Question

Read the excerpt from “The Scarlet Ibis.” At that moment the bird began to flutter, but the wings were uncoordinated, and amid much flapping and a spray of flying feathers, it tumbled down, bumping through the limbs of the bleeding tree and landing at our feet with a thud. Its long, graceful neck yanked twice into an S, then straightened out, and the bird was still. A white veil came over the eyes and the long white beak unhinged. Its legs were crossed and its claw-like feet were delicately curved at rest. Even death did not mar its grace, for it lay on the earth like a broken vase of red flowers, and we stood around it, awed by its exotic beauty. Based on this passage, the scarlet ibis is a symbol of both
fragility and loveliness.

sadness and disgrace.

desperation and defeat.

rarity and hopefulness.

Answer 1

Answer: A) Fragility and loveliness.

Explanation: In this excerpt we can see the description of the death of a bird (a scarlet ibis), the text expresses the fragility of this bird by describing how it fell from the sky and broke its beak and its neck. Also it is described that even though it was dead, the bird was extremely beautiful ("Even death did not mar its grace", "...we stood around it, awed by its exotic beauty") which corresponds to the word loveliness.

Answer 2

This would have to be A