When evaluating interpretations, what is a strong approach?

• A. Only quote a single line that supports your view.
• B. Weigh different interpretations, justify judgments with textual evidence, and acknowledge limitations.
• C. Ignore alternate readings.
• D. Present personal feelings without evidence.

Answer: (B)

When evaluating interpretations, weigh different readings, justify judgments with textual evidence, and acknowledge the limits of any reading. This approach shows you’ve examined how the poem’s language, imagery, form, and possible contexts point to particular understandings—and you explain why the evidence supports one reading while also showing where alternative readings could still fit. Recognizing limitations is important because many poems invite multiple valid meanings, so you describe what the evidence supports and where ambiguity remains. Quoting only a single line or ignoring alternate readings misses the bigger argumentative case the poem presents, and claiming personal feelings without textual backing doesn’t demonstrate how the text itself shapes those conclusions.