Question

pretest: realizing dreams
resolution
by a. gautam
the new year begins on a set of old promises.
i look at my list crumpled in my fist.
a carefully torn page, inside my wishful cage—
it is the same yellow as the year before,
twelve things that could change my life.
i can see the cursive letters when i close my eyes.
there my past remains, here my future lies.
i resolve again, to give my old ambitions a
refreshed try.
10
select the correct answer.
what is the best way to describe a theme of this poem?
a. the main purpose of having new year’s resolutions is to make people feel bad.
b. people would accomplish their new year’s resolutions if they wrote them down.
c. by the end of the year, it is too late to make any changes to a person’s life.
d. the failures of the past should inspire people to accomplish more in the future.

Explanation:

The poem references unfulfilled past New Year's resolutions (old promises, crumpled list, same yellow page as the year before) but ends with the speaker resolving to try again, framing past unmet goals as a reason to refresh ambitions for the future. Option A is incorrect as the poem does not frame resolutions as meant to make people feel bad. Option B is unsupported, as the poem does not link writing resolutions to accomplishment. Option C is wrong, as the speaker is taking action at the start of a new year, not saying it's too late.

Answer:

D. The failures of the past should inspire people to accomplish more in the future.