The following text is from H.D.'s 1916 poem 'Mid-Day.' In the poem, the speaker is on a path in an...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
The following text is from H.D.'s 1916 poem 'Mid-Day.' In the poem, the speaker is on a path in an outdoor setting.
A slight wind shakes the seed-pods—
my thoughts are spent
as the black seeds.
My thoughts tear me,
I dread their fever.
I am scattered in its whirl.
I am scattered like
the hot shrivelled seeds.
Which choice best describes the function of the underlined portion in the text as a whole?
It illustrates a change in the natural environment that the speaker implies is responsible for the growing misgivings described in the text.
It establishes an example of consistency in the natural landscape that the speaker then contrasts with the unpredictability of human emotions.
It presents an observation of an occurrence in the natural world that the speaker then expands on to convey a sense of a turbulent interior state.
It evokes the ordinariness of an event in nature to suggest that the critical self-evaluation the speaker engages in is a common pursuit.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'A slight wind shakes the seed-pods—' |
|
| 'my thoughts are spent as the black seeds.' |
|
| 'My thoughts tear me, I dread their fever.' |
|
| 'I am scattered in its whirl.' |
|
| 'I am scattered like the hot shrivelled seeds.' |
|
Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: The speaker uses the image of wind disturbing seed-pods to express their own sense of mental and emotional fragmentation.
Argument Flow: The poem opens with a natural observation, then draws connections between this external motion and the speaker's internal state. The comparisons intensify from spent thoughts to complete scattering, using seed imagery throughout.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
What's being asked? The function of the underlined portion in the text as a whole
What type of answer do we need? How this specific part serves the overall purpose and structure of the poem
Any limiting keywords? Content Genre: Poetry/Creative, Question Type: Purpose (specific part)
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- The opening line provides a concrete natural image that becomes the foundation for the extended metaphor
- The speaker uses the seeds and motion to describe their mental state throughout the poem
- The right answer should explain that this line establishes a natural image that the speaker then uses to explore their internal emotional state
It illustrates a change in the natural environment that the speaker implies is responsible for the growing misgivings described in the text.
- Claims the natural change causes the speaker's problems, but the poem uses the natural scene to describe existing feelings rather than suggesting causation
It establishes an example of consistency in the natural landscape that the speaker then contrasts with the unpredictability of human emotions.
- Claims the landscape shows consistency contrasting with emotional unpredictability, but the natural scene shows disturbance, not consistency, and parallels rather than contrasts with emotions
It presents an observation of an occurrence in the natural world that the speaker then expands on to convey a sense of a turbulent interior state.
- Correctly describes the opening as a natural observation that the speaker expands on to convey turbulent interior state
- This matches how the seed imagery carries through the poem
It evokes the ordinariness of an event in nature to suggest that the critical self-evaluation the speaker engages in is a common pursuit.
- Claims the natural event suggests the speaker's feelings are ordinary or common, but the poem focuses on intense personal turmoil rather than universality