On Turning Ten CommonLit Answers Key 2023 [FREE Access]

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On Turning Ten CommonLit Answer Key

Let us first read On Turning Ten passage and will answer at the end.

On Turning Ten
Billy Collins (b. 1941) is an award-winning American poet who writes about everyday occurrences to express the deeper meaning of life. In this poem, the speaker reflects on his youth. As you read “On Turning Ten,” identify the figurative language that the speaker uses to describe being young and growing up.

The whole idea of it makes me feel like I’m coming down with something, something worse than any stomach ache or the headaches I get from reading in bad light– a kind of measles of the spirit, the mumps of the psyche,1a disfiguring chickenpox of the soul.

You tell me it is too early to be looking back, but that is because you have forgotten.

the perfect simplicity of being one and the beautiful complexity introduced by two. But I can lie on my bed and remember every digit At four I was an Arabian wizard.

I could make myself invisible by drinking a glass of milk a certain way. At seven I was a soldier, at nine a prince.

But now I am mostly at the window watching the late afternoon light. Back then it never fell so solemnly against the side of my treehouse, and my bicycle never leaned against the garage as it does today, all the dark blue speed drained out of it.

This is the beginning of sadness, I say to myself, as I walk through the universe in my sneakers It is time to say goodbye to my imaginary friends, time to turn the first big number.

It seems only yesterday I used to believe there was nothing under my skin but light.

If you cut me I could shine. But now when I fall upon the sidewalks of life, I skin my knees. Bleed

It is time to say goodbye to my imaginary friends, time to turn the first big number.

It seems only yesterday I used to believe there was nothing under my skin but light.

If you cut me I could shine. But now when I fall upon the sidewalks of life, I skin my knees. I bleed.

 

Let us now discuss CommonLit On Turning Ten answers to the questions asked:

 

Q1. PART A: Which of the following best summarizes a theme of the poem?

Ans: Growing up means letting go of the carefree innocence of childhood.

 

Q2. PART B: Which of the following phrases best supports the answer to Part A?

Ans: “This is the beginning of sadness, I say to myself, / … It is time to say goodbye to my imaginary friends, / time to turn the first big number.” (Lines 24-27)

 

Q3. Reread lines 5-7: “a kind of measles of the spirit, / mumps of the psyche, / the disfiguring chickenpox of the soul.” What does this description reveal about the speaker’s attitude towards aging?

Ans: The speaker compares his feelings about growing up to sickness, suggesting that he does not have a positive outlook on it.

 

Q4. Which of the following best describes the tone of stanza 3?

Ans: Sullen

 

Q5. What word choice, imagery, or figurative language develops this tone?

Ans: Be sure to explain your response. Collins uses three metaphors to describe the speaker’s feelings on turning ten, “a kind of measles of the spirit, / the mumps of the psyche, / the disfiguring chickenpox of the soul.” These metaphors are incredibly complex, using language that would not typically be associated with a ten-year-old.

 

Q6. Consider the final stanza of the poem. How does the conclusion contribute to the theme of the poem?

Ans: In the third stanza, imagery, diction, and figurative language were used to help readers in visualizing the emotion being expressed by the child. Due to the vivid description, it can be felt that the child feels sad that he was growing up as he reminisced the past since he mentioned his treehouse and bicycle that felt different now. As for the line “dark blue speed,” it refers to how he is growing up and made him realize that he is no longer a child anymore. In the final stanza, the child realized that he is no longer a child as time can’t be turned back. He accepted the fact that he was going to grow old and things will change as he grows up. This contributed to the theme of coming of age or adolescence since the child understood the reality, changes, and responsibility of growing up.

 

Discussion Questions With Answers (On Turning Ten)

Q7. What does it mean to be ‘grown up’? Cite evidence from this text, your own experience, and other literature, art, or history in your answer.

Ans: On the off chance that “growing up” is alluding just to organic progress, at that point growing up isn’t a perspective. It happens to pay little mind to what you think or need to have occurred. Developing and creating is a characteristic piece of being a living being. People really want to move from being a baby to a little child, to a tyke, to a juvenile, to a grown-up, and so on. An individual might not have any desire to grow up, yet turning 18 and turning into a lawful grown-up is inescapable.

 

Q8. Do you think it is too early for the speaker to miss his youth? Why or why not?

Ans: Youth revolves around the innocence oblivion to larger problems adults seem to confront today. A child simply does not care at the same level an adult does when it comes to life, as many would describe it to be an era where people were “stress-free”.

 

Q9. In the context of this poem, should we value our youth? Cite evidence from this text, your own experience, and other literature, art, or history in your answer.

Ans: We should value our youth because it is a time in our life when our potentials are at their peak. Therefore, we can utilize them maximally for our good and the betterment of society.

 

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