Question

reading comprehension passage b
i am vertical
but i would rather be horizontal.
i am not a tree with my root in the soil
sucking up minerals and mother love
so that each march i may gleefully leaf,
nor am i the beauty of a garden bed,
attracting my share of ais and spectacularly painted,
unknowing i must soon unpetal.
compared with me, a tree is immortal
and a flower-head not tall, but more startling,
and i want the ones longevity and the others daring.
tonight, in the infinitesimal¹ light of the stars,
the trees and flowers have been strewing their cool odors.
i walk among them, but none of them are noticing,
sometimes i think that when i am sleeping
i must most perfectly resemble them—
thoughts gone dim.
it is more natural to me, lying down.
then the sky and i are in open conversation,
and i shall be useful when i lie down finally:
then the trees may touch me for once, and the flowers
have time for me.
—sylvia plath
from uncollected poems, 1965
turret books
¹infinitesimal — very small
11 the word \unpetal\ in line 7 suggests
(1) inspiration
(3) isolation
(2) invisibility
(4) impermanence
12 lines 11 through 13 reveal the narrators
awareness of
(1) the limited time people exist on earth
(2) the unexpected changes that affect ones life
(3) her anxiety over the shifting of seasons
(4) her insignificance in the eyes of nature
13 in lines 14 through 16, the narrator suggests that
(1) consciousness is a barrier to connecting with
nature
(2) natures ability to impress surpasses humans
imagination
(3) the future depends on natural forces beyond
human control
(4) natures cruelty causes one to feel helpless
14 throughout the poem, the tone can best be
described as
(1) envious
(3) hostile
(2) skeptical
(4) indignant

Explanation:

• Question 11: The word "unpetal" implies a loss of petals, which is related to impermanence.
• Question 12: Lines 11 - 13 show that nature (trees and flowers) is not noticing the narrator, indicating her insignificance.
• Question 13: The narrator thinks that when sleeping (unconscious), she might resemble nature, suggesting consciousness is a barrier.
• Question 14: The narrator wishes to be horizontal (like nature), shows a sense of envy towards nature.

Answer:

1. (4) impermanence
2. (4) her insignificance in the eyes of nature
3. (1) consciousness is a barrier to connecting with nature
4. (1) envious