a gush of euphony voluminously wells! How it swells! How it dwells On the Future!—how it tells 30Of the rapture that impels To the swinging and the ringing Of the bells, bells, bells— Of the bells, bells, bells, bells, Bells, bells, bells— 35To the rhyming and the chiming of the bells!
Edgar Allan Poe, The Bells, stanzas I and II (the sledge bells and the wedding bells) (1849; this edition 1903). Public domain (published 1903). Source text.
Onomatopoeia and a repeated word
What is the impact of "How they tinkle, tinkle, tinkle," (line 4)?
Result: "Tinkle" is onomatopoeia: it sounds like a small, light bell. Saying it three times in a row makes the line ring the way a sleigh bell does, over and over with each step of the horse. The short, quick sound gives stanza I a light, merry feeling.
End rhyme and internal rhyme
Which words rhyme in lines 4-8, and what do the rhymes add?
Result: "Tinkle" (line 4) rhymes with "oversprinkle" (line 6) and "twinkle" (line 7), and "night" (line 5) rhymes with "delight" (line 8). The bright, short -inkle sound ties the bells on the ground to the stars overhead, so the sound and the night sky seem to belong together. Diagram 2 maps every end rhyme in stanza I. Internal rhyme falls inside a line: in stanza II, "To the swinging and the ringing" (line 31) and "To the rhyming and the chiming of the bells!" (line 35) rhyme within the line, so each line swings back and forth like a bell.
Alliteration (the official example)
What repeated first sounds do lines 3 and 17 use, and why?
Result: Line 3 repeats the m sound: "What a world of merriment their melody foretells!" Line 17 repeats the h sound: "What a world of happiness their harmony foretells!" Both sounds are soft (the m hums and the h is only a breath), so the alliteration makes these happy bells sound gentle, not harsh.
Connotation
Why does Poe call the sleigh bells "Silver bells!" (line 2) and the wedding bells "Golden bells!" (line 16)?
Result: The denotation is two metals. The connotations differ: silver suggests something bright, light and clear, which fits small bells on a winter night; gold suggests richness, warmth and great value, which fits a wedding and the promise of a happy future.
Figurative meaning
What does "What a liquid ditty floats" (line 22) mean?
Result: A song cannot really be liquid or float. The metaphor says the wedding bells' music is smooth and flowing, like water, and that it drifts gently through the air. Together with "the molten golden-notes" (line 20), it makes the sound seem warm and rich, like melted gold.
Device, quote, impact. Model the three moves with the first example and write the frame on the board: "In line __, the poet uses ___ in the words '___.' This makes the stanza sound/feel ___ because ___." Stress that naming a device is only the start: an answer that says "line 4 has onomatopoeia" has not yet explained its impact.
Guided Practice15 minutes
Now read stanza III, about the brass alarm bells that rang to warn a town of fire. Words to know: alarum (an old form of alarm), turbulency (wild disorder), affright (fright), clamorous (loud and noisy), resolute endeavor (determined effort), palpitating (throbbing, like a racing heart), clamour and clangour (British spellings; loud noise and loud ringing). Read it aloud faster and louder than stanzas I and II.
1Hear the loud alarum bells— Brazen bells! What a tale of terror now their turbulency tells! In the startled ear of night 5How they scream out their affright! Too much horrified to speak, They can only shriek, shriek, Out of tune, In a clamorous appealing to the mercy of the fire, 10In a mad expostulation with the deaf and frantic fire, Leaping higher, higher, higher, With a desperate desire, And a resolute endeavor Now—now to sit, or never, 15By the side of the pale-faced moon. Oh, the bells, bells, bells! What a tale their terror tells Of Despair! How they clang, and clash, and roar! 20What a horror they outpour On the bosom of the palpitating air! Yet the ear, it fully knows, By the twanging And the clanging, 25How the danger ebbs and flows; Yet, the ear distinctly tells, In the jangling And the wrangling, How the danger sinks and swells, 30By the sinking or the swelling in the anger of the bells— Of the bells— Of the bells, bells, bells, bells, Bells, bells, bells— In the clamour and the clangour of the bells!
