Question

what does a childs yard look like?
homes where children live exude a pleasant rumpledness,
like a bed made by a child, or a yard littered with balloons.
(5) to be a child again one would need to shed details
till the heart found itself dressed in the coat with a hood.
now the heart has taken on gloves and (10) mufflers,
the heart never goes outside to find something to \do.\
and the house takes on a new face, dignified.
(15) no lost shoes blooming under bushes.
no chipped trucks in the drive.
grown - ups like swings, leafy plants, slow - motion back and forth...
while the yard of a child is strewn with (20) the corpses
of bottle - rockets and whistles;
anything whizzing and spectacular, brilliantly short - lived:
trees in childrens yards speak in clearer (25) tongues.
ants have more hope. squirrels dance as well as hide.
the fence has a reason to be there, so children can go in and out.
(30) even when the children are at school, the yards glow
with the leftovers of their affection,
the roots of the tiniest grasses curl toward one another
like secret smiles.
naomi shihab nye, where children live

1. which statement best summarizes the first stanza?

(1) children dont make their beds very neatly.
(2) children leave things in the yard.
(3) childrens homes are quiet.
(4) children have messy homes.
(5) childrens homes are enjoyably messy.

1. what is meant by \to be a child again one would need to shed details\? (lines 5 - 6)

(1) one should enjoy lifes simple pleasures.
(2) one needs to keep a clean home.
(3) one should have a simple schedule.
(4) one need not know unimportant facts.
(5) one should dress warmly.

Explanation:

Question 17

The first stanza describes children's homes as having a "pleasant rumpledness", like a child - made bed or a yard with balloons. Option (1) focuses only on beds, too narrow. Option (2) only on yard items, not the tone. Option (3) says homes are quiet, but the text emphasizes messiness, not quiet. Option (4) says homes are messy, but the stanza says "pleasant rumpledness", so it's enjoyably messy. Option (5) captures the idea of the mess being pleasant.

The line "To be a child again one would need to shed details" is about recapturing childhood's simplicity. Option (1) is about enjoying simple pleasures, which fits as shedding details (complex adult concerns) to enjoy like a child. Option (2) is about clean homes, opposite of the text. Option (3) is about schedule, not related. Option (4) is about unimportant facts, not the main idea. Option (5) is about dressing warmly, misinterpreting the metaphor.

Answer:

(5) Children's homes are enjoyably messy.

Question 18