Function of Imagery: Poetry Practice Test

Read the excerpt from an original poem:

At the bus stop, dawn arrives without applause.

A man unwraps an orange, and the air sharpens.

Above the curb, the peel’s bright spiral hangs like a tiny sunburned ribbon,

flaring against the gray.

The imagery in the peel’s bright spiral hangs like a tiny sunburned ribbon primarily serves to

Read the excerpt from an original poem:

On the porch, my grandfather sharpens a knife.

The stone drinks the blade’s quiet insistence.

In the late light, metal flashes—cold as creek water—then disappears

back into his palm.

The imagery in metal flashes—cold as creek water—then disappears primarily serves to