The Negro Speaks of Rivers

Name: ______

Week #4

Review Packet

Part I: Regents Review

The Negro Speaks of Rivers

Langston Hughes

I've known rivers:

I've known rivers ancient as the world and older than the

flow of human blood in human veins.

My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young.

I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep.

I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it.

I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln

went down to New Orleans, and I've seen its muddy

bosom turn all golden in the sunset.

I've known rivers:

Ancient, dusky rivers.

My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

the mississippi river empties into the gulf

Lucille Clifton

1and the gulf enters the sea and so forth,
none of them emptying anything,
all of them carrying yesterday
forever on their white tipped backs,
5all of them dragging forward tomorrow.
it is the great circulation
of the earth’s body, like the blood
of the gods, this river in which the past
is always flowing. every water
10is the same water coming round.
everyday someone is standing on the edge
of this river, staring into time,
whispering mistakenly:
only here. only now.

1. One river that is not mentioned in “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” is the —

a. Rio Grandec.Nile

b.Congod.Mississippi

2. What do the rivers named in “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” have in common?

a. / They are in Africa.
b. / They are historically important to the speaker.
c. / They have yearly floods.
d. / Famous dams have been built on them.

3. According to the speaker, his soul is like a river because it —

a. / flows gently wherever it can
b. / dries up at times or rushes in torrents at others
c. / has grown deep over time
d. / is hard to contain

4. What aspect of human biology does the speaker compare to rivers?

a. / Digestion / c. / Respiration
b. / Reproduction / d. / Circulation

5. The line “I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it” shows that the

speaker—

a. / identifies himself with his cultural ancestors
b. / lived thousands of years ago
c. / could not possibly have also seen Abe Lincoln on the Mississippi
d. / is Egyptian

6. The words muddy, golden, dusky, and dawns evoke images of —

a. / sight / c. / smell
b. / hearing / d. / ouch

7. What form is “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” written in?

a. / Sonnet / c. / Free verse
b. / Ballad / d. / Blank verse

8. In “the mississippi river empties into the gulf,” some people “mistakenly” —

a. / go sailing in bad weather / c. / live solely in the present
b. / trust too much in the future / d. / are afraid to risk entering the water

9. What quality of rivers is examined in both “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” and “the

mississippriver empties into the gulf”?

a. / Unpredictability / c. / Danger
b. / Timeless flow / d. / Economic importance

10. The first line of “the mississippi river empties into the gulf,” “and the gulf enters the

sea andso forth,” shows you that Lucille Clifton’s poem—

a. / is a narrative
b. / describes the experiences of African Americans
c. / was written earlier than “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”
d. / uses the rhythms of colloquial speech

11. One type of repetition is a refrain, which is a(n) —

a. / event that recurs in several parts of a ballad
b. / repeated consonant sound at the beginnings of words
c. / repeated pattern of stressed syllables
d. / repeated line or lines in a poem or song

12. What is one refrain in “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”?

a. / “ancient as the world and older than the flow”
b. / “I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep.”
c. / “I’ve known rivers.”
d. / “Ancient, dusky rivers.”

13. What is another refrain in “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”?

a. / “I’ve seen its muddy bosom turn all golden in the sunset.”
b. / “I bathed in the Euphrates.”
c. / “I heard the singing of the Mississippi.”
d. / “My soul has grown deep like rivers.”

14. Which of the following statements describes another type of repetition in the second

stanza of “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”?

a. / A different river is named in each of the first four lines.
b. / It has four lines that begin with the pronoun I and a past-tense verb.
c. / The first three lines each end with a period.
d. / The speaker talks about Abe Lincoln.

Part II: Grammar

Badly is an adverb used to describe how something is done. Bad is an adjective that refers to health or feelings. Bad is also used to complete linking verbs, such as seem, look, taste, and smell.

