Question

hidden hopes
david adjusted his backpack and continued his trek through the woods of their “back forty.” his dad had acquired the property for a song, and although their house and the surrounding five acres were nice enough, david wanted to know why the back forty acres didn’t seem to add that much value to the sales price. since they were ten miles from town, he had nothing better to do. david did not share his dad’s affection for the country. he didn’t want to harbor ill feelings against his dad, but david longed to be back in the city where he had grown up.
he had been walking twenty minutes and was about to turn around when he glimpsed a color and shape that should not be in the middle of woods. he stepped into a small clearing. an abandoned carousel stood in the center of the field. david wondered how long it had been there. hidden by tall weeds, the once dazzling attraction held no luster for anyone now. the mirrors of the carousel’s ornate centerpiece were cracked reminders of happier times. horses that once frolicked to organ music were now motionless cast iron tethered to rusted poles.
david climbed the low fence that must have kept patrons from hitching a ride without a ticket. he mounted a horse that had been black but was now a motley pewter and smoke of flaking paint. this forsaken countryside held about as much promise for david as this broken - down carousel of forgotten childhoods. at least now he understood the devalued price of the land. who wants an
1
read the sentence from the passage.
horses that once frolicked to organ music were now motionless cast iron tethered to rusted poles.
how does this sentence help develop the conflict?
a. the motionless horses “tethered to rusted poles” are a picture of how david now feels being in country with “nothing better to do.” the carousel is becoming symbolic of david’s inner conflict.
b. the “horses that once frolicked” speak of david’s happiness when he lived in the city, and now he’s motionless because he can’t get to town. the carousel cannot move, just as david’s conflict that he cannot move.
c. the old carousel with its peeling paint and motionless horses shows david’s anger toward his da at moving him to the country. it depicts david’s conflict of not wanting to move just as the horses don’t move.
d. the carousel depicts the conflict david has with moving to the country. just as the horses no longer frolic, david no longer has any fun and must rely on his imagination about the carousel to entertain himself.

Explanation:

• Option A: The motionless horses (carousel horses) symbolize David's inner conflict. He is in the country with "nothing better to do," and the carousel (with motionless horses) represents his stagnant feelings about being there, matching the idea of inner conflict development.
• Option B: The text doesn't say David is motionless because he can't get to town, and the carousel's motionlessness isn't about his conflict "not moving" in that way.
• Option C: The sentence doesn't show David's anger toward his dad; it's more about his feelings of being in the country, not anger over moving.
• Option D: The idea of relying on imagination to entertain himself isn't supported by the sentence's role in developing conflict. The focus is on the contrast of the horses (and carousel) to David's feelings, not his entertainment.

Answer:

A. The motionless horses "tethered to rusted poles" are a picture of how David now feels being in country with "nothing better to do." The carousel is becoming symbolic of David’s inner conflict.