Question

read the excerpt from the novel the secret garden.
mary did not skip, but walked. she went slowly and kept her eyes on the ground. she looked in the old border beds and among the grass, and after she had gone round, trying to miss nothing, she had found ever so many more sharp, pale green points, and she had become quite excited again. \it isnt a quite dead garden,\ she cried out softly to herself. \even if the roses are dead, there are other things alive.\ she did not know anything about gardening, but the grass seemed so thick in some of the places where the green points were pushing their way through that she thought they did not seem to have room enough to grow. she searched about until she found a rather sharp piece of wood and knelt down and dug and weeded out the weeds and grass until she made nice little clear places around them.
ow they look as if they could breathe,\ she said, after she had finished with the first ones. \i am going to do ever so many more. ill do all i can see. if i havent time today i can come tomorrow.\
from frances hodgson burnett, the secret garden
what do mary’s goals for the garden suggest about her personality?
her sudden plans for the garden imply that she is flighty and easily distracted.
her determination to find signs of life in the garden hints that she is generally optimistic.

Explanation:

To determine Mary's personality from her garden goals, we analyze her actions: she carefully searches for signs of life, gets excited about new growth, and is determined to help the plants (digging/weeding, planning to do more). The first option's "flighty/distracted" is incorrect—her focus on the garden and determination show commitment, not distraction. The second option fits: her drive to find life and nurture it hints at optimism (seeing potential in a "dead" garden, taking action to support growth).

Answer:

Her determination to find signs of life in the garden hints that she is generally optimistic.