Question

read the excerpt from \digging.\
the cold smell of potato mould, the squelch and slap
of soggy peat, the curt cuts of an edge
through living roots awaken in my head.
but ive no spade to follow men like them.

which idea is typically associated with the word \spade\?
○ leisure time
○ city life
○ writing poems
○ hard work

Explanation:

In the excerpt from "Digging," the spade is linked to agricultural labor (digging through potato mould, peat, and roots). This tool is used for strenuous, hands-on farm work, so its typical association is hard work. The other options do not align: leisure time and city life are unrelated to a spade's purpose, and writing poems is the speaker's alternative to the spade-based work of his predecessors.

Answer:

hard work