Question 3 • VT-FL-FAST-Grade 10 English Language Arts-Reading
Read the excerpt from "Thanatopsis” by William Cullen Bryant. To him who in the love of Nature holdsCommunion with her visible forms, she speaksA various language; for his gayer hoursShe has a voice of gladness, and a smileAnd eloquence of beauty, and she glidesInto his darker musings, with a mildAnd healing sympathy, that steals awayTheir sharpness, ere he is aware.
Answer
A
It suggests that nature is an inescapable force.
B
It highlights the unpredictability of nature.
C
It illustrates the need to unite with nature.
D
It emphasizes that nature is a soothing presence.
Explanation
The excerpt describes nature as offering “a voice of gladness” and “a mild / And healing sympathy” during darker thoughts. The image of nature stealing away the sharpness of those thoughts shows that it comforts and soothes the speaker. Therefore, the best choice is that nature is a soothing presence.
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