Name: ____________________________

If Rudyard Kipling’s poem “If” was published in 1910. It was

written as a father’s advice to his son.

If By Rudyard Kipling
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;

If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same; Rudyard Kipling
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on!”

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son.

Copyright © 2015 K12reader.com. All Rights Reserved. Free for educational use at home or in classrooms.
 Name: ____________________________

Understanding “If”
In the poem, Kipling lists several situations and explains the correct way to handle each. Below are
some of these situations. Briefly explain each in your own words, and how one should handle them.

1. “If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster/ And treat those two impostors just the same”

2. “If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,/ but make allowance for their doubting too”

3. “If you can fill the unforgiving minute/ With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run”

Part II. Kipling’s Desirable Characteristics

In “If,” Kipling encourages his son to develop good characteristics. Below is a list of general
human character traits. Put a check in the box of the characteristic that Kipling finds desirable.

q 1. responsible q 6. patient q 11. persistent q 16. determined

q 2. greedy q 7. reluctant q 12. calm q 7. timid
q 3. confident q 8. truthful q 13. humble q 18. modest
q 4. jolly q 9. amusing q 14. impulsive q 19. unforgiving
q 5. snobbish q 10. stubborn q 15. arrogant q 20. dependable

Copyright © 2015 K12reader.com. All Rights Reserved. Free for educational use at home or in classrooms.
 Name: ____________________________

Vocabulary and Language in “If”

Part I. Vocabulary Match
Match each word or phrase in Column A with its meaning in Column B

Column A Column B

1. ____________ make allowance A. enemies

2. ____________ impostors B. prize money from gambling
3. ____________ knaves C. pretenders; frauds
4. ____________ winnings D. determination
5. ____________ pitch-and-toss E. dishonest people
6. ____________ sinew F. harsh; allowing no errors
7. ____________ will G. honor
8. ____________ virtue H. gambling game
9. ____________ foes I. long tissue in the body
10. ____________ unforgiving J. excuse

Part II. Figurative Language

Write an example from the poem of each of the following figures of speech below.

1. Metaphor

2. Personification

3. Metaphor

Copyright © 2015 K12reader.com. All Rights Reserved. Free for educational use at home or in classrooms.
 Name: ____________________________

Find the Supporting Evidence

Below is one of the main ideas of the poem. Write three quotations from the poem that
support this main idea.

Even if something bad is done to

you, you should not do that same
bad thing in return.

Copyright © 2015 K12reader.com. All Rights Reserved. Free for educational use at home or in classrooms.
 Name: ____________________________

“If”: Has It Happened to You?

Below are three of the situations from Kipling’s poem. These are common situations in everyday
life. Select one of them and write about an experience in your own life where one of the situations
happened to you. What happened? How did you handle it? Did you handle it like Kipling recommends?

“If you can keep your head when all about you/ Are losing theirs and blaming it on you”

“If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you”

“Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies”

Copyright © 2015 K12reader.com. All Rights Reserved. Free for educational use at home or in classrooms.
 Name: ____________________________

“If”Word Search
Circle each word from the list in the puzzle. The words can go in any direction.

Q O T A L U B M A R E P N B C
I L Z E T I O man R A B W D
P t V Z N l J R Y O Q S A O O
D K r Z E disaster Q K
F I O u J K F e E B M P N H N
O E B ks T T H s G U T V D S
O D U i U t R I F E B G E V O
K G L p F E A Q I dreams
J N R l I A J E T W R T D Y U
D Q Z i N L virtue L N I
L I C N H O F O W P L E O B K
P M G g D P Q W H C L S C K K
L E F H C G I M T P E N A R M
Z son D H T triumph A
R Z C Q K T R Z Q F O N F M J

IF TRUIMPH VIRTUE DREAMS SON

KIPLING DISASTER LIES MAN TRUST

Copyright © 2015 K12reader.com. All Rights Reserved. Free for educational use at home or in classrooms.
 KEY
Name: ____________________________

If Rudyard Kipling’s poem “If” was published in 1910. It was

written as a father’s advice to his son.

If By Rudyard Kipling
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;

If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same; Rudyard Kipling
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on!”

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son.