Edgar Allan Poe, The Bells, stanza III (the alarm bells) (1849; this edition 1903). Public domain (published 1903). Source text.
Work through three places together. For each one, pairs name the device, quote it and write its impact:
"How they clang, and clash, and roar!" (line 19). Teacher note: all three verbs are onomatopoeia, and "clang" and "clash" also alliterate on the hard cl sound. Compared with "tinkle" in stanza I, these words are heavy and loud, so the stanza sounds violent.
"By the twanging / And the clanging" and "In the jangling / And the wrangling" (lines 23-24 and 27-28). Teacher note: each pair of very short lines rhymes on a harsh -ang sound, like two bells banging against each other. "Wrangling" means arguing noisily, so the rhyme also makes the bells sound like they are fighting.
"Brazen bells!" (line 2). Teacher note: the denotation of brazen is made of brass. Its connotation is bold, loud and shameless. After "silver" and "golden," the word tells readers before any sound word appears that this stanza will be harsh.
Show Diagram 1 and ask pairs to add one more sound word from stanza III to its column. Then pairs write two sentences comparing the impact of the sounds in stanza I and stanza III, using the frame. Leave the other lines of stanza III for the quiz.
Independent Practice15 minutes
Students read the opening of "The Highwayman" by Alfred Noyes on their own. The poem tells a story set in England in the 1700s. A highwayman was a robber on horseback who held up travelers on the roads; this one rides at night to an inn to see Bess, the daughter of the innkeeper. Words to know: torrent (a rushing flood), galleon (a large sailing ship of the 1500s-1700s), moor (open, wild land covered with low plants), inn (an old kind of hotel for travelers), cocked-hat (a hat with its brim turned up on the sides), claret (dark red, the color of red wine), breeches (trousers that end at the knee), doe-skin (soft deer leather), rapier hilt (the handle of a thin sword), cobbles (rounded stones used to pave a yard), landlord (here, the owner of the inn), plaiting (braiding) and love-knot (a ribbon tied in a knot as a sign of love).
1The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees, The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas, The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor, And the highwayman came riding-- 5Riding--riding-- The highwayman came riding, up to the old inn-door.
He'd a French cocked-hat on his forehead, a bunch of lace at his chin, A coat of the claret velvet, and breeches of brown doe-skin; They fitted with never a wrinkle: his boots were up to the thigh! 10And he rode with a jewelled twinkle, His pistol butts a-twinkle, His rapier hilt a-twinkle, under the jewelled sky.
Over the cobbles he clattered and clashed in the dark inn-yard, And he tapped with his whip on the shutters, but all was locked and barred; 15He whistled a tune to the window, and who should be waiting there But the landlord's black-eyed daughter, Bess, the landlord's daughter, Plaiting a dark red love-knot into her long black hair.
Alfred Noyes, The Highwayman, Part One, stanzas I-III (1906; this edition 1913). Public domain (published 1913). Source text.
With four colored pencils, students mark the stanzas: one color for end rhymes, one for alliteration, one for repeated words, and one for figurative language. Then they write (1) the rhyme pattern of one stanza, using letters as in Diagram 2; (2) the meaning and the impact of one metaphor; (3) one word whose connotation matters, with what it suggests. The quiz uses this passage and the two passages from "The Bells."
Closure5-10 minutes
Exit ticket: (1) In one sentence, explain the difference between naming a sound device and analyzing its impact. (2) Choose one line from any passage today, name its sound device, and explain its impact in one sentence.
Teacher note on language and content: "The Highwayman" is a romantic story about a robber, and in Part Two (not printed on this page) soldiers tie Bess up with a musket against her, and she fires it to warn the highwayman, killing herself; he is later shot dead on the road; teachers who assign the whole poem should preview it. Part Two also uses a dated word for the Romani people that many consider offensive, which is one reason this page prints only Part One. In stanza V of the homework passage the highwayman swears he will return "though hell should bar the way," an old expression meaning "no matter what." "Dumb" in the homework passage has its old meaning, silent, and "mouldy" and "clamour" are British spellings. Keep the poets' words as printed.
