Question

question 23 of 25
read the following excerpt from
othing gold can stay\ by robert frost:

natures first green is gold,
her hardest hue to hold.
her early leafs a flower;
but only so an hour.
then leaf subsides to leaf.
so eden sank to grief,
so dawn goes down to day.
nothing gold can stay.

which best describes the effect of allusion on the meaning in this excerpt?

a. the author refers to the garden of eden to show that natures
beauty is short - lived.

b. the author describes the garden of versailles to suggest new life
found in leaves and flowers.

c. the author gives eden human characteristics to show how sad it
is when summers beauty fades to autumn.

d. the author compares leaves to gold to suggest that nature has a
monetary value.

Explanation:

In the poem, the allusion to the Garden of Eden (a place of perfection and innocence in religious lore) is used. Just as Eden "sank to grief" (lost its perfection), nature's beauty (like the first green/gold, the early leaf as a flower) is also transient. The other options are incorrect. Option B mentions Versailles which is not in the poem. Option C's "summer's beauty fades to autumn" is not the focus of the Eden allusion. Option D misinterprets the "gold" metaphor (it's about preciousness of beauty, not monetary value).

Answer:

A. The author refers to the garden of Eden to show that nature's beauty is short - lived.