Hi Everyone!! This article will share Slow Dance Questions & Answers.
This poem is written by David L. Weatherford. In my previous posts, I have shared the questions and answers of The Hayloft, A Passing Glimpse and The Magic Shop so, you can check these posts as well.
Slow Dance Questions & Answers
Word Galaxy
- Erratic – not predictable or following any particular path; often changing direction
- On the fly – in a hurry; on the run
- Chores – tasks; jobs
- Running through your head – occupying your thoughts
Question 1: What four questions does the poet ask us in the first stanza and why does he ask these questions?
Answer: The four questions that the poet asks us in the first stanza are:
a. Have you ever watched kids on a merry-go-round?
b. Have you ever listened to the rain slapping on the ground?
c. Have you ever followed a butterfly’s erratic flight?
d. Have you ever gazed at the sun into the fading night?
The poet asks these questions because these are activities that are time-consuming, yet pleasurable, and require free time.
Question 2: Which lines from the chorus for ‘refrain’ in the poem?
Answer: The lines are:
You’d better slow down.
Don’t dance so fast
Time is short
The music won’t last.
Question 3: What does the poet mean by the words ‘dance’ and ‘music’ (in the 6th and 8th lines)? Is he speaking of a real dancer and real music?
Answer: The poet does not mean real dance or music but is referring to life, happiness, youth (music); regular everyday life and routines (dance).
Question 4: When and why might an adult say to a child: ‘we’ll do it tomorrow’?
Answer: When the child wants to play or do something with the adult that may require time.
Question 5: In one sentence, summarize the main idea in the poem.
Answer: We should take pleasure in the smaller things of life and should not spend all our time running after big goals.
Question 6: Do you agree with the poet’s message that he has conveyed through this poem?
Answer: I agree with the message because many people stay busy chasing material things which do not give lasting happiness. Good friends, nature, and simple joys give more happiness than running from one task to the other.
Question 7: Read the lines and answer the questions:
1. Ever lost touch……Let a good friendship die…..
(a) What does ‘lost touch’ mean?
Answer: ‘Lost touch’ means stopped communicating.
(b) What other reasons does the poet give to show how a good friendship might die?
Answer: If we get too busy to call and talk to our friends.
2. When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift……
(a) What other example does the poet give of ‘hurrying’?
Answer: Not stopping to hear the reply when you ask, ‘How are you?’ not spending time with friends and loved ones; not spending leisure time doing fun things.
(b) What is more important to the poet than ‘getting there’ in a hurry?
Answer: The fun of the journey.
(c) What completes the simile: ‘it is like an unopened gift…..’?
Answer: ‘Thrown away’.
Question 8: What does the following sentence mean?
Do you run through each day/On the fly?
Answer: Do you rush through each activity as a chore that has to be completed, without resting or doing anything enjoyable?
So, these were Slow Dance Questions & Answers.