For homework: students read the next three stanzas of "The Highwayman," printed below. They introduce Tim, who works at the inn and secretly loves Bess, and the highwayman's promise to Bess. Words to know: stable-wicket (a small door in a stable), ostler (a worker who cares for travelers' horses at an inn), peaked (thin and sickly-looking), bonny (pretty), harry (chase and attack again and again), casement (a window that opens on hinges, like a door), scarce (hardly), brand (a burning piece of wood) and cascade (a small waterfall).
1And dark in the dark old inn-yard a stable-wicket creaked Where Tim the ostler listened; his face was white and peaked; His eyes were hollows of madness, his hair like mouldy hay, But he loved the landlord's daughter, 5The landlord's red-lipped daughter, Dumb as a dog he listened, and he heard the robber say--
"One kiss, my bonny sweetheart, I'm after a prize to-night, But I shall be back with the yellow gold before the morning light; Yet, if they press me sharply, and harry me through the day, 10Then look for me by moonlight, Watch for me by moonlight, I'll come to thee by moonlight, though hell should bar the way."
He rose upright in the stirrups; he scarce could reach her hand, But she loosened her hair i' the casement! His face burnt like a brand 15As the black cascade of perfume came tumbling over his breast; And he kissed its waves in the moonlight, (Oh, sweet black waves in the moonlight!) Then he tugged at his rein in the moonlight, and galloped away to the West.
Alfred Noyes, The Highwayman, Part One, stanzas IV-VI (1906; this edition 1913). Public domain (published 1913). Source text.
Differentiation Strategies
For Struggling Students
Give a chart with the five device names, a one-line definition and a blank for an example from the poem
Read each stanza aloud with them first, and have them tap the table on every repeated word or sound
Let them analyze one device per stanza before looking for several
For Advanced Students
Ask them to find a place in "The Bells" where the rhythm speeds up or slows down, and explain how line length and repetition cause it
Have them compare the rhyme pattern of a stanza of "The Highwayman" with stanza I of "The Bells" and explain which one sounds more like a song and why
Ask them to find a paragraph in a story they are reading that uses alliteration or repetition, and analyze its impact on that section
Assessment Guidance
What to Look For
Check that students explain meaning in context: for an old or unusual word, a meaning that fits the line; for a figure of speech, what it really says and what picture or feeling it creates; for a word's connotation, the associations it carries beyond its dictionary meaning. For sound devices, look for three parts in every answer: the device named correctly, the exact words quoted with a line number, and an impact that is specific to the stanza ("the hard cl sounds make the alarm bells sound violent"), not general ("it makes the poem sound good"). Watch for students who call any repeated letter alliteration even when it is not the first sound of the words, and for rhyme patterns that skip a line.
02
Classroom Activities
3 Activities
1
Flatten the Stanza
15 minPairs
Pairs compare the first eight lines of "The Bells" with a flat version written for this page that keeps the meaning but removes the sound devices. Hearing what disappears shows the impact of each device.
The Flat Version
Listen to the sleighs and their tiny bells. They promise a happy time. They ring in the cold night air, under the stars.
Procedure
One partner reads lines 1-8 of "The Bells" aloud; the other reads the flat version; then they switch
Pairs list every sound device the flat version lost, quoting the original with line numbers
For each lost device, pairs write one sentence on what the stanza loses without it
Notes for the teacher: the flat version loses the onomatopoeia and triple repetition of "tinkle" (line 4), the m alliteration in "merriment their melody" (line 3), the rhymes "tinkle," "oversprinkle," "twinkle" (lines 4, 6, 7) and "night," "delight" (lines 5, 8), and the repeated "bells" of lines 1-2; it keeps the meaning but no longer sounds like bells
Discussion Questions
Which lost device did your pair miss the most? Why?
The flat version is clearer. Is it better? What does a poem gain by sounding like its subject?
