16Hit1600
Information and IdeasHardQuotation supporting a claim about a poem's imagery

Information and Ideas practice question

A critic argues that the poem describes the harbour town as if it were a living creature.

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

  1. A. 'The town breathes out its boats at dawn and breathes them in at dusk, / its harbour mouth half open in its sleep.'Correct
  2. B. 'The harbour has a stone wall and a light.'
  3. C. 'The boats go out at dawn and come back at dusk.'
  4. D. 'The town is old, and cold in winter.'

Answer: A. 'The town breathes out its boats at dawn and breathes them in at dusk, / its harbour mouth half open in its sleep.'

Breathing boats in and out, a mouth half open in sleep: the town as a creature.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. 'The harbour has a stone wall and a light.'
Plain description.
C. 'The boats go out at dawn and come back at dusk.'
Plain statement of the boats' movements.
D. 'The town is old, and cold in winter.'
No living image.

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