What does the poem’s title imply it might be about?
Life in Dundee
Travel
Time and place
What is the effect of the opening minor sentences?
They create drama and a sense of anticipation
They create a chatty tone
They suggest breathless excitement
What do the words ‘first’, ‘ever’ and ‘own’ in line 4 emphasise?
The fact that the boys are buying sweets with their own money for the first time
The fact that the boys are the first passengers on a new bus
The fact that the boys are getting the bus for the first time without adults
‘Chank’ is an example of which technique?
Onomatopoeia
Alliteration
Assonance
What is the tone used throughout stanza five?
A confident, assured tone
An insecure, anxious tone
A self-mocking tone
Which word marks the turning point in the poem?
But
However
And
What is the effect of the repeated use of ‘and’ at the beginning of lines?
It adds humour
It slows the poem down and increases description
It increases tension and pace
What does the image of the ‘charred wreck’ describe?
The ship
The bus
The boy’s house
The expression our voices sound funny suggests what?
our voices sound funny
The boys are speaking a different language
The boys are using unfamiliar words
The boys have grown up, their voices have broken
What does the expression ‘fifty years dead’ convey at the end of the poem?
It conveys how much time has passed
It conveys how slowly time passes
It conveys how their sisters and mothers died young