Could you add one device back to the flat version and bring back some of the bells?
Modification
For students who need support, give the list of four devices to look for and have pairs find one example of each.
2
Connotation Line-Up
15 minGroups of 4
Groups arrange sets of word cards from the most positive or gentle to the most negative or harsh. Words with close dictionary meanings can carry very different feelings, and this is what connotation questions ask students to notice.
The Card Sets
Bell sounds: tinkle, chime, ring, clang, shriek
Words for thin: slender, slim, thin, skinny, scrawny
Words for interested: curious, interested, inquisitive, nosy, prying
Procedure
Groups line up each set on the desk from the most positive or gentle word to the most negative or harsh word
For each set, the group writes one sentence using the word at each end, for example "The slender dancer" and "The scrawny stray cat"
Groups compare their line-ups with another group and settle any differences by explaining the feeling each word carries
Notes for the teacher: in set 1, "tinkle" and "chime" are gentle and "shriek" is harsh, which matches the move from stanza I to stanza III of "The Bells"; in sets 2 and 3, "slender" and "curious" usually land at the positive end and "scrawny" and "prying" at the negative end, while the middle words can move
Discussion Questions
Which words did groups disagree about? Why can connotations differ from person to person?
Why would a poet choose "shriek" instead of "ring" for an alarm bell?
Variation
Add a fourth set from a class novel: five words the author uses for one character, and discuss what the author wants readers to feel.
3
Write a Bell Stanza
10 minIndividual, then pairs
Students write a short stanza in Poe's style about a sound from their own day, then trade stanzas and analyze each other's sound devices. Using the devices on purpose makes their impact easier to explain.
Procedure
Each student picks a sound: the school bell, a phone alarm, a bus horn, a dog barking
Students write 6-8 lines that include at least one onomatopoeia, one alliteration, one rhyming pair and one repeated word
Partners trade, label each device with its line number, and write one sentence on its impact
Model stanza for the teacher, written for this page: Hear the clatter of the lunch bell, / Hungry bell! / What a crowd of chattering children it can tell! / How it buzzes, buzzes, buzzes / Down the hallway, through the doors, / Till the stampede of the sneakers stomps the floors! Devices: onomatopoeia "buzzes"; alliteration "chattering children" and "stampede of the sneakers stomps"; rhymes "bell," "tell" and "doors," "floors"; the repeated "buzzes"
Discussion Questions
Which device was hardest to fit in? Did it change what you wanted to say?
Did your partner hear an impact you did not intend?
Variation
Have students write two stanzas about the same sound in two moods, one happy and one alarmed, as Poe does.
03
Diagrams & Visual Aids
2 diagrams
Diagram 1: Three Kinds of Bells in Poe's Poem
The first three stanzas of "The Bells" side by side. Poe's metal words carry connotations (bright silver, rich gold, bold brass), and the sound words and the mood grow harsher from stanza I to stanza III.
Diagram 2: The Rhyme Pattern of Stanza I
Each line of stanza I of "The Bells" with a letter for its end sound. Lines 1-3 and 11-14 all end in the "-ells" sound of "bells," so the stanza opens and closes on the same sound.
04
Homework Assignment
~30 min
RL.7.4 Homework: Tim, Bess and the Highwayman's Promise
Directions: Read stanzas IV-VI of "The Highwayman" at the end of the lesson plan (in Closure). Its lines are numbered 1-18. Answer in complete sentences, quote the exact words you discuss, and give their line numbers.
Part 1: Figurative Meanings (Problems 1-2)
Line 3 says of Tim, "His eyes were hollows of madness, his hair like mouldy hay." Which part is a metaphor and which is a simile? Explain what each one means and what it shows about Tim.
In line 14, "His face burnt like a brand," and in line 15, Bess's hair is "the black cascade of perfume." Explain what each figure of speech means and what feeling it creates.
Part 2: Connotations (Problems 3-4)
Tim's face is "white and peaked" (line 2), and Bess is "The landlord's red-lipped daughter" (line 5). What do the colors white and red suggest about each character here? Explain the connotations.
