Question

the passing of the hours
by ella higginson
1 the hours steal by with still, unmasking lips—
2 so lightly that i cannot hear their tread;
3 and softly touch me with their finger-tips
4 to find if i be dreaming, or be dead.
5 and yet however still their flight may be,
6 their ceaseless going weights my heart with tears;
7 these touches will have wrought deep scars on me—
8 when the light hours have worn to heavy years.

1 steal: move quietly or surreptitiously
2 still: quiet

how does the shift from lines 1–4 to lines 5–8 develop the speaker’s feelings about time?
a. it moves from sorrow about the past to hope for the future.
b. it moves from barely noticing time’s passing to recognizing its emotional cost.
c. it moves from anger at time to acceptance of growing older.
d. it moves from fearing death to feeling comforted by memories.

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze the poem's lines. Lines 1 - 4 describe time "stealing" by "still, unmasking lips" and "softly touch" with a sense of barely noticing (e.g., "steal" implies quiet, unnoticed movement). Lines 5 - 8 shift to recognizing time's emotional impact ("ceaseless going weights my heart", "light hours...worn to heavy years"). Option B matches: moving from barely noticing time’s passing to recognizing its emotional cost. Option A is incorrect (no hope for future). Option C: no anger. Option D: fear of death isn’t in lines 1 - 4.

Answer:

B. It moves from barely noticing time’s passing to recognizing its emotional cost.