Read the poem.

Question

Eel-Grass
No matter what I say,
All that I really love
Is the rain that flattens on the bay, And the eel-grass in the cove;
The jingle-shells that lie and bleach
At the tide-line, and the trace Of higher tides along the beach:
Nothing in this place.
("Eel-Grass," by Edna St. Vincent Millay)
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This question has two parts. Answer Part A, and then answer Part B.
Part A
What is the central idea of the poem?
• 1. The speaker loves being outdoors more than being indoors.
• 2. The present location of the speaker is much less desirable than the seaside.
• 3. The speaker loves keeping a record of the many interesting features of the seaside.
• 4. The opinion of the speaker is that the outdoors has both positive and negative aspects.
Part B
How does the first line of the poem help develop the correct central idea from Part A?
•1. The line suggests that sometimes the ideas of the speaker are unpopular.
• 2. The line suggests that sometimes the true feelings of the speaker are hidden.
• 3. The line suggests that the speaker has conversations with a variety of people.
• 4. The line suggests that the speaker is uncomfortable expressing personal thoughts.

Answer 1

Part A
The central idea of the poem is:
2. The present location of the speaker is much less desirable than the seaside.
The speaker expresses a strong affection for the natural elements found by the seaside, contrasting those feelings with the lack of desire for their current location.

Part B
The first line of the poem helps develop the correct central idea from Part A by:
2. The line suggests that sometimes the true feelings of the speaker are hidden.
The speaker begins by indicating that there’s more to their love than mere words can convey, hinting that their true feelings revolve around the beauty of the seaside, which they find preferable to their current surroundings.