Curated set · answers marked
At the beginning of the poem, what does the speaker (Laura) say she had to wait for before she could begin to explore her husband's physical and emotional wounds?
AFor him to return from a second tour of duty
BFor the "right moment" / after he had "buried" his grief and she had "bandaged" his hand✓
CFor him to fall asleep each night
DFor him to agree to attend therapy sessions
Rationale
In the opening lines, the speaker mentions she had to wait for "the right moment" — after she had "bandaged" his hand and he had "buried" his grief — before she could start the careful and tender exploration of his trauma. This sets up the poem's central theme of the slow and careful process of reconnecting with a loved one who is dealing with PTSD.
What physical injury does Eddie, the soldier in Manhunt, sustain that is referred to as a "plate of glass" lodged close to his heart?
AA shattered rib
BA bullet fragment
CA sliver of shrapnel✓
DA broken collarbone The speaker (Eddie's wife) uses the metaphor of "a shard of glass" or shrapnel to describe the piece stuck near his heart, symbolizing the unseen, internal wounds he brings back from the war.
In Simon Armitage's poem The Manhunt, what central theme is the speaker — the soldier's wife — trying to comprehend and reconnect with?
AHer husband's experiences of childhood trauma
BHer husband's physical and emotional wounds from active military service✓
CHer husband's choice to leave the armed forces
DHer husband's difficult relationships with fellow soldiers
Rationale
The poem follows the wife's gentle and attentive exploration of her husband's body and mind, revealing the physical scars alongside the emotional struggles — such as PTSD — that he returned with from war.