“Ojistoh” is a poem composed by the celebrated Mohawk and English Canadian writer E. Pauline Johnson. Ojistoh is a devoted Mohawk wife. Her husband is a powerful and brave chief whose “name breathes bravery and life and courage to the tribe.”
SAT test writers ask students to read the poem’s opening 5 lines and then determine which answer choice “BREATHES” most nearly means. This High-Frequency question first appeared in October 2024 and has reappeared on the August 2025, November 2025, December 2025, and May 2026 SATs.
Normally BREATHES means to inhale and exhale air. However, BREATHES can also mean to instill a quality of feeling as when a new coach BREATHES confidence into his or her team. In the poem’s opening lines, Johnson uses BREATHES in the figurative sense of IMPARTING or instilling bravery, life, and courage to the tribe. Given this context, BREATHES most nearly means IMPARTS.
BREATHES – to instill a quality or feeling
IMPARTS – to instill or communicate a quality or feeling