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11+ · English - Reading (Poetry)

EP.E31 Comprehension: Poetry Set 4

GL ASSESSMENT / CSSE 11+ Entrance English (GL Assessment / CSSE style) · Calculators not allowed · about 42 minutes

Total Marks

Name: _______________________________ Date: ____ / ____ / ______

Answer ALL questions. Show all your working.

Fireworks Over the Common

Source written for Revision Library (original, copyright-free). Original poem created for 11+ comprehension practice.

The common holds its breath and waits,

the crowd a smudge of scarves and light,

until a single silver flare

goes hissing up to break the night.

It blooms above the black estate,

a chrysanthemum of gold and red,

and petals drift on trails of smoke

before they fade and drop like lead.

The rockets climb on stuttering fire,

each one a comet burning fast,

they hang a heartbeat at the top

then scatter sparks that cannot last.

Children shriek at every crack,

their faces lit in flickering gold,

while grown-ups huddle, breath like smoke,

and stamp their boots against the cold.

A rocket bursts in silver rain

that hangs and shivers, slow to fall,

and for one moment the whole sky

seems close enough to touch it all.

Then silence drops back on the field,

the smoke curls thin and drifts away,

and only footprints in the frost

remain to prove the sky's display.

Choose the option that best matches stanza 1.

(a)What is happening in stanza 1?(1)

A) A storm is approaching over the common
B) A firework display is about to begin
C) A bonfire is being lit
D) Children are playing games in the dark

(Total for Question 1 is 1 mark)

Choose the option that best matches stanza 2.

(a)In stanza 2, what does the firework 'bloom' into, according to the poet?(1)

A) A shower of silver rain
B) A chrysanthemum of gold and red
C) A comet burning fast
D) A field of frost

(Total for Question 2 is 1 mark)

Find and copy one word from stanza 1 that describes the sound of the firework as it launches.

(Total for Question 3 is 1 mark)

Choose the option closest in meaning to the image as it is used in the poem.

(a)What does 'a smudge of scarves and light' (stanza 1) suggest about the crowd?(1)

A) They are standing in neat, orderly rows
B) They form a blurred, indistinct mass of colour
C) They are all wearing bright red coats
D) They are too far away to be seen at all

(Total for Question 4 is 1 mark)

Look at stanza 1, line 1: 'The common holds its breath and waits'. Explain the effect of personifying the common in this way.

(Total for Question 5 is 2 marks)

Look at stanza 1, line 4: 'goes hissing up to break the night'. Explain the effect of the word 'hissing' here.

(Total for Question 6 is 2 marks)

Choose the option that correctly names the poetic device used in stanza 2.

(a)'a chrysanthemum of gold and red' (stanza 2) is an example of:(1)

A) Simile
B) Metaphor
C) Onomatopoeia
D) Alliteration

(Total for Question 7 is 1 mark)

Explain the effect of comparing the firework to a chrysanthemum in stanza 2.

(Total for Question 8 is 2 marks)

Find and copy one simile from stanza 2.

(Total for Question 9 is 1 mark)

Explain what the simile 'drop like lead' suggests about the falling sparks in stanza 2.

(Total for Question 10 is 2 marks)

Choose the option closest in meaning to the word as it is used in the poem.

(a)'stuttering' (stanza 3, describing the rockets' fire) is closest in meaning to:(1)

A) Moving in a smooth, continuous way
B) Moving in an uneven, jerky, stop-start way
C) Moving extremely slowly
D) Making no sound at all

(Total for Question 11 is 1 mark)

Explain the effect of the word 'stuttering' in stanza 3.

(Total for Question 12 is 2 marks)

Look at stanza 3, line 3: 'they hang a heartbeat at the top'. Explain the effect of this image.

(Total for Question 13 is 3 marks)

Choose the option that best matches stanza 4.

(a)According to stanza 4, what do the children do at every crack?(1)

A) They cover their ears
B) They shriek
C) They run away
D) They fall silent

(Total for Question 14 is 1 mark)

Explain how the poet contrasts the children and the grown-ups in stanza 4.

(Total for Question 15 is 2 marks)

Find one example of alliteration from stanza 5.

