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,
Which statement ,begin emphasis,best,end emphasis, describes a contrast between earth and sky in the poem?

Question 1 Answer options with 4 options
1.
Earth has distinct seasons, but the sky has only fall.

2.
Earth has many marvels, but the sky has only stars.

3.
Earth is a joy, but the sky is too distant to be enjoyed.

4.
Earth is constantly changing, but the sky is unchanging.

Question 2
,begin emphasis,Part B,end emphasis,
Which excerpt from the poem ,begin emphasis,best,end emphasis, supports the correct answer from Part A?

Question 2 Answer options with 4 options
1.
"three old horses bring the autumn home" (Line 2)

2.
"blond waving grasses must come down" (Line 3)

3.
"flung down to earth as daisies" (Line 8)

4.
"the cold, bright mowing that will keep" (Line 24)

Answer 1

Question 1

Part A: The statement that best describes a contrast between earth and sky in the poem is:

4. Earth is constantly changing, but the sky is unchanging.

Question 2

Part B: The excerpt from the poem that best supports the correct answer from Part A is:

4. "the cold, bright mowing that will keep" (Line 24)

This line suggests a sense of permanence in nature (the sky) contrasted with the change occurring in the earth (the mowing).