Curated set · answers marked
Question: In Maura Dooley's poem "Letters from Yorkshire," what is the man doing outside when he first notices the lapwings?
APloughing the fields
BDigging his garden
CChopping wood
DWalking along the moors Correct Answer: B) Digging his garden
Rationale
The poem begins with the man digging his garden in February when he sees the lapwings arriving. This moment inspires him to write a letter to the speaker. The contrast between his outdoor labor and her indoor, desk-bound work is key to the poem's themes of connection and distance.
Which of the following best captures the main contrast presented in Maura Dooley's poem "Letters from Yorkshire"?
AThe difference between youth and old age
BThe difference between a rural life connected to nature and an urban life focused on words and communication✓
CThe difference between wealth and poverty in modern Britain
DThe difference between the past and the present through memory
Rationale
The poem contrasts the speaker's correspondent, who works outdoors in Yorkshire (planting potatoes, watching lapwings), with the speaker's own indoor, urban life centered on language and writing. This contrast prompts reflection on which lifestyle is more meaningful or "real."