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Information and IdeasHardQuotation supporting a claim of guilt

Information and Ideas practice question

A student argues that the poem's speaker feels responsible for a friend's misfortune.

Which quotation from the poem would best support the student's claim?

  1. A. 'I gave the word that sent him down that road, / and every mile of it is on my ledger.'Correct
  2. B. 'He chose the road himself; I stayed at home.'
  3. C. 'The road was long, the weather cruel.'
  4. D. 'We were young then, and nothing had a price.'

Answer: A. 'I gave the word that sent him down that road, / and every mile of it is on my ledger.'

'I gave the word' and 'on my ledger' are the speaker taking the misfortune onto their own account.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. 'He chose the road himself; I stayed at home.'
This puts the choice on the friend and the speaker at a distance — the opposite of responsibility.
C. 'The road was long, the weather cruel.'
A description of hardship with no one blamed.
D. 'We were young then, and nothing had a price.'
Nostalgia, not responsibility.

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