Read the passage and answer the question. [1]nothing that comes from the desert expresses its extremes better than the unhappy growth of the tree yuccas. tormented, thin forests of it stalk drearily in the high mesas, particularly in that triangular slip that fans out eastward from the meeting of the sierras and coastwise hills. the yucca bristles with bayonet-pointed leaves, dull green, growing shaggy with age like an old [5] man's tangled gray beard, tipped with panicles of foul, greenish blooms. after its death, which is slow, the ghostly hollow network of its woody skeleton, with hardly power to rot, makes even the moonlight fearful. but it isn't always this way. before the yucca has come to flower, while yet its bloom is a luxurious, creamy, cone-shaped bud of the size of a small cabbage, full of sugary sap, the indians twist it deftly out of its fence of daggers and roast the prize for their [10] own delectation. why does the author use the word "prize" to describe the bloom of the yucca tree (line 9)? to communicate how rare it is to find the bloom to emphasize the deliciousness of the bloom to highlight the color and shape of the bloom to show how to prepare the bloom for eating

Wichita mourning david matherne pipe organs—dusty and tarnished— bellowed the ancient song, as movers carried the pews for one last time. frozen branches—heavy with ice arms— 5 couldn’t perform their dance, as workmen shuffled inside the worn-out floors. sally richards—broken and mourning— watched while her father left, 10 as painters brought in their cans for the first time. stained-glass windows—buckled and broken— surveyed commotion’s cause as commerce won in the end 15 yet one more time. reverend richards—feeble and finished— cried as his exit was lost on christians who worshiped the dime; a change of the times. 20 which of these best summarizes the author's style in this poem? a) each of the five stanzas contains internal rhyme and consistent rhythm. b) each of the five stanzas contains an end rhyme describing a different character. c) each of the five stanzas contains assonance followed by a dash, then a description of the old church. d) each of the five stanzas introduces a character followed by a dash, then a description of that character. 3) in the first line of each stanza, the author follows the pattern of a noun followed by a pair of adjectives. what is the purpose of this pattern? a) the author hopes to create a peaceful feeling for the readers. b) the object and its adjectives are used to create a sense of progress. c) the author uses the pattern to create vivid pictures in the reader's mind. d) the author uses the pattern of man and nature to show the impact of this event.