Question

what does the personification in this text suggest?
there was never a sound beside the wood but one,
and that was my long scythe whispering to the ground.
—robert frost, \mowing\
the scythe made a soft swishing sound.
the scythe was speaking quietly.

Explanation:

Personification gives human traits to non - human things. The scythe is a tool, but in the line “my long scythe whispering to the ground”, “whispering” is a human action. The option “The scythe made a soft swishing sound” interprets the “whispering” as the sound the scythe makes while mowing, which is a more reasonable interpretation of the personification's implication (showing the soft sound of the scythe's movement). The option “The scythe was speaking quietly” takes the personification too literally as scythes can't actually speak.

Answer:

The scythe made a soft swishing sound.