When I taught you at eight to ride a bicycle, loping along
beside you as you wobbled away on two round wheels, my own mouth rounding in surprise when you pulled ahead down the curved path of the park, I kept waiting for the thud of your crash as I sprinted to catch up, while you grew smaller, more breakable with distance, pumping, pumping for your life, screaming with laughter, the hair flapping behind you like a handkerchief waving goodbye.

PART A: Which statement best identifies the theme of the poem?

A. Learning how to ride a bike and leaving home are both exciting experiences for daughters.
B. Watching their children do new things brings parents nothing but fear.
C. Nothing brings a mother more joy than watching their daughter grow up.
D. Watching their children grow up is both exciting and stressful for parents.

PART B: Which lines from the poem best support the answer to Part A?

A“When I taught you / at eight to ride / a bicycle, loping along” ( Lines 1-3)
B“my own mouth rounding / in surprise when you pulled / ahead down the curved / path of the park” ( Lines 7-10)
C“I kept waiting / for the thud / of your crash as I / sprinted to catch up” ( Lines 11-14)
D“you grew / smaller, more breakable / with distance” ( Lines 15-17)

3.
PART A: How does the narrator’s point of view most influence how the events are described in the poem?

A. It emphasizes that the mother is nervous as her daughter develops independence.
B. It allows the narrator to reflect on her own experiences of growing up.
C. It reveals the daughter’s experiences of growing up.
D. It shows that the narrator wants to watch her daughter do new things.

4.
PART B: Which lines from the poem best supports the answer to Part A?
A“When I taught you / at eight to ride / a bicycle” ( Lines 1-3)
B“you wobbled away / on two round wheels” ( Lines 5-6)
C“I kept waiting / for the thud / of your crash as I / sprinted to catch up” ( Lines 11-14)
D“pumping, pumping / for your life, screaming / with laughter” ( Lines 18-20)

How do lines 21-25 contribute to development of the poem's theme? Cite evidence from poem to support your answer.