Question

the pleasure of writing by a. a. milne (excerpt) the pleasure of writing is one of the essays in the book not that it matters. it was written in the early 1900s by british author a. a. milne, who is best known for his winnie - the - pooh stories. (1) sometimes when the printer is waiting for an article which really should have been sent to him the day before, i sit at my desk and wonder if there is any possible subject in the whole world upon which i can possibly find anything to say. on one such occasion i left it to fate, which decided, by means of a dictionary opened at random, that i should deliver myself of a few thoughts about goldfish. (you will find this article later on in the book.) but to - day i do not need to bother about a subject. to - day i am without a care. nothing less has happened than that i have a new nib¹ in my pen. (2) in the ordinary way, when shakespeare writes a tragedy, or mr. blank gives you one of his charming little essays, a certain amount of thought goes on before pen is put to paper. one cannot write \scene i. an open place. thunder and lightning. enter three witches,\ or \as i look up from my window, the nodding daffodils beckon to me to take the morning,\ one cannot give of ones best in this way on the spur of the moment. at least, others cannot. but when i have a new nib in my pen, then i can go straight from my breakfast to the blotting - paper, and a new sheet of foolscap fills itself select the correct answer. which point of view would the author agree with? a. the only way to be motivated is to get out and experience all that life offers. b. writers like shakespeare can write on the spur of the moment. c. inspiration can come from suggestions from anonymous readers. d. how writing appears is more interesting than what the writing is about.

Explanation:

• Option A: The passage doesn't emphasize that the only way to be motivated is to experience life; the author gets motivated by a new nib, so A is incorrect.
• Option B: The text says "One cannot write... on the spur of the moment. At least, others cannot. But when I have a new nib...", implying Shakespeare (others) can't write on the spur of the moment, so B is wrong.
• Option C: The passage has no mention of inspiration from anonymous readers, so C is incorrect.
• Option D: The author is excited to write just because of a new nib (focus on the act of writing's appearance, like the tool), and the passage doesn't stress the content's importance over the writing's appearance. So D is the view the author would agree with.

Answer:

D. How writing appears is more interesting than what the writing is about.