Here feel we but the penalty of Adam, The seasons' difference, as the icy fang
And churlish chiding of the winter's wind

The Bible, Genesis 3: 17-19
To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’

“Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.”

Select the correct answer.
Read the two excerpts. One is from a play and the other is from the Bible. Based on the biblical reference, what is William Shakespeare saying about the cold wind?

A.
It’s one of the trials to test humanity’s faith in God.
B.
It’s a punishment for one particular person.
C.
It’s a part of the natural cycle of seasons, which repeats each year.
D.
It’s been a part of life that humans must endure since the curse of Adam.
E.
It's a necessary obstacle that all humans must face in order to reach their goals.

D

Explanation:

The penalty of Adam refers to the curse that resulted from Adam's choice.  The "churlish chiding" of the wind: churlish is to be mean or rude in a mean-spirited way, and to chide is to scold- so the wind is figuratively mocking him in a mean way.

The question is asking you to focus on what the writer of the poem (Shakespeare) says about the WIND.  The wind is not testing, the wind is not punishing, and it's described as too mean to be just part of a natural cycle.  The answer D references Adam, which is a huge clue.  The wind, while it is an obstacle in life, is not described as anything but mean- and the biblical reference means that it wasn't just a consequence for Adam, but one that would affect people that came after Adam too.

dang did this test hmmm lemme think

b

wordsworth tends to see nature as 'out there'; a presence which surrounds humans, and contributes to human life, but is different from humans. if you look at a typical wordsworth poem (there was a boy, ye knew him well ye rocks) - wordsworth talks about nature as something that needs to be learned about and understood, nature is different from us.  

if you look at a byron poem (the isles of greece is a good one) - byron looks at nature mainly for what it already means to man. wordsworth will look at a landscape and see the mountains, trees, valleys, and rivers as almost spiritual presences - wordsworth wants to get to know nature.  

byron will look at the same landscape and he will want to know who lives there, what are the villages? are there any farms or mines, is there some history?  

wordsworth looks at nature for what it is; byron is forever asking what it means.  

wordsworth thinks that humans are part of nature; byron thinks that nature is part of being human