The highwayman says, "I'm after a prize to-night" (line 7). What does the word "prize" suggest that a word like "loot" or "stolen money" would not? Why might he choose it when talking to Bess?
Part 3: The Impact of Sound (Problems 5-6)
Lines 10-12 repeat the words "by moonlight" three times, and the word "moonlight" returns in each of lines 16-18. What is the impact of this repetition on stanzas V and VI?
Write a paragraph of 5-7 sentences analyzing stanza IV (lines 1-6). Explain the impact of its end rhymes and of at least two other repeated sounds, such as "dark in the dark" (line 1) or "Dumb as a dog" (line 6), on the stanza's mood and on how we see Tim. Quote every device with its line number.
Rubric
Criterion
Full Credit (2 pts)
Partial Credit (1 pt)
No Credit (0 pts)
Figurative Meaning
Names the figure of speech correctly and explains what it means and shows
Names it correctly, or explains it, but not both
Takes the words literally or leaves it out
Connotation
Explains the feelings a word carries and how they fit the character or moment
Gives a dictionary meaning only
Wrong or missing
Sound Devices
Names each device correctly and quotes it with a line number
Names devices without quotations, or mislabels one
No devices identified
Impact
Explains a specific effect on the stanza's mood or meaning
States a general effect such as "it sounds nice"
No impact explained
05
Quiz: 20 Questions
Interactive, with answers
Instructions
Questions 3, 4 and 15 use stanzas I and II of "The Bells" in Direct Instruction; questions 5-8 and 16 use stanza III in Guided Practice; questions 9-14 and 17-19 use "The Highwayman" in Independent Practice; question 20 uses both poems. Questions 1 and 2 are about word meanings and sounds in general. Line numbers restart in each passage. Your score updates as you answer, and Reset quiz clears everything.
Multiple choice: pick an option to check it. Short answer: write your answer, then reveal the model answer.
0 of 20 answered · 0 correct
Question 1 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which pair of words has almost the same denotation (dictionary meaning) but very different connotations?
Answer: A
"Thrifty" and "stingy" both mean careful not to spend money, but "thrifty" sounds like praise and "stingy" sounds like criticism. Choice B pairs opposites, which differ in denotation. Choice C names two different actions. Choice D names two different objects, so their dictionary meanings are already different.
Question 2 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which line, written for this quiz, uses alliteration?
Answer: C
Choice C repeats the first sound s in "Seven silver swans swept slowly" and "stream." In Choices A, B and D, every word begins with a different sound, so none of them repeats a first sound.
Question 3 of 20 · Multiple Choice
In stanza I of "The Bells," the stars "seem to twinkle / With a crystalline delight" (lines 7-8). What does this phrase mean?
Answer: B
"Crystalline" means clear and sparkling like crystal, and "delight" gives the stars a human feeling, so the phrase is figurative: the stars shine brightly and seem to share the bells' joy. Choice A takes the words literally. Choice C contradicts "twinkle." Choice D confuses "oversprinkle" (line 6) with falling snow.
Question 4 of 20 · Multiple Choice
In stanza II, the music floats "To the turtle-dove that listens, while she gloats / On the moon!" (lines 23-24). What does "gloats" mean as it is used here?
Answer: D
The dove is listening to happy wedding music under the moon, so the older meaning fits: to look at something with great pleasure. Choice A is the modern meaning of "gloat," which does not fit a peaceful dove at a wedding. Choice B contradicts "listens." Choice C has no support: nothing suggests fear in this stanza.
Question 5 of 20 · Multiple Choice
In stanza III, the bells ring "In a clamorous appealing to the mercy of the fire, / In a mad expostulation with the deaf and frantic fire" (lines 9-10). What does this personification suggest?
Answer: A
"Appealing to the mercy" means begging, and an "expostulation" is a strong, earnest protest, so the bells are pictured pleading with the fire; calling the fire "deaf" means it ignores them. Choice B contradicts "clamorous" (loud). Choice C contradicts "deaf and frantic." Choice D misreads line 15, where the flames, not the bells, try to reach the moon.
