Question

it drew blood just to get there, but i was queen of that place, at ten, though the berries shook like fists 5 in the wind, daring anyone to come in. i was trying so hard to love this world - real rooms too big and full of worry to comfortably inhabit - but believing i was born to live in that cloistered 1 green bower. 2 the raspberry patch in the back acre of my grandparents orchard. i was cross - 10 stitched and beaded by its fat, dollmakers needles. the effort of sliding under the heavy, spiked tangles that tore my clothes and smeared me with juice was rewarded with space, wholly mine, a kind of room out of the crush of the bushes with a canopy of raspberry 15 dagger - leaves and a syrup of sun and birdsong. hours would pass in the loud buzz of it, blood made it mine - the adventure of that red sting singing down my calves, the place the scratches brought me to: just space enough for a girl to lie down. 1. secluded, protected 2. a shady place under trees or plants

4 mark for review

what can be inferred from the speakers statement blood / made it mine (lines 16 - 17)?

a the speaker wishes she could share her adventure with others.
b the speaker feels imprisoned by the hedges thorns.
c the speaker believes she has earned the right to be in her private space.
d the speaker wants to be acknowledged for her bravery.

Explanation:

The phrase "blood/made it mine" implies that the speaker endured hardships (like getting scratched, as indicated by "blood" from thorns) to claim the raspberry patch as her own. This suggests she believes she has earned the right to this private space through her efforts.

• Option A: There is no indication in the text that the speaker wants to share her adventure.
• Option B: The text doesn't convey a feeling of imprisonment. Instead, it shows her actively engaging with and claiming the space.
• Option D: There is no mention of wanting acknowledgment for bravery. The focus is on claiming the space as her own through her actions (enduring thorns, etc.).

Answer:

C. The speaker believes she has earned the right to be in her private space.