Question

25 but when the little girl runs out
to where this change was brought about,
weeping, she plucks a rose;
no perfume lies within its core,
she feels its soft embrace no more,
its petals prick her nose.
30 no more she sees the velvet hues
caressed by breeze and kissed by dews,—
nothing but yellow flowers,—
but “beautiful!” the king exclaims,
elated with his powers.
35 but when the hour for dinner came,
his golden touch remained the same;
the food, or hot, or cold,
was changed, his mouth the coffee burned,
for ere it reached his throat it turned,—
40 turned into molten gold.
18 how do stanzas 5 and 6 (lines 25–36) of passage 2 deepen meaning in the poem?
a by emphasizing that the flowers no longer respond to nature
b by showing how midas realizes that the flowers are important to his daughter
c by emphasizing that the flowers no longer have a fragrance or different colors
d by showing how differently midas and his daughter react to the change in the flowers

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze each option:

• Option F: Stanzas 25 - 36 focus on the girl and the flowers’ change, not nature’s interaction with flowers. Eliminate.
• Option G: The stanzas show the girl’s reaction to the flowers’ change, not Midas realizing flowers matter to his daughter. Eliminate.
• Option H: Lines 27 (“No perfume lies within its core”) and 31 - 32 (“No more she sees the velvet hues…Nothing but yellow flowers”) show the flowers lost fragrance and color variety. This matches.
• Option J: The stanzas focus on the girl’s reaction, not a contrast between Midas and his daughter’s reactions. Eliminate.

Answer:

H. by emphasizing that the flowers no longer have a fragrance or different colors