Question

One day they disappear into their rooms. Doors and lips shut and we become strangers in our own home. I pace the hall, hear whispers, a code I knew but can't remember, mouthed by mouths I taught to speak. Years later the door opens. I see faces I once held, open as sunflowers in my hands. I see familiar skin now stretched on long bodies that move past me glowing almost like pearls. Lines 9-14 of the poem mainly suggest that .

Years later the door opens.
I see faces I once held,
open as sunflowers in my hands. I see
familiar skin now stretched on long bodies
that move past me
glowing almost like pearls.

A. the speaker’s children are well over six feet tall

B. the speaker doesn’t even recognize the children now that they are grown

C. the speaker is amazed at how the children have grown into adults

D. the children look nothing like they did when they were younger
Which passage from the poem most strongly supports the correct answer to Question 3?


A. “Years later the door opens”

B. “I see faces I once held, / open as sunflowers in my hands”

C. “I see / familiar skin now stretched on long bodies”

D. “that move past me glowing almost like pearls”

Answer 1

Answer to Q3: C. the speaker is amazed at how the children have grown into adults.

Supporting passage: C. “I see / familiar skin now stretched on long bodies” — this line most clearly shows the children have grown into long (adult) bodies while retaining familiar features, conveying the speaker’s amazement.