(Total for Question 16 is 1 mark)

Explain the effect of the repeated 's' sound in 'silver rain that hangs and shivers, slow to fall' (stanza 5).

(Total for Question 17 is 2 marks)

Explain the effect of describing the sparks as 'silver rain' in stanza 5.

(Total for Question 18 is 2 marks)

Choose the option that correctly describes the poem's rhyme scheme.

(a)Which rhyme scheme is used in each stanza of the poem?(1)

A) AABB
B) ABAB
C) ABCB
D) No rhyme scheme is used

(Total for Question 19 is 1 mark)

Stanza 1 begins 'The common holds its breath and waits' and stanza 6 ends with 'Then silence drops back on the field'. Explain how these two images work together across the poem.

(Total for Question 20 is 2 marks)

Look at the final two lines of the poem: 'and only footprints in the frost / remain to prove the sky's display'. Explain what this image suggests about the fireworks.

(Total for Question 21 is 3 marks)

Explain how the poet uses language and structure across the whole poem to build excitement and then let it fade away. Support your answer with quotations from at least two different stanzas.

(Total for Question 22 is 4 marks)

Some readers think the poem is really about how quickly exciting moments pass. To what extent do you agree? Give reasons for your view, using evidence from the poem.

(Total for Question 23 is 3 marks)

'The poem shows fireworks as exciting, but also suggests something a little sad.' To what extent do you agree? Use evidence from across the whole poem to support your view.

(Total for Question 24 is 4 marks)

Mark scheme · EP.E31 Comprehension: Poetry Set 4

Question 1

(a) B1 B
(a) Answer: B) A firework display is about to begin

Question 2

(a) B1 B
(a) Answer: B) A chrysanthemum of gold and red

Question 3

B1 'hissing' (oe)
Answer: hissing

Question 4

(a) B1 B
(a) Answer: B) They form a blurred, indistinct mass of colour

Question 5

Level 1 (1): Simple comment that the common is personified, with little or no explanation of effect.
Level 2 (2): Clear explanation of how the personification creates a sense of hushed anticipation before the display begins.
Indicative content:
- Personifying the common as holding its breath suggests it is nervously anticipating the display, as a person might before something exciting
- This creates a sense of hushed suspense right at the start of the poem, before any firework has actually appeared
- It also makes the setting feel alive and involved in the event, rather than just a backdrop

Question 6

Level 1 (1): Simple comment that 'hissing' describes a sound, with little or no further explanation.
Level 2 (2): Clear explanation of how the onomatopoeic word makes the description vivid and contrasts with louder sounds later in the poem.
Indicative content:
- 'Hissing' is onomatopoeic, imitating the actual sound a firework rocket makes as it launches
- This makes the description more vivid and realistic, helping the reader imagine the scene through sound as well as sight
- The soft hissing sound also contrasts with the louder bursts and cracks described later in the poem (for example in stanza 4), building anticipation before the display truly begins

Question 7

(a) B1 B
(a) Answer: B) Metaphor

Question 8

Level 1 (1): Simple identification of the comparison, with little or no explanation of its effect.
Level 2 (2): Clear explanation of how the flower image suggests shape, colour and brief beauty, developed by later lines.
Indicative content:
- Comparing the firework to a chrysanthemum (a large, round, multi-petalled flower) helps the reader picture its exact shape as it explodes outward
- It suggests something colourful, delicate and briefly beautiful, much like a flower in bloom
- The comparison is extended by 'petals drift on trails of smoke' in the next line, continuing the flower image as the sparks fall

Question 9

B1 'drop like lead' (or 'fade and drop like lead') (oe)
Answer: drop like lead

Question 10

Level 1 (1): Simple comment that the sparks fall quickly, with little or no further explanation.
Level 2 (2): Clear explanation of how the simile suggests heaviness and abruptness, contrasting with the earlier delicate imagery.
Indicative content:
- Lead is a heavy, dense metal, so comparing the sparks to lead suggests they fall quickly and heavily once their brief brightness fades
- This contrasts with the earlier, more delicate image of 'petals' drifting gently, showing a sudden change from lightness to heaviness
- It suggests the beauty of the firework is only brief, ending abruptly as the sparks lose their light and fall

