The following text is adapted from Mercedes de Acosta's 1921 poem Spring and You.Now, Love and April, and the gold...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
The following text is adapted from Mercedes de Acosta's 1921 poem Spring and You.
Now, Love and April, and the gold of your
hair,
Are all mingled together
Like the blending of an exotic dream plant
With the fragrant perfume of a strange, frail
flower.
As used in the text, what does the word 'mingled' most nearly mean?
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Now, Love and April, and the gold of your hair, Are all mingled together" |
|
| "Like the blending of an exotic dream plant With the fragrant perfume of a strange, frail flower." |
|
Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Love, the season of April, and someone's golden hair are all beautifully combined together.
Argument Flow: The poem presents a romantic image of three elements being mingled together, then uses the metaphor of a plant blending with flower perfume to help visualize this combination.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
What's being asked? The meaning of the word "mingled" as used in this specific context
What type of answer do we need? A synonym that captures how "mingled" functions in this poem
Any limiting keywords? Context-specific meaning required
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- The poem says Love, April, and golden hair are "mingled together," then immediately gives us a comparison: "Like the blending of an exotic dream plant with the fragrant perfume of a strange, frail flower."
- The word "blending" shows us exactly what "mingled" means - when things are brought together, mixed, or united into one harmonious whole.
- This would mean recognized or distinguished from each other, but the poem describes them coming together, not being separated
- ✗ Incorrect
- This perfectly captures the meaning - Love, April, and golden hair are brought together as one
- The metaphor confirms this with "blending"
- ✓ Correct
- This would mean recalling from memory, but nothing suggests this is about recollection
- ✗ Incorrect
- While the poem has celebratory tone, "mingled" specifically describes what's happening to these elements, not how they're being honored
- ✗ Incorrect