Question 6 of 20 · Multiple Choice
What is the impact of the repeated word in "Leaping higher, higher, higher," (line 11)?
Answer: C
Each "higher" pushes the flames up another step, and saying it three times makes the reader feel the fire growing out of control. Choice A reverses the effect; the repetition speeds the line up. Choice B confuses the fire with the bells, which are loud here. Choice D treats the repetition as a measurement.
Question 7 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Line 3 of stanza III reads, "What a tale of terror now their turbulency tells!" What is the impact of its repeated t sound?
Answer: B
"Tale," "terror," "turbulency" and "tells" begin with the same hard t sound, and the repeated sound strikes like a bell being hit again and again. Compare the soft m of "merriment their melody" in stanza I. Choice A describes soft sounds like m, not t. Choice C belongs to stanza I. Choice D confuses alliteration, which repeats first sounds, with end rhyme; "tells" (line 3) and "night" (line 4) do not rhyme.
Question 8 of 20 · Multiple Choice
"Yet the ear, it fully knows, / By the twanging / And the clanging, / How the danger ebbs and flows" (lines 22-25). What do these lines mean?
Answer: D
"Ebbs and flows" is a figure of speech from the tide going out and coming in, so listeners can tell from the bells' sound whether the danger is growing or shrinking; lines 29-30 repeat the idea with "sinks and swells." Choice A contradicts "the ear, it fully knows." Choice B has no support. Choice C adds a place the lines never mention.
Question 9 of 20 · Multiple Choice
"The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas" ("The Highwayman," line 2). What does this metaphor mean?
Answer: A
A metaphor says one thing is another: the moon is a galleon, and the clouds are the sea. The moon looks pale like a ghost and seems to be "tossed" as clouds race past it. Choice B takes the words literally. Choice C contradicts the moon being visible. Choice D confuses the moon with the highwayman, who is on a horse on the moor.
Question 10 of 20 · Multiple Choice
"The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor" (line 3). What does the metaphor suggest about the road?
Answer: B
A ribbon is long, thin and smooth, and "of moonlight" makes it pale and glowing, so the road looks like a bright strip laid across the dark moor. Choice A contradicts "ribbon," which is narrow, and nothing mentions other travelers. Choice C invents stones; the cobbles are in the inn-yard (line 13). Choice D has no support.
Question 11 of 20 · Multiple Choice
What is the impact of "And the highwayman came riding-- / Riding--riding--" (lines 4-5)?
Answer: C
Repeating "riding" with dashes gives the lines the rhythm of galloping hooves, and the reader waits, like the people at the inn, for the rider to arrive. Choice A reads the repetition literally. Choice B reverses its effect. Choice D is wrong about the rhyme: "riding" does not rhyme with "door"; "door" rhymes with "moor" in line 3.
Question 12 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Using letters for end sounds, what is the rhyme pattern of stanza I of "The Highwayman" (lines 1-6)?
Answer: D
"Trees" and "seas" rhyme (A A), "moor" is new (B), the two lines ending in "riding" match (C C), and "door" rhymes with "moor" (B): AABCCB. Choice A assumes alternating rhymes, but "trees" rhymes with the very next line. Choice B assumes neighboring pairs throughout, but "moor" (line 3) pairs with "door" (line 6), not with "riding." Choice C would need "trees" to rhyme with "riding."
Question 13 of 20 · Multiple Choice
"Over the cobbles he clattered and clashed in the dark inn-yard" (line 13). What is the impact of the repeated sound?
Answer: A
"Cobbles," "clattered" and "clashed" all begin with the hard c sound, and "clattered" and "clashed" are also onomatopoeia, so the line sounds like iron horseshoes on stone. Choice B reverses the sound: these are loud, hard sounds. Choice C contradicts "clattered and clashed." Choice D confuses alliteration with end rhyme, and "inn-yard" rhymes with "barred" (line 14).
