Read the poem silently. As you read, mark the given statements as True or False.
The child wants to look at the kite from a rooftop.
False. The child wants to look down 'Over the park and the rooftops of town' from above, not at the kite from a rooftop.
The child is looking at the kites.
True. The poem begins with 'Up in the air, See the kites fly,' showing the child observing the kites.
The kites look like birds of different colours.
True. The poet writes 'Like coloured birds' comparing kites to birds of various colours.
It was a rainy day.
False. The poem mentions 'wind-whipped sky' indicating a windy day, not a rainy day.
The child wants to be like a kite.
False. The child wants to be 'small and light as air' to climb on a kite, not to become a kite.
The child wishes to climb on a kite.
True. The poem states 'I would climb on a kite and sail up there.'
The kite is made of cloth and plastic.
False. The poem mentions 'paper wings,' indicating the kite is made of paper.
The child wants to ride the kite.
True. The child says 'I would climb on a kite and sail up there' and 'drift upon the paper wings.'
The child knows they would have fun.
True. The child says 'What fun it would be to look right down.'
The child would like to look at people down below.
True. The poem states 'The people below would stand and stare' and the child wants to look down at them.
The child knows that the people would stare.
True. The poem states 'The people below would stand and stare, and wish they were me.'
Explanation
(a) The first stanza shows the child watching kites fly in the sky. (b) The simile 'Like coloured birds' appears in stanza 1. (c) The poem describes a windy day perfect for kite flying, not a rainy day. (d) The child wishes to ride the kite, not become one. (e) This is clearly stated in stanza 2 of the poem. (f) Stanza 3 mentions 'paper wings,' not cloth and plastic. (g) The child expresses the wish to ride on the kite multiple times. (h) Stanza 4 begins with 'What fun it would be.' (i) The child wishes to look down at rooftops from the kite, not the other way around. (j) The child imagines looking down at people from high in the air. (k) The last stanza confirms that people would stare at the child flying on the kite.