The Poetry of Physics — Quiz

Question 10 • English Language Arts 11

Which excerpt from Billy Collins’s “Man Listening to Disc” best supports the idea that the speaker uses the music to isolate himself from others?

Answer

as if he were right beside me on this clear day in March, the pavement sparkling with sunlight,

In fact, I would say my delight at being suffused with phrases from his saxophone— some like honey, some like vinegar—

And I bow deeply to Thelonious Monk for figuring out a way to motorize—or whatever—his huge piano so he could be with us today.

The music is loud yet so confidential I cannot help feeling even more like the center of the universe

Explanation

The words “so confidential” suggest the music creates a private experience for the speaker, separate from other people. Saying he feels “even more like the center of the universe” shows that he is absorbed in his own world. Choice D, “The music is loud yet so confidential I cannot help feeling even more like the center of the universe,” best supports the idea that he uses the music to isolate himself.

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