Question

my grandmothers cookies
by a gautam
she bakes and she forgets
she eats and she forgets
my grandmother still bakes
she wakes up and she bakes
5 she is at the nursing home
she cannot freely roam
they say she cannot cook
she has a sullen look
i ask the sweet nurse
10 i tell her it could be worse
i beg her to supervise
i beg with my soul, my eyes
the nurse allows grandmother
to bake cookies a cake
15 grandmothers cries and laughter
and joy are no mistake
what is true about the structure of this poem?
a each stanza uses repetition for musical effect in the poem
b the first and last stanza lack a rhyme scheme unlike other stanzas
c the line breaks in each stanza cause the reader to pause
d the rhyme and rhythm create a musical quality in the poem

Explanation:

• Option A: The first stanza has repetition ("She bakes and she forgets/She eats and she forgets"), the second stanza does not have obvious repetition in the same sense as the first, so this option is incorrect.
• Option B: Looking at the rhyme scheme (checking the end - sounds of lines in each stanza), there is no clear indication that the first and last stanzas lack a rhyme scheme while others have. For example, in the first stanza, "forgets - forgets" (internal repetition, not a traditional rhyme scheme in the sense of different line - end rhymes). But this is not a case of only the first and last lacking a rhyme scheme compared to others.
• Option C: The line breaks are not such that they cause the reader to pause in a unique or structural - meaning - creating way that is a defining feature of the poem's structure.
• Option D: The poem has a rhythmic quality (e.g., the repetition in the first stanza gives a certain rhythm) and some rhyme - like elements (though not a strict, complex rhyme scheme). The combination of these gives it a musical quality.

Answer:

D. The rhyme and rhythm provide a musical quality to the poem.