Question

read the excerpt from \my city\ by james weldon johnson. will it be that no more i shall see the trees or smell the flowers or hear the singing birds or watch the flashing streams or patient herds? no, i am sure it will be none of these. how does the poets use of punctuation develop the tone of contemplation in this excerpt? it forces the reader to consider whether the speaker is presenting truthful ideas. it explains to the reader that the speaker is consumed by memories of the past. it helps signal to the reader that the speaker is grappling with a particular thought. it pushes the reader to engage in trying to answer the question the speaker poses.

Explanation:

The poem uses a question mark in the first three lines ("Will it be that no more I shall see the trees / Or smell the flowers or hear the singing birds / Or watch the flashing streams or patient herds?") which shows the speaker is thinking deeply (contemplating) about a thought. The punctuation (the question mark) signals this internal grappling. The other options are incorrect. The first option about truthfulness is not related to the contemplative tone. The second option about being consumed by past memories is not indicated by the punctuation. The fourth option about the reader answering the question is not about the speaker's contemplation (the focus of the tone in question).

Answer:

It helps signal to the reader that the speaker is grappling with a particular thought.