Free printable 4th or 5th Grade informational text reading passage with interactive review questions.
Read and test comprehension online or print and use offline.
In Flanders Fields
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If you break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
In Flanders Fields is one of the most famous war poems. It was written in 1915 by a Canadian military doctor, John McCrae, who saw his friends die on the battlefields in Belgium during World War 1. Flanders, referred to in the poem, is a county in northwest Belgium.
The poem, written from the point of view of dead soldiers, describes how men sacrificed their lives in war. They ask that people carry on their fight and never forget them.
John McCrae wrote the poem in less than an hour. He was very upset after the death of a friend who died in battle, and expressed his feelings through the poem. After writing it, he tossed it in the garbage! Another officer picked it up and sent it to some newspapers in England, where it was soon published.
As a result of the poem, poppies, the flowers referred to in the poem, have become an international symbol for remembrance.
When was In Flanders Fields written? 1867 1912 1915 1915
Who wrote In Flanders Fields? John McCrae an unknown soldier Robert Frost John McCrae
What nationality was the poem's author? American Canadian Belgian Canadian
What is another word for foe? fight enemy friend enemy
Where is Flanders Field? Belgium England France Belgium
How long did it take McCrae to write In Flanders Fields? 1 hour 1 day 1 week 1 hour
The poem says, "We are the Dead." Who is "We"? soldiers who died fighting lost soldiers military doctors soldiers who died fighting
What does "hold the torch high" mean in this poem? to hold candles to be proud and lead the way to set fires to be proud and lead the way
What does "Take up our quarrel with the foe" mean in this poem? to keep fighting against the enemy to dig up the poppies to give up to keep fighting against the enemy
