Reading poetry on the SOL: paraphrasing a poem to establish its literal sense, reading form and sound (stanza, line breaks, rhyme, rhythm, repetition, a refrain) and connecting them to meaning, and interpreting figurative language and tone on a Virginia EOC Reading poetry selection.

What this skill is asking

Every Virginia EOC Reading test includes at least one poem, and poetry rewards a different reading habit than prose. The skill is to paraphrase first, fixing what the poem literally says, then read its form and sound (line breaks, stanzas, rhyme, rhythm, repetition, a refrain) and its figurative language, and connect all of it to meaning and tone. The EOC tests poetry with multiple-choice questions on meaning and effect, with hot-text items ("click the image that signals hope"), and with questions on the effect of a sound or structural device. Students lose marks by reading a striking line in isolation and chasing a meaning the whole poem does not support. This page covers paraphrasing, reading form and sound for effect, and interpreting figurative language and tone.

Paraphrase first: fix the literal sense

The most important poetry habit is to establish what the poem actually says before interpreting it.

Paraphrasing is also the antidote to the most common poetry error: lifting one vivid line out of context and building a meaning on it. A poem that mentions a storm is not necessarily "about" a storm; the storm may be a metaphor the paraphrase reveals (a storm of grief, say). Do the literal reading first, then ask what the images stand for.

Form and sound are deliberate choices

Poets shape sound and layout for effects, and the EOC asks what those effects are.

The reasoning move mirrors prose structure: connect the choice to its effect. A short, clipped final line can land with force; a gentle, regular rhythm can feel calm or lulling; a refrain that repeats "I will rise again" insists on resolve. A distractor often names a real feature (yes, there is repetition) but states an effect the poem does not produce, so test the effect against the poem you have paraphrased.

Figurative language and tone

Try this

Q1. Why is it useful to paraphrase a poem before answering questions about it? [Recall]

• Cue. A paraphrase fixes the literal sense, so a striking image in isolation does not lead you to a meaning the poem does not support. The figurative meaning sits on top of the literal one.

Q2. A poem ends each stanza with the line "the door stayed shut." What is the likely effect of this refrain? [Short explanation]

• Cue. Repeating "the door stayed shut" stresses the idea of being excluded or denied, building a sense of finality or frustration across the poem. The effect of the refrain is emphasis on that closed door, whatever it represents.