Read the passage.
To Waken an Old Lady
by William Carlos Williams
Old age is
a flight of small
cheeping birds
skimming
bare trees
above a snow glaze.
Gaining and failing
they are buffeted
by a dark wind—
But what?
On harsh weedstalks
the flock has rested,
the snow
is covered with broken
seedhusks
and the wind tempered
by a shrill
piping of plenty.
How would you summarize this poem?
a Despite the snowy and windy weather, a flock of young birds still manages to eat and survive.
b A flock of young birds becomes frustrated in the snowy and windy weather.
c A flock of young birds tries to find something to eat but fails.
d The snowy and windy weather keeps a flock of young birds from flying.
a Despite the snowy and windy weather, a flock of young birds still manages to eat and survive.
To summarize this poem, we can look at the main ideas and imagery presented. The poem describes a flock of small birds in winter, navigating through the snow and wind. Initially, they seem to struggle ("Gaining and failing they are buffeted by a dark wind"), but eventually find a resting place on weedstalks. The snow is depicted as "covered with broken seedhusks," implying that the birds have found food. The final line suggests that despite the challenging conditions, there is still enough sustenance for the birds ("the wind tempered by a shrill piping of plenty"). Therefore, the best summary of this poem would be:
a) Despite the snowy and windy weather, a flock of young birds still manages to eat and survive.