Question

1
in aroostook county, northern maine, i knew nothing about fiddleheads or the northern lights. i didn’t even know enough not to eat the skin of a potato, my favorite part. now farmers spray potatoes with chemicals twice, once while still in the ground, and once in the trucks. the farmers looked sad when they told me. they’re absolutely certain the poison stays in the skin.
2
i went to see a man in the next town who knew where to find pussy willows. his wife had invited me. he was sitting on his couch eating popcorn when i arrived. “have you seen a moose yet?” he asked. when i said no, he stayed silent for a long time. he seemed angry. then he blurted, “i’m thinking about death today. when my parents were alive, i didn’t think about it. i didn’t have to. now, they are dead and nothing is standing between us. between me and death—i’m next.”
3
he sat there and his wife brought me a smaller bowl of popcorn. we all sat there, eating and not speaking.
4
a woodstove weighted the room, and a shelf of old science projects: rocks with dusty labels, mounted drawings of seeds. i could smell winter coming out of the couch—musty, smoky, so long, so cold. we went into the woods together, wearing jackets, stepping on stones between crusts of leftover snow.
5
“it’s the ugliest time of year,” their daughter said. “april always seems ugliest because it’s neither green nor white.” i liked the shades of brown and gray, but didn’t say so. it’s easy to like things you don’t see very often.
6
days before a boy had asked me if i really drove all the way up from texas and i said yes, we really drove, in a car, a regular car. he wanted to know how
these sentences are from the passage.
“a woodstove weighted the room, and a shelf of old science projects: rocks with dusty labels, mounted drawings of seeds. i could smell winter coming out of the couch—musty, smoky, so long, so cold.” (paragraph 4)
what idea do these sentences most strongly suggest?

1. a sense of pride in past achievements
2. a feeling that the objects do not belong in the room
3. a feeling that the winter season is coming to an end
4. a sense that the room is the same as it has been for years

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze each option:

• Option 1: The sentences focus on the room’s atmosphere and old objects, not pride in past achievements. Eliminate.
• Option 2: The old science projects and the woodstove create a sense of familiarity, not that objects “do not belong.” Eliminate.
• Option 3: The text says “winter coming” and mentions leftover snow, so winter is not ending. Eliminate.
• Option 4: The “old science projects,” “dusty labels,” and the woodstove suggest the room has remained unchanged for years, creating a sense of timelessness. This matches.

Answer:

1. a sense that the room is the same as it has been for years