Fill in the blanks with bad or badly:

I feel ______that Kayla wasn’t invited.
Ray dances ______, but at least he tries hard.
The soup tasted ______on the first day and even worse on the second.
You look really ______. When was the last time you slept?
Ms. Kramer spells ______, so it is lucky she has a smart secretary.
Jordan wanted to see Angelica so ______that he postponed his flight.

Part III: SAT Prep

Each sentence below has one or two blanks, each blank indicating that something has been omitted. Beneath the sentence are five words or sets of words labeled A through E. Choose the word or set of words that, when inserted in the sentence, best fits the meaning of the whole sentence.

Directions: For each question, circle the best answer from among the choices given.

The work of Max Weber, an early social theorist, was ______by a student who aided in collecting and organizing a plethora of data.

a. preventedb. compromisedc. limited

d. facilitatede. created

However ______were Marvin Gaye’s beginnings as a member of his father’s church choir, he became a famous and ______performer.

powerful…wealthy
popular…unqualified
inspiring…notorious
humble…spiritual
modest…esteemed

Sustainable development is characterized by political ______, with conservationists, oil companies, and public officials each advocating different solutions.

a. approvalb. shrewdnessc. distinction

d. discord e. upheaval

Part IV Nonfiction-Close Reading

Crossing the TeklanikaRiverMay 12 2011 - by Erik Halfacre

When people contact me about hiking the Stampede Trail, the most common questions I'm asked are about the crossing at the TeklanikaRiver. The Teklanika is the second and largest of the river crossings on the way to old bus 142. It's also the most dangerous.

The main threat posed by the Teklanika is its depth and current. At times it is high enough to easily take a hiker off their feet. The water is then so cold that you face a number of risks ranging from loss of gear, through hypothermia, to having your muscles cramp and being unable to swim. For these reasons, it's always best to try and cross when the river level is at it's lowest. Predicting this though, can be hit or miss.

Alaska is full of glaciers. When those glaciers melt they create glacial rivers. For many, even experienced hikers in the lower 48 states, the concepts of a glacial river seem somewhat counter intuitive. In most of the country, the hotter it gets, the lower the rivers get as things dry out; not so in Alaska. As it gets hotter the glaciers melt faster, thus the depth of the river actually increases.

If you are hiking the Stampede Trail in the middle of the Alaskan summer, expect the river to be high. July and August are the hottest months, with the most glacial melt, and therefore the greatest river depth. In addition to fluctuating over the course of the seasons though, glacial rivers also change depth over the course of the day. At night temperatures drop. This means the glaciers don't melt as fast. In the early hours of the morning the river will be shallower than at two o'clock in the afternoon. Though the difference might not be huge, it's certainly something to consider.

The other major factor contributing to river depth is, of course, precipitation. A lot of rain will raise the water level. Last year (2010) was a particularly rainy year in Alaska and the river ran exceptionally high most of the summer.

So enough about the river itself. Time to talk about getting across the thing. First thing you should know is what NOT to do. There are a few things that can get you hurt in a hurry and you need to know to avoid them.

Using Rope

At first glance, using a rope to cross a river seems like a great idea. In fact, there are river crossing techniques that, when properly used, are safe and effective that involve the use of a rope. These techniques are still very dangerous if not executed with care and precision. Because of the risks involved I do not recommend the use of rope in crossing the Teklanika.

If you come across a rope already strung across the river, and choose to use it, do not tie into it. This is very important. A rope strung perpendicular to the river is exceptionally dangerous if used as anything other than a hand rail to steady yourself. If you are tied into such a rope, and you fall, the current will push you downstream. The rope will bow into an inescapable V. You will be held under the water and your chance of freeing yourself before you drown is very low. The psychological comfort that tying into a rope can offer you, is not worth the risk of disaster.

