Skip to main content

Pants Poem Comprehension Assignment

Read the poem "Pants" by Mordicai Gerstein and answer the following questions. Some questions have multiple parts. Be sure to answer all parts as instructed.

Source 1

Pants by Mordicai Gerstein

We go everywhere

together.

You carry my treasures

for me.

5 When I find grass

on your knees

and sand in your pockets,

I know where I’ve been.

We go everywhere together

10 except

the washing machine.

“Don’t let them put me in there!”

you beg.

15“Or at least come with me!”

But all I can do

is watch you go round

and round

20 in the little window,

tumbling in the suds,

like me

when I’m caught

in an ocean wave.

25 I hear your buttons

clicking in

the spinning dryer.

You emerge, limp

and lifeless,

30 till I slip my legs

inside you.

You’re alive again!

Eager for our next

35 adventure!

Question 1

Multiple choice

What is the meaning of the word limp in line 28 of the poem?

Question 2

Multiple choice

Which word from the poem helps the reader understand the meaning of the word limp?

Question 3

Multiple choice

Based on lines 1 through 11 of the poem, what does the speaker like best about his pants? Select TWO correct answers.

Question 4

Multiple choice

Read lines 17 through 24 of the poem. Which line best shows that the speaker stays close to the pants even when he is not wearing them? Select only ONE correct answer.

Question 5

Short answer

Read the poem “Pants.”

Based on the information in the poem, write a response to the following:

Explain the relationship between the poet and the pants and how this relationship is developed by the poet.

Write a well-organized informational essay that uses specific evidence from the poem to support your answer.

Remember to —

• clearly state your central idea

• organize your writing

• develop your ideas in detail

• use evidence from the selection in your response

• use correct spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and grammar

Manage your time carefully so that you can —

• review the selection

• plan your response

• write your response

• revise and edit your response

Record your response in the box provided

Teach with AI superpowers

Why teachers love Class Companion

Import assignments to get started in no time.

Create your own rubric to customize the AI feedback to your liking.

Overrule the AI feedback if a student disputes.

Other Reading Assignments

3.4 Essay Phineas Gage4th grade Benchmark Essay4th Lesson 3 Finding Your Pulse Rate4th Lesson 3 Floating or Sinking Liquids4th Lesson 3 Making a Rhino Bank4th Lesson 6 Fruit of the Bog4th Lesson 6 Why Salt? Valuable Little Cubes5th Lesson 6: From Soldiers, Sleds, and Sam5th Lesson 6: Goodbye for Now5th Lesson 6: “The Pocket Watch”6th Lesson 5 A Sewing Sensation6th Lesson 6 Alma's First Cattle Drive6th Lesson 6 Black Beauty6th Lesson 6 Lost in TimeA Day at the Pond: STAAR-Style Poem and QuestionsAnalyzing Points of View: Theodore Roosevelt's Personality (copy)Anne Frank-ThemesArgumentative Essay: Should Students Pay to Play Sports?(B2)The Dual Edges of Fame: Advantages and Disadvantages for Film StarsBe a Food Artist: Using Text and Visuals Together (copy)benchmark scrBig Hero 6, Hero characteristicsCBA 1 Essay "The Year of the Rat"Chapter 18 Comparative Analysis of Characters in "The Last Wild Place" and "A Wave of a Day"Compare and Contrast Information in Two Texts: Colorado National MonumentDescribe the Perfect Secret HideoutDigging Up the Truth-ECRDrama Scene Writing AssignmentECR - AnansiECR - Anansi (copy)ECR - "from Tales from Watership Down"ECR Paired Passage "Light" and "Rise Again"ECR practice- Reading Comprehension: Jordan's Baseball GameEssay Assignment: My Favorite CharacterExploring Figurative Language in PoetryExploring Themes in Poetry“From Seed to Pumpkin to Seed.”Going Green: Reading Comprehension AssignmentGrades 3–5 Reading Language Arts Informational Writing RubricInference and Perspective: Cracker's StoryInformational Essay on Heroism in 'The Friend Who Changed My Life' Informational Text - StampsJordan Vs. James argumentative writingLesson 18 Module task 1Lessons and Family Strings ECRLet's Aim for Mars SCRLife Lessons in 'Laura's Key'M4W2 SCRMake More Time for Music - Opinion Essay Assignment