Question

this question has two parts. answer part a, and then answer part b. part a 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)

Explanation:

In Part A, the poem starts by describing the speaker's troubles and weariness, then summer arrives and brings beauty, mirth, and a new - found happiness as it makes the earth beautiful. Lines like "She drove the sap and broke the bud, She set the crimson rose afire" show how summer's arrival makes the speaker happy. For Part B, the lines "She drove the sap and broke the bud, She set the crimson rose afire" best support the idea that the speaker gains happiness when summer makes the earth beautiful as they describe summer's actions that contribute to the earth's beauty.

Answer:

Part A: 3. The speaker gains a feeling of happiness when summer makes the earth beautiful.
Part B: 1. "She drove the sap and broke the bud, She set the crimson rose afire." (Lines 9 - 10)