Living Like Weasels
The author’s purpose for including the anecdote about the weasel attached to the eagle is to
A show the savagery of nature in general and weasels in particular.
B illustrate that the difference between predator and prey is minimal.
C suggest that creatures in nature are very adaptable.
D convey the single-minded tenacity of the weasel.
D convey the single-minded tenacity of the weasel.
In “Wild Peaches,” the speaker
A is in a new and uncertain world.
B dislikes eating fruits and berries.
C is a descendant of the Lotus Eaters.
D imagines living in a rural area.
D imagines living in a rural area.
Water in "The Helmsman" seems to represent
A death.
B life.
C fate.
D fear.
A death.
The talon of a bird is its
A throat.
B beak.
C claw.
D feather.
C claw.
The author uses the exclamation “Weasel!” in line 56 without an article to
A clarify what she is seeing by naming it.
B convey her trepidation at what the animal might do.
C show that this individual weasel embodies the essence of all weasels.
D suggest that she is not sure if it is one or more than one weasel.
C show that this individual weasel embodies the essence of all weasels.
Whom does the speaker address in Wylie’s poem?
A an imaginary friend interested in city life
B a woodsman in “a coonskin cap” and “homespun” clothes
C a farmer who will raise “meagre sheaves” and “pigs in clover”
D a companion who will shoot small animals and birds
D a companion who will shoot small animals and birds
The tones of "The Spring and the Fall" and "The Helmsman" are similar because the speaker in each poem expresses a response to nature that is
A practical.
B sensuous.
C reverent.
D fearful.
B sensuous.
A person who behaves ignobly acts in a way that is
A contemptible.
B arrogant.
C commendable.
D foolish.
A contemptible.
The author describes the impact of the glance she exchanged with the weasel, writing: “It was also a bright blow to the brain, or a sudden beating of brains” (lines 69–70). What literary device does she use here to re-create the intensity of her experience?
A onomatopoeia
B personification
C similes
D alliteration
D alliteration
In the second stanza of “Wild Peaches,” which season does the speaker claim to like best?
A spring
B summer
C autumn
D winter
C autumn
"The Helmsman" reflects the pastoral tradition more than "The Spring and the Fall" because the poet
A celebrates carefree rural life.
B uses regular meter and rhyme.
C uses highly artificial language.
D presents speakers who are shepherds
D presents speakers who are shepherds
Which word is most closely related to the meaning of inexplicably?
A indefinitely
B unavoidably
C quizzically
D mysteriously
D mysteriously
What does the author mean when she describes the “tape” that both the weasel and she plugged into as a blank?
A For a short moment, she didn’t think; like the weasel, she simply was.
B Her mind was wiped clean of any thoughts after her encounter with the weasel.
C She could remember little other than what the weasel looked like.
D Their minds connected but went to different places.
A For a short moment, she didn’t think; like the weasel, she simply was.
You can infer that the speaker of “Spring and All”
A suffers from a contagious disease.
B treats patients who suffer from contagious diseases.
C welcomes the transition from winter to spring.
D recognizes some different local plants and trees.
C welcomes the transition from winter to spring
"The Spring and the Fall" is an example of traditional form because the poet
A writes about the joys and sorrows of love.
B uses a pattern of regular meter and end rhyme.
C frequently uses enjambment to link lines.
D often punctuates lines with dashes.
B uses a pattern of regular meter and end rhyme.
What is one meaning of supposition?
A fact
B assumption
C certainty
D conclusiveness
B assumption
In comparison to humans and their thoughts, the weasel’s “journal is tracks in clay, a spray of feathers, mouse blood and bone” (lines 91–92). Which statement expresses what Dillard thinks about this existence?
A Weasels live fully in the physical world of senses and actions.
B Weasels live a circumscribed life that has no redeeming value.
C Weasels’ lives are dull and transitory.
D Weasels can only live by killing others.
A Weasels live fully in the physical world of senses and actions
What does the speaker in “Spring and All” celebrate? A a new life following his or her discharge from the contagious hospital
B the stark beauty of dead, brown leaves and standing water
C the moment of transition from winter to spring
D the subtle whispering of leafless vines
C the moment of transition from winter to spring
"The Spring and the Fall" and "The Helmsman" both depart from the pastoral tradition because
A each rejects idealized views of nature.
B each presents idealized views of nature.
C each features highly artificial language.
D each has regular meter and rhyme.
A each rejects idealized views of nature.