Question

there are 20 lines in the poem. the poem is numbered every 5 lines. from summer magic what is the central idea of the poem? 1. the speaker longs for summer to make the sun shine and the plants grow. 2. troubles will return, but summer lets the speaker forget them for a short time. 3. the speaker gains a feeling of happiness when summer makes the earth beautiful. 4. for the first time, the speaker notices the many changes brought by the summer season. part b which excerpt from the poem best supports the correct answer from part a? 1. \she drove the sap and broke the bud, she set the crimson rose afire.\ (lines 9 - 10) 2. \before my cottage door she spread the softest carpet nature weaves.\ (lines 13 - 14) 3. \and deftly arched above my head a canopy of shady leaves.\ (lines 15 - 16) 4. \and many a scheme did she devise to heal the hurt and soothe the wrong.\ (lines 19 - 20) (from \summer magic\ by leslie pinckney hill) growth: reading 6+ tx 2017 1.1 question # 11

Explanation:

Part A:

The poem opens with the speaker's distress ("cares to vex the day", "fears to haunt the night") then describes summer arriving and healing their sorrows, making them feel joy and letting them forget their troubles temporarily. Option 2 matches this central idea.

Part B:

To support the central idea that summer helps the speaker forget their troubles, we need a line showing summer's healing/comforting effect. Lines 19-20 explicitly state summer's purpose is to "heal the hurt and soothe the wrong", which directly supports the central idea.

Answer:

Part A:

1. Troubles will return, but summer lets the speaker forget them for a short time.

Part B:

1. "And many a scheme did she devise To heal the hurt and soothe the wrong." (Lines 19-20)