Question

Read this excerpt from "Street Cleaning Day.”

An open space on the street
snapped him out of his thoughts
and back to the wheel.
He sped up a little
and moved close to the curb,
pulling ahead of the space.
Just as he shifted his car
in reverse, a flash
swooped in from behind
and took from Square
what the morning had offered.
Out hopped Triangle
from his truck, whistling, his point
gleaming in the sun. Square fumed
and each of his corners
turned pepper red.

What do geometric-shape characters best help the reader visualize?

a setting that is mathematical
a setting filled with geometry
the dialogue of the characters
the behavior of the characters

Answer 1

the behavior of the characters

The lines use Square and Triangle’s shape-based actions (Triangle “swooped in,” Square’s “corners turned pepper red”) to show how they move and react, not to make the setting mathematical or to show dialogue.