Question

reading comprehension passage b
the gift
to pull the metal splinter from my palm
my father recited a story in a low voice.
i watched his lovely face and not the blade.
before the story ended, he’d removed
the iron sliver i thought i’d die from.
i can’t remember the tale,
but hear his voice still, a well
of dark water, a prayer.
and i recall his hands,
two measures of tenderness
he laid against my face,
the flames of discipline
he raised above my head.
had you entered that afternoon
you would have thought you saw a man
planting something in a boy’s palm,
a silver tear, a tiny flame.
had you followed that boy
you would have arrived here,
where i bend over my wife’s right hand.
look how i shave her thumbnail down
so carefully she feels no pain.
watch as i lift the splinter out.
i was seven when my father
took my hand like this,
and i did not hold that shard
between my fingers and think,
metal that will bury me,
christen it little assassin,
ore going deep for my heart.
and i did not lift up my wound and cry,
death visited here!
i did what a child does
when he’s given something to keep.
i kissed my father.
—li-young lee
“the gift”
from rose, 1986
boa editions, ltd.
regents exam in ela — c202
5 over
11 the figurative language in lines 6 through 11 reflects the father’s
(1) hesitation about inflicting pain
(2) pride about removing the splinter
(3) need to earn his son’s respect
(4) ability to calm his son
12 lines 21 through 23 reveal that the narrator
(1) is worried that he might harm his wife
(2) is reassured by his wife’s confidence
(3) has mastered his father’s technique
(4) has forgotten his childhood trauma
13 in line 26, “shard” most nearly means
(1) wooden chip (3) jagged piece
(2) shiny object (4) small tool
14 lines 33 through 35 convey a sense of
(1) longing (3) uncertainty
(2) gratitude (4) accomplishment

Explanation:

1. Lines 6-11 use metaphors (voice as a "well of dark water, a prayer"; hands as "tenderness") to show the father's gentle, calming way while removing the splinter, which soothes the son.
2. Lines 21-23 describe the narrator carefully removing a splinter from his wife's hand without causing pain, mirroring his father's action, showing he has learned and mastered the technique.
3. "Shard" refers to the sharp, broken piece of metal splinter the father removed from the narrator's palm, so it means a jagged piece.
4. Lines 33-35 show the narrator looking back on his childhood experience, recognizing his father's care rather than trauma, and now repeating the kind act for his wife, conveying gratitude for his father's gift of care and comfort.

Answer:

1. (4) ability to calm his son
2. (3) has mastered his father's technique
3. (3) jagged piece
4. (2) gratitude