Copyright © 2015 K12reader.com. All Rights Reserved. Free for educational use at home or in classrooms.
 KEY
Name: ____________________________

Understanding “If”
In the poem, Kipling lists several situations and explains the correct way to handle each. Below are
some of these situations. Briefly explain each in your own words, and how one should handle them.
Actual student’s answers will vary, but should include a reference to the following:
1. “If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster/ And treat those two impostors just the same”
We should meet success and failure with the same outlook; both may last just a
short time.

2. “If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,/ but make allowance for their doubting too”
We should be confident in our decisions, but also allow others to state an
opinion and tolerate any disagreement.

3. “If you can fill the unforgiving minute/ With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run”

We should live each minute to the fullest.

Part II. Kipling’s Desirable Characteristics

In “If,” Kipling encourages his son to develop good characteristics. Below is a list of general
human character traits. Put a check in the box of the characteristic that Kipling finds desirable.

q 1. responsible q 6. patient q 11. persistent q 16. determined

q 2. greedy q 7. reluctant q 12. calm q 7. timid
q 3. confident q 8. truthful q 13. humble q 18. modest
q 4. jolly q 9. amusing q 14. impulsive q 19. unforgiving
q 5. snobbish q 10. stubborn q 15. arrogant q 20. dependable

Copyright © 2015 K12reader.com. All Rights Reserved. Free for educational use at home or in classrooms.
 KEY
Name: ____________________________

Vocabulary and Language in “If”

Part I. Vocabulary Match
Match each word or phrase in Column A with its meaning in Column B

Column A Column B

1. ____________
J make allowance A. enemies
2. ____________
C impostors B. prize money from gambling
3. ____________
E knaves C. pretenders; frauds
B
4. ____________ winnings D. determination
H
5. ____________ pitch-and-toss E. dishonest people
I
6. ____________ sinew F. harsh; allowing no errors
D
7. ____________ will G. honor
G
8. ____________ virtue H. gambling game
A
9. ____________ foes I. long tissue in the body
F
10. ____________ unforgiving J. excuse

Part II. Figurative Language

Write an example from the poem of each of the following figures of speech below.
Actual student’s answers will vary; examples of correct answers:
1. Metaphor
“make one heap of all your winnings”

2. Personification
“Triumph and Disaster/ And treat those two impostors just the same”

3. Metaphor
“fill the unforgiving minute/ With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run”

Copyright © 2015 K12reader.com. All Rights Reserved. Free for educational use at home or in classrooms.
 Name: ____________________________
KEY

Find the Supporting Evidence

Below is one of the main ideas of the poem. Write three quotations from the poem that
support this main idea.

Even if something bad is done to

you, you should not do that same
bad thing in return.

Student’s answers may vary. Example of correct answers:

“you can keep your

head when all about “being lied about,
you/ Are losing theirs don’t deal in lies”
and blaming it on you”

“being hated, don’t

give way to hating”

Copyright © 2015 K12reader.com. All Rights Reserved. Free for educational use at home or in classrooms.
 KEY
Name: ____________________________

“If”: Has It Happened to You?

Below are three of the situations from Kipling’s poem. These are common situations in everyday
life. Select one of them and write about an experience in your own life where one of the situations
happened to you. What happened? How did you handle it? Did you handle it like Kipling recommends?

“If you can keep your head when all about you/ Are losing theirs and blaming it on you”

“If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you”

“Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies”

Copyright © 2015 K12reader.com. All Rights Reserved. Free for educational use at home or in classrooms.
 KEY
Name: ____________________________

“If”Word Search
Circle each word from the list in the puzzle. The words can go in any direction.

Q O T A L U B M A R E P N B C
I L Z E T I O man R A B W D
P t V Z N l J R Y O Q S A O O
D K r Z E disaster Q K
F I O u J K F e E B M P N H N
O E B ks T T H s G U T V D S
O D U i U t R I F E B G E V O
K G L p F E A Q I dreams
J N R l I A J E T W R T D Y U
D Q Z i N L virtue L N I
L I C N H O F O W P L E O B K
P M G g D P Q W H C L S C K K
L E F H C G I M T P E N A R M
Z son D H T triumph A
R Z C Q K T R Z Q F O N F M J

IF TRUIMPH VIRTUE DREAMS SON

KIPLING DISASTER LIES MAN TRUST

Copyright © 2015 K12reader.com. All Rights Reserved. Free for educational use at home or in classrooms.