After Apple-Picking

1. C. The first half of the poem is primarily about that day’s work, but as it progresses, the farmer’s thoughts turn to being “overtired / Of the great harvest I myself desired” (Line 29).

2. B. In Lines 32-36, the farmer explains that apples that fall are immediately placed in the “cider-apple” heap to be turned into cider. Apples that are badly bruised cannot be sold.

3. B. The farmer saw his reflection because, though the ice (“pane of glass”) melted and broke, in Line 14 he says, “But I was well.” His reflection broke, but he was unharmed.

4. A. The time he spent standing on the ladder has left him with sore soles.