Question

Read the poem below and answer the question. Musee des Beaux Arts by W. H. Auden About suffering they were never wrong, The old Masters: how well they understood Its human position: how it takes place While someone else is eating or opening a window or just walking dully along; How, when the aged are reverently, passionately waiting For the miraculous birth, there always must be Children who did not specially want it to happen, skating On a pond at the edge of the wood: They never forgot That even the dreadful martyrdom must run its course Anyhow in a corner, some untidy spot Where the dogs go on with their doggy life and the torturer's horse Scratches its innocent behind on a tree. In Breughel's Icarus, for instance: how everything turns away Quite leisurely from the disaster; the ploughman may Have heard the splash, the forsaken cry, But for him it was not an important failure; the sun shone As it had to on the white legs disappearing into the green Water, and the expensive delicate ship that must have seen Something amazing, a boy falling out of the sky, Had somewhere to get to and sailed calmly on.
Which of the following is a descriptive image from the poem above?

A)“About suffering they were never wrong “
B)“That even the dreadful martyrdom must run its course”
C)“white legs disappearing into the green”*
D)“They never forgot”


Which of the following best describes the tone of the poem above? A)detached in the face of sufferingB)enraged at injusticeC)excited about major eventsD)saddened about human indifference
Which of the following best describes the theme of the poem above? A)Tragedy is everywhere.
B)No one’s life matters.
C)Life goes on.
D)The gods are cruel.

Which of the following excerpts most clearly reflects the theme of the poem? A)“About suffering they were never wrong”
B)“how well they understood/ Its human position”
C)"How, when the aged are reverently, passionately waiting”
D)"Had somewhere to get to and sailed calmly on.”

Answer 1

1- The correct answer is C.

This is a visual imagery. The author is describing the drowning of young Icarus, his legs the last visible part of his body as he sinks into the water.

2- The correct answer is D.

The tone of this poem is gloomy. Here, the author shows his disappointment with the human race and how indiffirent we can be to other people's suffering.

3- The correct answer is C.

The main theme is that, no matter the tragedies that may occur, it is not the end of the world, and people have to continue living their lives.

4- The correct answer is D.

This is the sentence that best reflects the theme because, even though the people of the ship have seen Icarus fall into the water and drown, they simply continued sailing, paying no real attention to the tragedy.

Answer 2

1. C)“white legs disappearing into the green”*
2. D)saddened about human indifference
3. C)Life goes on.
4. D)"Had somewhere to get to and sailed calmly on.”

Hope that helps.