The following question has two parts. First, answer part A. Then, answer part B.
Part A:
Which statement BEST expresses the author's central idea?
A
Choices made when we are young require us to take chances and act recklessly in order to gain other people's admiration.
B
Choices often require that we see beyond our immediate desires and hold on to that which we value most.
C
Choices are easier when we better understand whom we can depend on and reject those who would take unfair advantage.
D
Choices between the physical world and finding someone to love should be based on an understanding that relationships are always more important than nature.
Part B:
Which excerpt from the text BEST supports your answer in part A?
A
Then Sylvia, well satisfied, makes her perilous way down again, not daring to look far below the branch she stands on, ready to cry sometimes because her fingers ache and her lamed feet slip. Wondering over and over again what the stranger would say to her, and what he would think when she told him how to find his way straight to the heron's nest.
B
The guest waked from a dream, and remembering his day's pleasure hurried to dress himself that it might sooner begin. He was sure from the way the shy little girl looked once or twice yesterday that she had at least seen the white heron, and now she must really be made to tell.
C
Has she been nine years growing and now, when the great world for the first time puts out a hand to her, must she thrust it aside for a bird's sake? The murmur of the pine's green branches is in her ears, she remembers how the white heron came flying through the golden air and how they watched the sea and the morning together...
D
Many a night Sylvia heard the echo of his whistle haunting the pasture path as she came home with the loitering cow. She forgot even her sorrow at the sharp report of his gun and the sight of thrushes and sparrows dropping silent to the ground, their songs hushed and their pretty feathers stained and wet with blood.
To answer part A, we need to analyze the statements provided and determine which one expresses the author's central idea. The best approach for this is to carefully read each statement and identify which one aligns most closely with the main theme or message of the text.
A. Choices made when we are young require us to take chances and act recklessly in order to gain other people's admiration.
B. Choices often require that we see beyond our immediate desires and hold on to that which we value most.
C. Choices are easier when we better understand whom we can depend on and reject those who would take unfair advantage.
D. Choices between the physical world and finding someone to love should be based on an understanding that relationships are always more important than nature.
By examining these options, it becomes clear that statement B is the one that best represents the author's central idea. It discusses the importance of looking beyond immediate desires and valuing what is most important to us. This aligns with the main theme of the text as it emphasizes the significance of making choices based on long-term values rather than fleeting desires.
Moving on to part B, we need to find the excerpt from the text that supports our answer in part A. To do this, we analyze each excerpt and look for the one that reinforces statement B as the best expression of the author's central idea.
A. "Then Sylvia, well satisfied, makes her perilous way down again... her fingers ache and her lamed feet slip... what the stranger would say to her, and what he would think when she told him how to find his way straight to the heron's nest."
B. "The guest waked from a dream... she had at least seen the white heron, and now she must really be made to tell."
C. "Has she been nine years growing... for a bird's sake? ... the white heron came flying through the golden air and... watched the sea and the morning together..."
D. "Many a night Sylvia heard the echo of his whistle haunting the pasture path... She forgot even her sorrow at the sharp report of his gun... their pretty feathers stained and wet with blood."
Analyzing these excerpts, it becomes evident that excerpt C provides the best support for the answer in part A. It emphasizes the internal struggle Sylvia faces between a personal desire (finding the heron's nest) and a larger, more meaningful connection (the memories and experiences with the stranger). This supports the central idea that choices often require looking beyond immediate desires and valuing what is most important.
Therefore, the answers to part A and B are:
Part A: B - Choices often require that we see beyond our immediate desires and hold on to that which we value most.
Part B: C - "Has she been nine years growing and now, when the great world for the first time puts out a hand to her, must she thrust it aside for a bird's sake? The murmur of the pine's green branches is in her ears, she remembers how the white heron came flying through the golden air and how they watched the sea and the morning together..."