Question

the selection, and choose the best answer to each question.
part a
which best describes the structure of the poem?
a. the poem is divided into three stanzas of equal length. each is an octave that falls naturally into two parts.
b. the poem is divided into three stanzas of equal length. each is a sestet with its own rhyme scheme.
c. the poem is divided into a series of couplets. some rhyme, and some do not.
d. the poem is written in free verse. line length varies depending on the topic.
part b
how does the structure identified in part a add to the poems meaning?
a. it enables the poet to order events as a story
b. it helps clearly convey the speakers restless feelings
c. it gives the poet flexibility in describing different scenes
d. it reinforces the orderly progression of the speakers ideas
from songs of travel
by robert louis stevenson
xv
in the highlands, in the country places,
where the old plain men have rosy faces,
and the young fair maidens
quiet eyes,
where essential silence cheers and blesses,
and for ever in the hill-recesses
her more lovely music
broods and dies.
o to mount again where erst i haunted,
where the old red hills are bird-enchanted,
and the low green meadows
bright with sward,
and when even dies, the million-tinted

Explanation:

For Part A:

• Analyze each option. An octave has 8 lines. Each stanza in the poem has 8 lines (stanza 1: lines 1 - 8, stanza 2: lines 9 - 16). And they can be seen as having two - part structure (e.g., description of people and nature in the first part of a stanza).
• A sestet has 6 lines, so B is wrong. Couplets are two - line units, so C is wrong. Free - verse has no fixed stanza or line - length pattern, but here stanzas are of equal length (8 lines each), so D is wrong.

For Part B:

• The three - stanza (octave) structure with a natural two - part division in each stanza helps in presenting ideas in an orderly way.
• It's not a story (A is wrong). There is no indication of restlessness (B is wrong). The structure is fixed (three octaves), so it's not about flexibility in describing scenes (C is wrong).

Answer:

Part A: A. The poem is divided into three stanzas of equal length. Each is an octave that falls naturally into two parts.
Part B: D. It reinforces the orderly progression of the speaker's ideas.