What the Window Knows

Lexile: 1090 | Grade: 11

Passage

The window does not speak, but it listens.

It watches the seasons change—summer’s glare, winter’s breath, spring’s sudden green. It keeps its silence as children grow and voices deepen, as curtains rise and fall with arguments or laughter.

Sometimes the window is a mirror, casting back your own reflection, reminding you of the hours you’ve stood still. Other times, it is a painting, framing the world in soft watercolors or stormy streaks.

It holds fingerprints long after someone is gone. It remembers the fog of early mornings and the tap-tap of rain that came without warning.

The window cannot move, but it bears witness.

And if you ever wonder who you’ve been, sit beside it for a while. The light it lets in is not just sunlight—but memory, and time, and something like truth.

Questions

Q1: What central metaphor is developed throughout the poem?

  • A. The window as a barrier between the inside and outside world
  • B. The window as a silent witness to change and memory
  • C. The window as a tool for measuring the weather
  • D. The window as a piece of art created by nature

Q2: What is the tone of the passage?

  • A. Frustrated and restless
  • B. Mournful and cold
  • C. Quiet and contemplative
  • D. Dramatic and passionate

Q3: Which literary device is most strongly used in the phrase: 'the light it lets in is not just sunlight—but memory, and time, and something like truth'?

  • A. Hyperbole
  • B. Personification
  • C. Metaphor
  • D. Irony

Q4: What role does repetition play in the structure of the passage?

  • A. It emphasizes the anger of the speaker
  • B. It creates a humorous tone
  • C. It reinforces the theme of the window’s constancy and quiet observation
  • D. It confuses the reader by breaking the flow

Q5: Which abstract concept is most deeply explored in the passage?

  • A. Obedience and control
  • B. Regret and betrayal
  • C. Stillness and self-reflection
  • D. Chaos and rebellion

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Answers & Reasoning

Q1: What central metaphor is developed throughout the poem?

✅ Correct Answer: B

💡 Reasoning: The passage repeatedly emphasizes the window’s passive yet observant nature, showing it as a symbol of memory and time.

Q2: What is the tone of the passage?

✅ Correct Answer: C

💡 Reasoning: The passage uses gentle, reflective language and imagery to evoke stillness and introspection.

Q3: Which literary device is most strongly used in the phrase: 'the light it lets in is not just sunlight—but memory, and time, and something like truth'?

✅ Correct Answer: C

💡 Reasoning: This sentence extends the window’s function metaphorically, turning physical light into symbolic ideas like memory and truth.

Q4: What role does repetition play in the structure of the passage?

✅ Correct Answer: C

💡 Reasoning: Phrases like 'the window does not speak' and 'the window cannot move' reinforce its passive, observant nature throughout the passage.

Q5: Which abstract concept is most deeply explored in the passage?

✅ Correct Answer: C

💡 Reasoning: The window symbolizes observation, memory, and presence—all connected to reflection and the passage of time.