Question

and on a day we meet to walk the line
and set the wall between us once again.
we keep the wall between us as we go.
to each the boulders that have fallen to each.
and some are loaves and some so nearly balls
we have to use a spell to make them balance:
\stay where you are until our backs are turned!\
we wear our fingers rough with handling them.
oh, just another kind of out-door game,
one on a side. it comes to little more:
there where it is we do not need the wall:
he is all pine and i am apple orchard.
what does the phrase \one on a side\ mean?
○ the neighbor repairs his side of the wall while the speaker watches.
○ the speaker and the neighbor repair the wall from the same side.
○ the speaker repairs his side of the wall while the neighbor watches.
○ the speaker and the neighbor repair the wall from opposite sides.

Explanation:

To determine the meaning of "one on a side", we analyze the context of the poem (about repairing a wall between properties). The line "To each the boulders that have fallen to each" implies each person (speaker and neighbor) deals with boulders on their own side of the wall. "One on a side" logically means each is on their respective (opposite) side of the wall while repairing it. Let's evaluate the options:

• Option 1: The poem doesn't suggest one watches while the other repairs. Eliminate.
• Option 2: "Same side" contradicts the idea of a wall between them (they have separate sides). Eliminate.
• Option 3: Similar to option 1, no indication of one watching. Eliminate.
• Option 4: Matches the context—each is on their own (opposite) side of the wall as they repair it.

Answer:

D. The speaker and the neighbor repair the wall from opposite sides.