Question

question 4 of 20
read the following excerpt from the poem \mending wall\ by robert frost:

he only says, good fences make good neighbors.
spring is the mischief in me, and i wonder
if i could put a notion in his head:
why do they make good neighbors? isnt it
where there are cows?
but here there are no cows.

which best describes the speakers tone in this passage?

a. he resents his neighbors desire to keep an unnecessary wall between them.

b. he is pleased that the neighbor is building a fence even though there are no cows.

c. he admires his neighbors helpfulness in wanting to repair the wall.

d. he is skeptical about his neighbors idea of what makes good neighbors.

Explanation:

1. Analyze Option A: The excerpt doesn't show resentment. The speaker is questioning, not resenting. So A is incorrect.
2. Analyze Option B: The speaker questions the need for the fence (since there are no cows), so he isn't pleased. B is wrong.
3. Analyze Option C: The excerpt focuses on questioning the neighbor's reasoning, not admiring helpfulness. C is incorrect.
4. Analyze Option D: The speaker wonders why fences make good neighbors (especially with no cows), showing skepticism about the neighbor's idea. This matches the tone.

Answer:

D. He is skeptical about his neighbor's idea of what makes good neighbors.