rubric_gradations: 30

This data as json

id	skill_code	dimension	level	level_label	behavioral_description	sample_response	created_at	updated_at	active_version
30	L-FIGURATIVE	performance	2	Developing	Student recognizes that figurative language exists and can identify common devices, but interpretation stays at the surface — names the device and gestures at its importance without explaining how it creates a specific effect on meaning. Detects that near-synonyms feel different but explains the difference in vague terms ('it sounds stronger' or 'it's more vivid') without connecting connotation to the text's specific context or purpose. The student knows figurative language matters but can't yet articulate what it does.	The line 'the city gnawed at its own bones' is a metaphor. The poet is comparing the city to an animal that's eating itself, which I think represents how the city is falling apart. This metaphor is effective because it creates a really vivid image and makes the poem more interesting — you can picture it in your mind. It also makes the destruction seem more intense than if the poet had just said 'the city was decaying.' For the word choice question, 'gnawed' is stronger than 'chewed' — it sounds more aggressive and desperate. I think the poet used it to make the image more powerful.	2026-05-24 00:17:32	2026-05-26 01:43:59	1