Question

It was the first day of October, and the bushes fairly danced with birds. The sun was out again after the rain, slanting low and golden beneath the clouds, warming the west-facing wall and the bushes in front of it. Mandy watched, fascinated, as the small gray birds hopped on the swaying branches. They stretched their wings, shaking them up and down fast, and puffing out their chests. Revving their motors, Mandy thought. They're getting ready to fly south and savoring what's left of summer, just like me. "Take me along," she whispered. Question Why are the bushes dancing? Answer options with 4 options 1. This is a fantasy in which bushes can dance. 2. The wind is blowing hard through the bushes. 3. Mandy is shaking the branches to make them dance. 4. The birds are hopping around in the branches.

Answer 1

The bushes are dancing because:

4. The birds are hopping around in the branches.

Step-by-step explanation:

The passage we are analyzing here clearly states that it is because of the birds that the bushes seem to be dancing:

[...] and the bushes fairly danced with birds.

[...] as the small gray birds hopped on the swaying branches.

The birds are hopping, stretching their wings, puffing out their chests, all the while making the bushes' branches sway. Why does the author use the word "dancing" to describe the movement of the branches, then? This is a technique called personification. Bushes cannot dance but, by saying so, the author conveys the idea that the way the bushes are moving is beautiful, rhythmic, hypnotizing, just like dancing.