Question

Read the following excerpt from “Golden Glass,” which takes place after Ted has lived in his fort for a time.

Vida noticed Ted had become cheerful and would stand next to her, to
her left side, talking sometimes. But she realized she mustn’t face him or
he’d become silent and wander away. So she stood listening, in the same
even breath and heartbeat she kept when she spotted the wild pheasants
with their long, lush tails trailing the grape arbor, picking delicately and
greedily at the unpicked grapes in the early autumn light. So sharp, so
perfect, so rare to see a wild thing at peace.

Which best restates the comparison in the passage?
A. Vida’s reaction to Ted is compared to the way she holds still near the wild pheasants, suggesting that Ted will not let others come too close.
B. Vida’s reaction to Ted is compared to the way she holds still near the wild pheasants, suggesting that she wishes to recapture Ted.
C. Vida’s reaction to Ted is compared to the behavior of the wild pheasants in the arbor, suggesting that she wishes to recapture Ted.
D. Vida’s reaction to Ted is compared to the behavior of the wild pheasants in the arbor, suggesting that Ted makes her nervous.
Part B
What does the answer to Part A imply about the reasons Ted has built his fort?
A. There is something wild in Ted’s spirit that has led him to challenge his mother.
B. There is something possessive in Vida’s spirit that has driven Ted to challenge her.
C. There is something wild in Ted’s spirit that has led him to live apart from the family.
D. There is something possessive in Vida’s spirit that has driven Ted to live apart from the family.

Review Progress

Answer 1

Part A: A

Explanation: The comparison links Vida’s careful, still behavior around Ted to how she behaves when she spots wild pheasants—she mustn't startle them—implying Ted (like the pheasants) won't let others come too close.

Part B: C

Explanation: If Ted is being compared to a wild creature that keeps others at a distance, it implies a wildness in him that led him to separate himself (build his fort) and live apart from the family.