The following text is excerpted from Virgil's 19 B.C.E. epic poem "The Aeneid," as translated in 1910 C.E. by E. Fairfax Taylor. Aeneas, son of Anchises and the goddess Venus, seeks advice about how to visit the underworld.
Then thus replied the prophetess divine:
"O goddess-born of great Anchises' line,
The gates of hell are open night and day;
Smooth the descent, and easy is the way:
But to return, and view the cheerful skies,
In this the task and mighty labour lies."
Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?
Correct
Incorrect
Even if you find poetry texts challenging, the questions are like any others; they will be supported by the text and you can "prove" the correct answer from the text. Since this question asks for the overall structure of the poem, paraphrase the ideas as you read. The first two lines begin with the "prophetess divine" addressing the listener as being "goddess-born," so this is introductory material telling us who is addressing whom. The next two lines describe how entering the underworld is easy; its gates are always open, and "easy is the way." The final two lines add a complication: to "return" to "view the cheerful skies" is a "mighty labor." So the ease of entering the underworld is contrasted with the difficulty of exiting it. Keeping that overall structure in mind, review the answer choice options and eliminate them as you go.
Eliminate (A) because it misrepresents the passage. The first two lines make clear that the prophetess is addressing Aeneas, not the other way around. Choice (B) matches the structure of the poem, as it discusses the contrast between entering and exiting the underworld; thus, it is correct. On test day, choose (B) with confidence and move to the next question, but for practice: the remaining two answer choice options misrepresent the passage. Eliminate (C) because, while the prophetess does admit the task will be difficult, she gives no specific advice in the excerpt about how to accomplish it. Eliminate (D) because, while the prophetess does mention the heritage of Aeneas, and praises his father Anchises, she is not answering his question only because of his parentage.
