Question

bliss
by katherine mansfield (adapted excerpt)
\bliss\ is the story of a young wife who seems to find much joy in
how life with her husband and baby girl
(1) although bertha young was thirty she still had moments like
the when she wanted to run instead of walk, to take dancing
steps on and off the pavement, to bend a hoop, to throw
something up in the air and catch it again, or to stand still and
laugh at--nothing--at nothing, simply.
(2) what can you do if you are thirty and, turning the corner of
your own street, you are overcome, suddenly, by a feeling of bliss
--absolute bliss!--as though youd suddenly swallowed a bright
piece of that late afternoon sun and it burned in your heart,
sending out a little shower of sparks into every particle, into every
finger and toe?
(3) oh, is there no way you can express a without being silly and
disorderly? how idiotic civilization is! why be given a body if you
have to keep it shut up in a case like a rare, rare fiddle?
(4)
o, that about the fiddle is not quite what i mean,\ she
thought, running up the steps and feeling in her bag for the key--
shed forgotten it, as usual--and rattling the letter-box. \its not
what i mean, because-- thank you, mary\--she went into the
hall. \is nurse back?\
(5) \yes, mum.\
(6) \and has the fruit come?\
(7) \yes, mum. everything is come.\
(8) \bring the fruit up to the dining-room, will you? ill arrange it
before i go upstairs.\
(9) it was dusky in the dining-room and quite chilly. but all the
same bertha threw off her coat; she could not bear the tight clasp
of it another moment, and the cold air fell on her arms.
select the correct answer.
what is a theme of this passage?
a. it is important to understand ones limitations and place in life.
b. true friendships are built on mutual respect as well as total trust
c. the journey to discovering ones true self can be a difficult one
d. individuals should feel free to be themselves and experience joy.

Explanation:

The passage from "Bliss" shows Bertha Young having moments of wanting to express joy freely (like running, dancing, etc.) and questioning why one should restrict their natural self. Option D emphasizes individuals being free to be themselves and experience joy, which aligns with Bertha's feelings about expressing her joyful impulses without restraint. Option A is about limitations (not the focus), B is about friendships (not present), and C is about a difficult self - discovery journey (the passage is more about wanting to express joy freely, not a difficult discovery).

Answer:

D. Individuals should feel free to be themselves and experience joy.