Fog - Extract Based Questions

Extract 1

The fog comes  

on little cat feet.

1. What is the fog compared to in the poem?

   The fog is compared to a small cat.

2. What poetic device is used in the line "on little cat feet"?

   Metaphor, because it compares the fog's movement to a cat's soft steps.

3. What characteristic of a cat is highlighted to describe the fog's arrival?

   The quiet and subtle nature of a cat's movements.

4. How does the fog's arrival relate to its impact on the surroundings?

   The fog arrives quietly without announcing itself, much like a cat.

5. What does the cat’s attitude symbolize about the fog's nature?

   It symbolizes the fog’s indifferent and unobtrusive presence.

Extract 2

It sits looking  

over harbor and city  

on silent haunches

and then moves on.

1. What is the fog doing in this part of the poem?

   The fog is sitting and looking over the harbor and city.

2. What poetic device is used in the line "on silent haunches"?

   Personification, as the fog is given the human-like quality of sitting on haunches.

3. What does the phrase "silent haunches" suggest about the fog?

   It suggests the fog's quiet and calm presence.

4. What is the fog compared to while it is sitting and observing?

   It is compared to a cat sitting silently and watching.

5. What is the significance of the fog sitting over the harbor and city?

   It signifies the fog’s quiet and observant nature, looking over the busy world without interacting with it.

6. What does the fog do at the end of the poem?

   The fog moves on.

7. What poetic device is used to describe the fog's movement throughout the poem?

   Personification, as the fog is described with human and animal-like qualities.

8. What does the fog's departure symbolize about life?

   It symbolizes the transient nature of life and the importance of moving on.

9. How does the poet describe the fog's movement in the poem?

   The fog moves in quietly and leaves just as quietly, like a cat.

10. What lesson can be drawn from the fog's quiet arrival and departure?

   The lesson is to appreciate moments of calm and to move on without clinging to things.