Which poem uses a compact image to represent an object of nature?

• A. In a Station of the Metro
• B. Ars Poetica
• C. Sonnet XVI
• D. Sonnet XXVI

Answer: (A)

A compact, precise image drawn from nature to crystallize a perception is the hallmark being tested here. In a Station of the Metro, the moment is captured in a single, stark image: “Petals on a wet, black bough.” That tiny, exact image of natural things is used to stand in for the crowded faces in the station, turning a bustling urban scene into a clear, vivid natural picture. The power lies in economy and clarity—the poem doesn’t tell you what to think; it presents a precise image and lets you infer meaning from it, which is exactly the imagist aim of distilling experience into a single, impactful vision.

The other options don’t fit this approach. Ars Poetica focuses on poetry’s purpose and craft rather than delivering a compact nature image to convey perception. The sonnets are traditional lyric forms that develop ideas through extended argument or metaphor rather than a single, isolating image drawn from nature.