Question 14 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Stanza II ends, "And he rode with a jewelled twinkle, / His pistol butts a-twinkle, / His rapier hilt a-twinkle, under the jewelled sky" (lines 10-12). What do the repeated "twinkle" and "jewelled" suggest about the highwayman?
Answer: B
"Twinkle" carries connotations of sparkle and charm, and "jewelled" suggests wealth and beauty. Repeating them, and linking his sparkle to the "jewelled sky," makes the robber seem as dazzling as the stars. Choice A contradicts the fine clothes "with never a wrinkle" (line 9). Choice C contradicts the loud, showy arrival. Choice D takes "jewelled" literally.
Question 15 of 20 · Short Answer
In stanza II of "The Bells," lines 25-30 end with "cells," "wells," "swells," "dwells," "tells" and "impels." Explain the impact of this run of rhymes on the stanza. Quote at least two of the lines.
Model answer: Six lines in a row end with the "-ells" sound of "bells," so the rhyme keeps ringing like a bell whose sound goes on after it is struck. Short lines such as "How it swells!" (line 27) and "How it dwells" (line 28) make the sound grow and linger, which fits the joyful, rich music of wedding bells and the promise of "the Future" (line 29). Rubric: 2 points for naming the repeated rhyme, quoting two lines and explaining a specific impact; 1 point for naming the rhyme with a general effect; 0 for no analysis.
Question 16 of 20 · Short Answer
"How they scream out their affright! / Too much horrified to speak, / They can only shriek, shriek," (stanza III, lines 5-7). Explain the figurative language in these lines and the impact of repeating "shriek."
Model answer: The lines use personification: the bells "scream," are "horrified," and cannot "speak," as if they were terrified people. Repeating "shriek" makes the sound high, sharp and nonstop, so the reader hears the bells' panic instead of just being told about it. Rubric: 2 points for identifying the personification, explaining it, and explaining the impact of the repetition; 1 point for one of the two; 0 for no explanation.
Question 17 of 20 · Short Answer
"The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees" ("The Highwayman," line 1). Explain what the metaphor means and the mood it creates for the opening of the poem.
Model answer: A torrent is a rushing flood, so the metaphor says the wind pours through the trees like a flood of darkness: strong, wild and black. It gives the opening a stormy, dangerous and mysterious mood, a fitting night for a robber to ride. Rubric: 2 points for the meaning of the metaphor and a specific mood with a reason; 1 point for the meaning or the mood alone; 0 for a literal reading.
Question 18 of 20 · Short Answer
Stanza III ends with "the landlord's black-eyed daughter, / Bess, the landlord's daughter, / Plaiting a dark red love-knot into her long black hair" (lines 16-18). Explain the connotations of the colors and of the phrase "dark red love-knot."
Model answer: Black eyes and long black hair suggest beauty, mystery and the dark night around her. A love-knot is a sign of love, and red connotes love and passion, but "dark red" also suggests blood, so the phrase hints that this love could end in danger. The repeated "landlord's daughter" also makes her sound like a figure in a ballad. Rubric: 2 points for two connotations explained with the text; 1 point for one; 0 for colors named with no meaning.
Question 19 of 20 · Short Answer
Compare line 13, "Over the cobbles he clattered and clashed in the dark inn-yard," with lines 14-15, "And he tapped with his whip on the shutters" and "He whistled a tune to the window." How do the sounds change, and what is the impact?
Model answer: Line 13 is loud: hard c sounds in "cobbles," "clattered" and "clashed." In lines 14-15 the sounds turn quiet: "tapped" is a small sound, and the w alliteration in "whistled" and "window" is soft and breathy. The change shows the highwayman moving from a noisy arrival to a secret, gentle signal for Bess, so the sounds mark the shift from action to romance. Rubric: 2 points for describing both sound patterns with quotations and explaining the shift; 1 point for one pattern; 0 for no comparison.
Question 20 of 20 · Short Answer
Both poems repeat words: "From the bells, bells, bells, bells," in "The Bells" (stanza I, line 12) and "Riding--riding--" in "The Highwayman" (line 5). Explain the impact of each repetition and how the two are similar.
