There are 24 lines in this poem. The poem is numbered every 5 lines. ,end italics,

Question

,begin bold,A Late Mowing,end bold,



Neighbors have come to mow my ragged field,
And three old horses bring the autumn home.
Now the blond waving grasses must come down,
And all the tasseled splendor has to yield.

Goodbye to summer's feasts and variations:
Two months ago there burst into great praises,
White as enamel, in rich constellations,
A sky of stars flung down to earth as daisies.

When they went out, the fireflies were showing;
The green field pulsed with intermittent fire,
And the cats crept a jungle of desire
After these softest stars within the mowing.

Goodbye to ringing of the sumptuous changes—
To black-eyed Susan, paintbrushes and plantain,
Clear buttercups and cloudy asters, mullein.
Goodbye and praise to the high-summer ranges.

Now all those stars are altered in their courses,
And the rich field cut back to rock and root;
My neighbors with their three autumnal horses
Cut down the ghosts of summer with the fruit.

Winter, be gentle to this earth you keep,
To buried root and all that creeps and flies,
While overhead your dazzling daisy skies
Flower in the cold, bright mowing that will keep.



("A Late Mowing" by May Sarton. © 2014. Used by permission of Open Road Integrated Media.)

Question 1
This question has two parts. Answer Part A, and then answer Part B.



,begin emphasis,Part A,end emphasis,
What do lines 5–12 suggest about the field in summer?

Question 1 Answer options with 4 options
1.
The field stayed busy for only a short time.

2.
The field looked wilder than it actually was.

3.
The field supported one form of life after another.

4.
The field provided food for many kinds of animals.

Question 2
,begin emphasis,Part B,end emphasis,
What do lines 17–20 suggest about the field in autumn?

Question 2 Answer options with 4 options
1.
The field seems stripped of life.

2.
The field is ready for new growth.

3.
The field still reflects the starlight.

4.
The field still shows hints of beauty.

Answer 1

Question 1

Part A: What do lines 5–12 suggest about the field in summer?

The best answer is:
3. The field supported one form of life after another.

This is indicated by the imagery of flowers and "stars flung down to earth as daisies," suggesting a vibrant and varied ecosystem.

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Question 2

Part B: What do lines 17–20 suggest about the field in autumn?

The best answer is:
1. The field seems stripped of life.

These lines convey a sense of loss and transition as summer's beauty is cut back, indicating that the field has diminished in vitality as autumn arrives.