Question

1. which quotation from the poem best highlights how the speaker views the relationship between humans and the natural world? a. \im truly sorry mans dominion / has broken natures social union\ (lines 7 - 8) b. \i doubt not, sometimes, that you may steal\ (line 13) c. \the best laid schemes of mice and men / go often askew\ (lines 39 - 40) d. \still you are blessed, compared with me!\ (line 43) 5. how does the poets comparison of mice and humans in the final two stanzas contribute to the poems overall meaning?

Explanation:

• Question 4:
• Option A directly addresses the relationship between humans ("Man's dominion") and the natural world ("Nature's social union"), highlighting the speaker's view that human actions have disrupted this relationship.
• Option B focuses on a possible action of the mouse (stealing) rather than the human - nature relationship.
• Option C is more about the general idea that plans (of mice and men) often go wrong, not specifically about the human - nature relationship.
• Option D is a comparison between the mouse and the speaker (a human) in terms of being blessed, but it doesn't clearly show the view on the human - nature relationship as directly as Option A.
• Question 5:
• The poet's comparison of mice and humans in the final two stanzas shows that despite the mouse's seemingly simple and sometimes difficult life (due to human actions like plowing), it has an advantage.
• Humans, on the other hand, have more complex lives with memories of the past (which can be painful) and worries about the future.
• This comparison contributes to the overall meaning by emphasizing that the natural world (represented by the mouse) has a certain simplicity and perhaps an advantage over the more complex and often troubled human existence. It also reinforces the idea that human actions (like disrupting nature as in Question 4) have consequences for themselves as well.

Answer:

1. A. "I'm truly sorry Man's dominion / Has broken Nature's social union" (Lines 7 - 8)
2. The comparison shows that while the mouse has a simple life affected by human actions, humans have more complex lives with memories of the past and worries about the future. This emphasizes that the natural world (mouse) has an advantage over the complex and often troubled human existence, reinforcing the idea that human actions (like disrupting nature) have consequences for themselves.