Question 11

(a) B1 B
(a) Answer: B) Moving in an uneven, jerky, stop-start way

Question 12

Level 1 (1): Simple comment that the rocket does not move smoothly, with little or no further explanation.
Level 2 (2): Clear explanation of how 'stuttering' suggests unstable, unpredictable movement, adding tension or excitement.
Indicative content:
- 'Stuttering' suggests an uneven, jerky, stop-start movement, like the flickering trail of sparks behind a climbing rocket
- This makes the rocket's ascent feel unstable and unpredictable rather than smooth, adding excitement or tension
- The word also has connotations of hesitant, broken speech, which suggests the rocket's fire looks broken and irregular as it climbs

Question 13

Level 1 (1): Simple comment that the rocket pauses briefly, with little or no further explanation.
Level 2 (2): Clear explanation that 'heartbeat' suggests a very brief but tense pause, comparing the moment to a pulse.
Level 3 (3): A developed explanation linking the brief pause to personification and rising suspense, showing how it heightens the drama of the release described in the final line of the stanza.
Indicative content:
- 'Heartbeat' suggests the pause at the top of the rocket's climb lasts only a brief moment, as short as a single pulse
- Using a word linked to the human body personifies the rocket, making the pause feel tense and alive rather than mechanical
- This brief suspended moment builds anticipation just before the final line of the stanza, when the sparks 'scatter' and 'cannot last', so the pause makes the release feel more dramatic

Question 14

(a) B1 B
(a) Answer: B) They shriek

Question 15

Level 1 (1): Simple comment that the children and grown-ups react differently, with little or no supporting detail.
Level 2 (2): Clear explanation of the contrast, referring to specific details about both the children and the grown-ups.
Indicative content:
- The children 'shriek' with excitement, suggesting loud, uncontrolled, joyful energy at each firework
- The grown-ups 'huddle' and have 'breath like smoke', suggesting they are quieter, colder and more passive, focused on staying warm rather than reacting loudly
- This contrast shows two different responses to the same event: the children's wonder and excitement against the grown-ups' quieter endurance of the cold

Question 16

B1 'shivers, slow' (or 'silver ... shivers ... slow') (oe)
Answer: shivers, slow (accept 'silver' as part of the wider pattern)

Question 17

Level 1 (1): Simple comment that the sound is soft, with little or no further explanation.
Level 2 (2): Clear explanation of how the soft repeated sound mimics the falling sparks and contrasts with louder sounds earlier in the poem.
Indicative content:
- The repeated soft 's' sound (silver, shivers, slow) creates a quiet, hushed, gentle sound when the line is read aloud
- This soft sound matches the slow, delicate falling movement of the sparks being described, almost imitating a quiet hiss or whisper
- It contrasts with the louder, harsher sounds earlier in the poem (such as 'hissing' and 'crack'), showing the display softening towards its final moments

Question 18

Level 1 (1): Simple identification of the comparison, with little or no explanation of its effect.
Level 2 (2): Clear explanation of how the image suggests fine, steady falling and a change of colour and mood from earlier stanzas.
Indicative content:
- Comparing the falling sparks to rain suggests they are numerous, fine and falling steadily rather than in one sudden burst
- 'Silver' suggests a cool, bright, delicate colour, different from the warmer gold and red colours described earlier in the poem
- The comparison to rain, a common, everyday, gentle image, makes this moment feel calmer and more graceful than the earlier, more dramatic bursts

Question 19

(a) B1 C
(a) Answer: C) ABCB

Question 20

Level 1 (1): Simple comment that both images describe quietness, with little or no explanation of how they connect.
Level 2 (2): Clear explanation of how the two images frame the poem and create a circular structure around the noisy display.
Indicative content:
- Both images describe stillness and quiet, framing the noisy, colourful firework display that happens in between them
- This creates a circular structure, returning the poem to a calm, hushed atmosphere similar to how it began
- It suggests that the excitement of the display is only temporary, and that stillness is the poem's natural, lasting state

