There are 24 lines in this poem. The poem is numbered every 5 lines. ,end italics,

Question

,begin bold,A Late Mowing,end bold,



Neighbors have come to mow my ragged field,
And three old horses bring the autumn home.
Now the blond waving grasses must come down,
And all the tasseled splendor has to yield.

Goodbye to summer's feasts and variations:
Two months ago there burst into great praises,
White as enamel, in rich constellations,
A sky of stars flung down to earth as daisies.

When they went out, the fireflies were showing;
The green field pulsed with intermittent fire,
And the cats crept a jungle of desire
After these softest stars within the mowing.

Goodbye to ringing of the sumptuous changes—
To black-eyed Susan, paintbrushes and plantain,
Clear buttercups and cloudy asters, mullein.
Goodbye and praise to the high-summer ranges.

Now all those stars are altered in their courses,
And the rich field cut back to rock and root;
My neighbors with their three autumnal horses
Cut down the ghosts of summer with the fruit.

Winter, be gentle to this earth you keep,
To buried root and all that creeps and flies,
While overhead your dazzling daisy skies
Flower in the cold, bright mowing that will keep.



("A Late Mowing" by May Sarton. © 2014. Used by permission of Open Road Integrated Media.)

Question 1
This question has two parts. Answer Part A, and then answer Part B.



,begin emphasis,Part A,end emphasis,
In lines 21–24, what is a ,begin emphasis,difference,end emphasis, in viewpoint between the speaker of the poem and the reader?

Question 1 Answer options with 4 options
1.
The speaker thinks winter is too cold for mowing, but the reader knows that winter is a good time to mow.

2.
The speaker thinks winter might grant a favor, but the reader knows that winter is controlled by natural forces.

3.
The speaker thinks winter protects both the roots and animals, but the reader knows that winter protects only roots.

4.
The speaker thinks winter has the most sparkling skies, but the reader knows that winter skies are like summer skies.

Question 2
,begin emphasis,Part B,end emphasis,
How does the correct difference in viewpoint from Part A affect the poem?

Question 2 Answer options with 4 options
1.
It creates suspense about the fate of the speaker's field.

2.
It emphasizes the speaker's concern for plants and animals.

3.
It adds humor to the speaker's understanding of the seasons.

4.
It demonstrates the speaker's lack of knowledge about nature.

Answer 1

Question 1: Part A
In lines 21–24, the correct answer regarding the difference in viewpoint between the speaker of the poem and the reader is:
2. The speaker thinks winter might grant a favor, but the reader knows that winter is controlled by natural forces.

Question 2: Part B
The correct answer about how this difference in viewpoint affects the poem is:
2. It emphasizes the speaker's concern for plants and animals.

This interpretation illustrates the speaker's hopeful, perhaps naive view of winter as gentle, contrasting with a more pragmatic understanding of the natural world.