Question

the solitary summer by elizabeth von arnim (adapted excerpt) (1) may 2nd. —last night after dinner, when we were in the garden, i said, \i want to be alone for a whole summer, and get to the very dregs of life. i want to be as idle as i can, so that my soul may have time to grow. nobody shall be invited to stay with me, and if any one calls they will be told that i am out, or away, or sick. i shall spend the months in the garden, and on the plain, and in the forests. i shall watch the things that happen in my garden, and see where i have made mistakes. on wet days i will go into the thickest parts of the forests, where the pine needles are everlastingly dry, and when the sun shines ill lie on the heath and see how the broom flares against the clouds. i shall be perpetually happy, because there will be no one to worry me. out there on the plain there is silence, and where there is silence i have discovered there is peace.\ (2) \mind you do not get your feet damp,\ said the man of wrath. (3) it was the evening of may day, and the spring had taken hold of me body and soul. the sky was full of stars, and the garden of scents, and the borders of wallflowers and sweet, sly pansies. all day there had been a breeze, and all day slow masses of white clouds had been sailing across the blue. now it was so still, so motionless, so breathless, that it seemed as though a quiet hand had been laid on the garden, soothing and hushing it into silence. 26 select the correct answer from the drop - down read the two excerpts from paragraph 25. i have been as happy then, we will say, as before now during which dull is the last wor obviously happiness must come from withi and my present sensations, i should say th five quiet months. what inference about the narrator can be made it can be inferred that the narrator drop - down options: worries that her husband has trouble finding happiness within himself; is concerned about being perceived as dull; enjoys observing birds more than being in her garden; has always spent a lot of time being happy on her own in nature

Explanation:

To determine the correct inference, we analyze the narrator's statements. The narrator expresses a desire to be alone in nature (garden, plain, forests) for a whole summer, stating she'll be "perpetually happy" alone there and mentions past happiness in similar solitary natural settings ("I have been as happy then... during which...", "happiness must come from within... five quiet months").

• The first option (worries about husband’s happiness) is incorrect as the excerpt focuses on the narrator’s own happiness, not her husband’s.
• The second option (concerned about being perceived as dull) is incorrect because the mention of "dull" is in the context of describing a time, not the narrator’s self - perception.
• The third option (enjoys observing birds more than garden) is incorrect as there’s no comparison between observing birds and the garden in the text.
• The fourth option (has always spent a lot of time being happy on her own in nature) aligns with her desire for solitude in nature, her past happiness in similar situations, and her expectation of happiness in the upcoming five quiet months alone in natural settings.

Answer:

has always spent a lot of time being happy on her own in nature