Question

there are 40 lines in the poem. the poem is numbered every 5 lines.
the wood - pile
out walking in the frozen swamp one gray day
i paused and said, \i will turn back from here.
no, i will go on farther—and we shall see.\
the hard snow held me, save where now and then
one foot went down, the view was all in lines
straight up and down of tall slim trees
too much alike to mark or name a place by
so as to say for certain i was here
or somewhere else: i was just far from home.
a small bird flew before me. he was careful
to put a tree between us when he lighted,
and say no word to tell me who he was.
who was so foolish as to think what he thought.
he thought that i was after him for a feather—
the white one in his tail; like one who takes
everything said as personal to himself.
one flight out sideways would have undeceived him.
and then there was a pile of wood for which
i forgot him and let his little fear
carry him off the way i might have gone,
without so much as wishing him good - night.
he went behind it to make his last stand.
it was a cord of maple, cut and split
and piled—and measured, four by four by eight.
and not another like it could i see.
no runner tracks in this year’s snow looped near it.

in line 21, the speaker wishing him good in
what does this line
○ 1. the in the bird
○ 2. the the bird’s refusal to sing.
○ 3. the is unaware of the quick departure of the bird.
○ 4. the speaker has been startled by the bird’s panicked flight.

part b
which excerpt from the poem best supports the correct answer from part a?
○ 1. “careful / to put a tree between us when he lighted” (lines 10 - 11)
○ 2. “and say no word to tell me who he was” (line 12)
○ 3. “i forgot him and let his little fear / carry him off” (lines 19 - 20)
○ 4. “the way i might have gone” (line 20)

Explanation:

First, we need to infer the correct answer to the implied question about the speaker's attitude toward the bird (from the partial options), then match it to the supporting excerpt. The speaker describes the bird as "careful / To put a tree between us when he lighted" (Lines 10-11), which shows the bird's wariness, and the speaker observes this without panic or negative reaction, just noting the bird's caution. This excerpt directly supports the idea that the bird acted carefully around the speaker.

Answer:

1. "careful / To put a tree between us when he lighted" (Lines 10-11)