SAT OwlQuestion bank / Command of Evidence
"The Lamplighter" is an 1899 poem by Thomas Avery. In the poem, the speaker, who lights the gas lamps of a city street each evening, suggests that his work goes unnoticed by the people who benefit from it, as is evident when he says, ______
Which quotation from "The Lamplighter" most effectively illustrates the claim?
"I climb my ladder as the sun goes down, / And one by one the lamps bloom into flame."
"In winter, frost bites hard upon my fingers, / And still I keep my round from post to post."
"When dawn arrives I turn each flame to nothing / And walk home in the gray and empty street."
"The crowds pass under every light I make / And none looks up to wonder whose the hand."
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D
The claim has two parts: people benefit from the speaker's work, and they do not notice it. In choice D, crowds walk under the lights he makes (they benefit), and "none looks up to wonder whose the hand" (they ignore the worker). The other quotations describe the work itself or its hardships without showing that others overlook it.
Choice C mentions an "empty street," which can sound lonely, but it says nothing about people benefiting from the work and failing to notice it.
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