Final answer:
C) Were preserved. According to the provided passage, which describes an untouched natural environment, the most accurate answer is that the trees that had made way for Gatsby's house were preserved.
Step-by-step explanation:
The passage provided describes a lush and natural landscape, one teeming with wildlife and plants. It paints a scene of harmony and untouched nature which includes "willow-skirted" channels, moss, ferns, and poplar trees.
Given the vivid description of nature and the mention that the willow thicket and glade had been left as nature had made it, we can infer that the trees in the area described were left to grow naturally and were not interfered with.
Therefore, it would be most accurate to say that the trees that had made way for Gatsby’s house were preserved. This is because the other choices, which include being chopped down, replanted, or pruned, would suggest some level of human interference, which the passage does not support.
The trees that had made way for Gatsby's house were chopped down. This is evident in the description of the willow thicket and glade, where artificial lakes were created and the poplar trees around them were intentionally planted.
The contrast between the natural beauty of the willow-skirted channel and the human-made artificial lakes suggests that the trees in the area were removed to make space for Gatsby's house.