Question 21

Level 1 (1): Simple comment that the fireworks have ended, with little or no further explanation.
Level 2 (2): Clear explanation that only an ordinary physical trace (footprints) is left, showing the fireworks themselves leave nothing behind.
Level 3 (3): A developed explanation linking the image to the poem's wider theme of transience, contrasting the spectacular sky display with the small, ordinary trace left on the ground.
Indicative content:
- The only physical evidence left after the display is 'footprints in the frost', an ordinary, everyday trace rather than anything to do with the fireworks themselves
- This shows how brief and fleeting the spectacular display was, since nothing of the fireworks physically remains, only marks made by the people who watched it
- The contrast between the huge, colourful display in the sky and the small, plain footprints on the ground emphasises how quickly something spectacular can disappear, leaving only memory and small physical traces behind

Question 22

Level 1 (1): Simple identification of one relevant image or quotation, with little or no explanation of build or fade.
Level 2 (2): Some explanation of how one stanza contributes to excitement or fading, with a relevant quotation.
Level 3 (3): Clear explanation using quotations from at least two stanzas, showing understanding of how excitement builds then fades.
Level 4 (4): A developed, well-supported explanation using quotations from at least two stanzas, showing full understanding of how imagery, sound and structure combine to build then release excitement across the whole poem.
Indicative content:
- The poem opens with hushed anticipation ('holds its breath and waits') before the first firework launches with the onomatopoeic 'hissing'
- Excitement builds through active, energetic language and onomatopoeia in stanzas 3 to 4 ('stuttering fire', 'shriek', 'crack')
- The image of the sky feeling 'close enough to touch it all' in stanza 5 marks the peak of wonder and excitement
- The softer 's' sounds and gentler imagery of 'silver rain' in stanza 5 begin to slow the pace before the final stanza
- The poem ends with quiet, fading imagery ('silence drops back', 'smoke curls thin', 'footprints in the frost'), showing the excitement has completely faded away
- Any other valid, well-supported point using accurate quotation from at least two stanzas

Question 23

Level 1 (1): A simple statement of agreement or disagreement, with little or no supporting evidence.
Level 2 (2): A clear viewpoint supported by at least one relevant quotation or reference from the poem.
Level 3 (3): A developed viewpoint supported by more than one piece of evidence, showing understanding of the poem's wider theme of transience.
Indicative content:
- Agrees: the fireworks themselves are described as brief and fading ('cannot last', 'fade and drop like lead'), directly supporting the idea of fleeting excitement
- Agrees: the final stanza shows almost nothing is left afterwards except 'footprints in the frost', reinforcing how quickly the spectacle disappears
- Alternative or partial view: the poem could also be read as being about shared community experience or the contrast between children's and adults' reactions, not only about time passing
- Any well-evidenced personal response, whether agreeing, disagreeing or partly agreeing, is creditable if properly supported

Question 24

Level 1 (1): A simple statement of agreement or disagreement, with little or no supporting evidence.
Level 2 (2): A clear viewpoint supported by at least one relevant quotation from the poem.
Level 3 (3): A developed viewpoint supported by more than one piece of evidence, considering both excitement and sadness.
Level 4 (4): A well-developed, evaluative response supported by clear evidence from multiple stanzas, which also considers an alternative view, for example that the poem is simply a joyful, celebratory description of a shared community event.
Indicative content:
- Excitement: onomatopoeia and energetic verbs throughout ('hissing', 'shriek', 'crack') and the sense of wonder in stanza 5 ('close enough to touch it all')
- Sadness or wistfulness: images of things fading or falling heavily ('drop like lead', 'cannot last', 'silence drops back', 'smoke curls thin')
- The final image of only 'footprints in the frost' remaining could be read as quietly wistful, suggesting how little is left once something exciting ends
- Alternative view: the cold, huddled grown-ups and excited children could instead suggest a warm, shared community occasion, with the quiet ending simply reflecting a natural, peaceful close to the evening rather than sadness
- Any well-evidenced personal response, whether agreeing, disagreeing or partly agreeing, is creditable if properly supported

Comprehension: Poetry Set 4 - Worksheets, Questions and Revision