SUCCESSION 25

What does the word furrow mean in line 6?

• A deep wrinkle in someone's skin
  

• A narrow trench made by a plow
  

• A fence post marking land boundaries
  

• A stone wall dividing farmland

The metaphor in lines 4 through 8 is used to reveal that —

• The speaker’s father is watching over him as he works
  

• The speaker physically resembles his father and carries on his legacy
  

• The speaker prefers his father’s way of farming over his own
  

• The speaker feels burdened by his father’s expectations

Read these lines from the poem:
And when I stumped that field,
I felt as if I were his father,
Who cleared the first land
And built the house.
Which word best describes the tone of these lines?

• Nostalgic
  

• Frustrated
  

• Detached
  

• Resentful

The poet splits the poem into three stanzas to —

• Emphasize the changing roles across generations
  

• Create a rhythmic pattern similar to a plow’s motion
  

• Show the emotional distance between the speaker and his family
  

• Highlight different farming techniques over time

Based on the poem, the reader can conclude that the main theme is

• The importance of personal ambition over family legacy
  

• The lasting connection between past, present, and future generations
  

• The hardships of rural life and the struggles of farming
  

• The speaker’s desire to break away from tradition

The farm is important to the poem because it —

• Represents the family's shared identity and history
  

• Serves as a burden the speaker wishes to escape
  

• Shows how farming has changed over time
  

• Demonstrates how nature can be controlled by human effort

In lines 18–22, the speaker’s hope for his son suggests that he —

• Wants his son to explore opportunities beyond the farm
  

• Hopes his son will continue the family tradition of farming
  

• Believes his son will be more successful than previous generations
  

• Feels uncertain about his son’s future

   How does the poem’s point of view affect its meaning?

• The first-person perspective allows the speaker to express his deep connection to his ancestors and the land
  
  

• The third-person perspective provides an unbiased view of the family's farming traditions

• The second-person perspective directly addresses the son, making the poem more personal
  

• The shifting perspective between past and present creates confusion about the speaker’s emotions

What effect does the poet’s use of repetition in lines 23–26 have on the meaning of the poem?

• It reinforces the idea that identity is shaped by past generations
  

• It emphasizes the speaker’s regret over staying on the farm
  

• It highlights how each generation changes the land in different ways
  

• It creates a sense of frustration about the speaker’s expectations

Which literary device is most important to the development of the poem’s theme?

• Personification—giving human qualities to nature to show the power of the land
  

• Hyperbole—exaggerating the importance of farming for dramatic effect
  

• Imagery—describing the physical labor and landscape to emphasize tradition
  

• Alliteration—repeating sounds to create rhythm and reinforce key ideas