Model answer: In "The Bells," repeating "bells" four times makes the line ring like the bells themselves, the same note struck again and again. In "The Highwayman," repeating "riding" gives the beat of hooves and builds suspense as the rider comes closer. In both poems the repeated word imitates a sound from the scene, so the reader hears the poem instead of just reading it. Rubric: 2 points for the impact of both repetitions and a clear similarity; 1 point for one impact; 0 for naming repetition only.
0 of 20 answered · 0 correct
06
Frequently Asked Questions
10 Questions
What does RL.7.4 mean?
It means seventh graders work out what words and phrases mean in a literary text and explain how sounds shape a passage. The first half covers meaning in context, including figurative language and connotation. The second half asks students to analyze the impact of rhymes and other repeated sounds, such as alliteration, on a specific stanza of a poem or a section of a story or play.
What is the difference between figurative and connotative meaning?
A figurative meaning is not literal, while a connotation is the feeling a word carries. "What a liquid ditty floats" is figurative: a song is not really a liquid. The word "brazen" in "The Bells" is literal (made of brass), but its connotations of boldness and harshness shape the stanza. One phrase can have both kinds of meaning at once.
What does "analyze the impact" of rhymes and sounds mean in RL.7.4?
It means explaining what a sound does to the stanza, not just naming it. A complete answer names the device, quotes it with a line number, and says what it makes the reader hear, see or feel, for example that the hard sounds of "clang, and clash, and roar" make Poe's alarm bells sound violent. "This line has alliteration" is identification; the impact is the reason it matters.
Which sound devices should seventh graders know for RL.7.4?
Students should know rhyme (end rhyme and internal rhyme), alliteration, onomatopoeia and the repetition of words or lines. Many teachers also introduce assonance (repeated vowel sounds, as in "moon" and "cool") and refrain (a line repeated through a poem). The standard names only rhymes and alliteration, so the focus should stay on explaining effects rather than collecting labels.
How is RL.7.4 different from RL.6.4?
Both ask for figurative and connotative meanings. RL.6.4 then asks for the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone. RL.7.4 replaces that with the impact of rhymes and repeated sounds on a specific verse, stanza or section, so grade 7 adds sound to the study of word meaning.
What comes after RL.7.4 in grade 8?
RL.8.4 keeps figurative and connotative meanings and asks for the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies and allusions to other texts. In high school, RL.9-10.4 looks at the cumulative impact of word choices, such as how language creates a sense of time and place.
Does RL.7.4 apply only to poems?
No: the standard says "a specific verse or stanza of a poem or section of a story or drama." Prose writers use sound too; Poe's stories repeat words and sounds to build suspense, and many plays include rhymed lines or songs. Poems make the devices easiest to hear, which is why this lesson uses two of them.
Why should students read "The Bells" and "The Highwayman" aloud?
Because the impact of a sound device is easiest to explain after hearing it. Reading Poe's stanzas aloud lets students hear the bells change from light to harsh, and reading "The Highwayman" aloud shows how its long lines and repeated words carry a story. Both poems are in the public domain, so their stanzas can be printed on the page.
How is RL.7.4 assessed?
It is usually assessed with questions about a passage: what a word or phrase means in context, what a figure of speech suggests, and what effect a repeated sound or rhyme has on a stanza. Written responses ask students to quote the device with a line number and explain its impact. This lesson's quiz and homework follow that pattern.
How can parents help with RL.7.4 at home?
Listen for sound devices together in songs, ads and picture books, and ask "Why do you think they repeated that?" or "Why does that word sound funny?" Talking about word pairs with the same meaning but different feelings, such as "curious" and "nosy," also builds the connotation skills RL.7.4 asks for.
07
Related Standards
5 standards
These standards connect to RL.7.4: prerequisites to review first, parallel standards at the same level, and next steps that build on it.
Before this lesson
RL.6.4Prerequisite
Determine figurative and connotative meanings and the impact of a word choice on tone
