Question

Read the excerpt from the passage.

What was he doing, the great god Pan,
Down in the reeds by the river?
Spreading ruin and scattering ban,
Splashing and paddling with hoofs of a goat,
And breaking the golden lilies afloat
With the dragon-fly on the river.

He tore out a reed, the great god Pan,
From the deep cool bed of the river:
The limpid water turbidly ran,
And the broken lilies a-dying lay,
And the dragon-fly had fled away,
Ere he brought it out of the river. (lines 1–12)
How does the author create a chaotic mood in the poem?


A. by detailing Pan’s effects on the dragonfly

B. by conveying the gods’ feelings about what Pan has done

C. by describing Pan's careless acquisition of the reed

D. by having the lilies nearly die and then be revived

Answer 1

C

The chaotic mood comes from Pan’s violent, careless actions—splashing, breaking the lilies and tearing the reed—so the water runs turbid and creatures (the dragonfly) flee.