Before You Cross

In preparation for crossing the river you should do a few things to improve your safety. First, and perhaps most importantly, prepare your gear. If you have a dry bag make sure you have at least the following items stored safely in it:

sleeping bag
1 change of clothing
fire starter (even toilet paper is better than nothing)
means of lighting the fire (waterproof matches, lighter, flint and steel, etc...)
camera/other water sensitive electronics
map and compass (or GPS if you are carrying one and it's not 100% waterproof)

With those items safe and dry, you will be able to easily recover from taking a swim in the river. If on the other hand, your sleeping bag/clothes are wet, the ink washes off your map, your GPS is fried, and your matches are soggy, you could be in a real world of hurt. Being able to change into dry clothes and start a fire is priority 1. That's how you avoid hypothermia.

Before crossing, unbuckle the waist and sternum straps on your pack. If you do end up being swept downstream, you want to be able to free yourself from your pack if necessary. That simple step will allow you to do so.

Trying to improvise some form of personal floatation device is an idea worth trying. One idea, is to take your sleeping mat (Inflatable or otherwise but this works best with an inflatable) and fold it up. Place the folded mat on your chest and zip your rain jacket up around it. Finish this off with a strap around your middle to secure the mat. If your raincoat has a waist draw-string, tighten this. If not, tuck your raincoat into your pants.

Get ready to get cold! If you are wearing convertible pants, zip the legs off. If you're not wearing convertibles, or if the river is higher than your thighs, consider taking your pants off altogether. The nylon material of your pants does nothing to keep you any warmer, but it does increase your drag, and allows the river to push harder on you. Keeping them dry in your pack will be of more benefit in the long term.

Your boots are going to get wet (unless you brought water shoes.) Take your socks off and put your bare feet back into the boots. You'll want the protection and traction they will offer. Taking out your insoles will also make them easier to dry back out once you're across.

Time to Cross

Now you're prepared as you'll ever be, and the only thing between you and the other shore is the river itself. Scout along the riverbank (upstream to the south) and try to find a spot where the crossing will be easiest. As you head upstream eventually the river braids out into multiple channels. Depending on what time of year, and how the river has moved (braided rivers change their channels all the time) this may be the easiest spot for a crossing.

If you are crossing alone cut yourself a nice long springy green alder for a pole. Cross the river facing upstream and placing the pole in front of you. Use it as a third leg. Move the stick, then one foot, then the other, always keeping two points of contact, steadying yourself as needed. Take your time and place your feet carefully. The rocks on the bottom can be somewhat slippery, and since you can't see them it's easy to lose your footing.

If you are crossing in a group cut yourself a pole long enough to be carried by the entire group cross-ways at abdomen level. Have everyone line up along the bank and pick the pole up. Line everyone up from largest to smallest, with the largest being farthest upstream. In this way, the largest person will take the brunt of the current. Walk slowly across the river with the pole held firmly. If anyone in the group starts to lose balance, everyone else in the group will be able to support them long enough to regain control. This method has worked well for me and I highly recommend it.

Packrafts

If you've never heard of a packraft, don't worry, they're just starting to take off. A packraft is a small inflatable raft that rolls up to the size of a loaf of bread and weighs around five pounds. The best available are made by Alpacka Raft. In Fairbanks, Alaska you can rent one through Northern Alaska Packraft and in Anchorage you can rent them through Alaska Packraft.

Having even a single packraft in your group can make the task of crossing the Teklanika a lot less daunting. It is possible to have one person in a raft ferry across all the packs and then take a second person across several times until the crossing is complete. It may take a while but everyone will be a lot dryer, happier, and safer.

Most Important

Do not cross the river if it looks beyond your capabilities. Even if you traveled all the way to Alaska just to get out to Bus 142, it's still better to go home empty handed and try again later someday (or even not at all) than it is to never make it home. Be safe.

Also, lastly, with an article dealing with something this risky, it's worth pointing out that although every effort is made to present accurate information, all content found on this site is simply for informative purposes and any decisions you make are your responsibility.

After reading the article, write a topic sentence establishing the main idea of the article.

______

List key survival skills that the author outlines in the article in order to cross the TeklanikaRiver. You should have at least 4.

______

Define the Stampede Trail

______

Define the TeklanikaRiver

______