Question 1

Read these lines from the poem.

"Two butterflies went out at noonAnd waltzed above a stream,"

The personification in these lines suggests that the butterflies are —

Accepted Answer

fluttering up and down as they fly together

Answer

trying to escape a threat of some kind

Answer

working to entertain an unseen audience

Answer

making a musical sound by flapping their wings

Question 2

The poet’s use of the phrase “bore away” in line 5 suggests that the butterflies —

Accepted Answer

did not intend to float away on the beam

Answer

wanted to hide from the view of the poem’s speaker

Answer

were losing interest in their own dancing

Answer

had previously used the beam to travel on the water

Question 3

Why does the poet include words such as “shining sea” and “port” in stanza 2?

Accepted Answer

To build an extended metaphor of the beam as a boat

Answer

To describe where the floating butterflies ended up

Answer

To compare the flight of butterflies with travel by boat

Answer

To refocus the theme of the poem on the natural world

Question 4

Which pair of words in stanza 3 contributes most to the speaker’s more detached, businesslike tone at the end of the poem?

Accepted Answer

distant, report

Answer

Answer

bird, sea

Answer

spoken, met

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