Question

Analysis of "Sleep"

(1) Sleep is positioned as a "gift," while wakefulness is positioned as a state of "broken
images of the night's treasure" (2) Therefore, the speaker is arguing that upon waking, one
can never fully piece together the dream one had while asleep. (3) To help the reader arrive
at this conclusion, the speaker uses rhetorical questions to suggest what is lost when
waking from a dream.
(4) The first rhetorical question is in the opening stanza. (5) The speaker wonders why, when
one is awakened, does it feel like sleep has "stolen everything [one] had?" (6) According to
the speaker, sleep is not a restorative time, as people are prone to believe, but rather a place
that lacks restfulness. (7) And it is not healing (8) While this may imply that sleep is a
negative experience, the second rhetorical question refutes that idea. (9) The speaker
queries: "Why is it so sad to be awake at dawn?" (10) The answer, the speaker suggests, is
that wakefulness "strips us of a gift," which can only be partially remembered in periods
where one is half-awake. (11) Thus, the reader is left to conclude that it is wakefulness, not
to sleep, that is actually stealing from them; dreams are sleep's reward, but they are
avtinnishad nnn wakinn
Which choice most effectively combines sentences 6 and 7 at the underlined portion?
с
D
lacks restfulness despite being healing.
is neither restful nor healing
has no rest because it has no healing.
cannot be restful without being healing.

Answer 1

The most effective option to combine sentences 6 and 7 at the underlined portion is:C. lacks restfulness despite being healing.

Here's why:

Clarity and conciseness: This option clearly conveys the intended meaning without being overly long or wordy.

Accuracy: It accurately reflects the speaker's argument that sleep is not restorative despite having potential healing properties.

Flow and rhythm: The sentence flows naturally with the preceding and following sentences, maintaining the rhythm and coherence of the paragraph.

Here's why the other options are less effective:

A. is neither restful nor healing: This option is accurate but redundant. Since the sentence already mentions sleep's lack of restfulness, explicitly stating it is non-healing adds unnecessary information.

B. has no rest because it has no healing: This option is grammatically correct but implies a causal relationship between restfulness and healing, which might not be the intended meaning.

D. cannot be restful without being healing: This option is not accurate. The speaker argues that sleep can be healing but also lacks restfulness.

Therefore, option C best combines the two sentences while preserving the original meaning and improving the flow of the paragraph.