Context and Function Breakdown:

• The question asks for the *function* of the underlined portion ("A slight wind shakes the seed-pods—") within the *entire* poem. This means we need to consider how it relates to the rest of the poem, not just its literal meaning.
• The setup before the poem tells us the speaker is "on a path in an outdoor setting." This is important context.
• The underlined portion describes a simple, natural event: wind shaking seed pods.
• The rest of the poem describes the speaker's *internal* state: "thoughts are spent," "tear me," "dread," "scattered." These are strong, negative emotions.

The function of the underlined portion is to introduce a natural event that triggers or mirrors the speaker's internal turmoil. It's a trigger.

Answer Choice Analysis:

• (A) It illustrates a change in the natural environment that the speaker implies is responsible for the growing misgivings described in the text.
  Incorrect. While there's a change in the environment (the wind), the speaker *doesn't* imply they are *responsible* for their "misgivings." The poem suggests the wind is a *catalyst* for their feelings, not that they *caused* the wind. Also, "misgivings" is too weak a word; the speaker expresses strong emotions like "tear me" and "dread."
• (B) It establishes an example of consistency in the natural landscape that the speaker then contrasts with the unpredictability of human emotions.
  Incorrect. The underlined portion doesn't show *consistency*; it shows a *change* (the wind shaking). Also, the poem focuses on the speaker's *own* emotions, not "human emotions" in general. This is too broad.
• (C) It presents an observation of an occurrence in the natural world that the speaker then expands on to convey a sense of a turbulent interior state.
  Correct. This accurately describes the function. The wind shaking the seed pods is an "observation of an occurrence." The speaker then uses this observation as a springboard to describe their own "turbulent interior state" (scattered, torn, feverish thoughts). The word "turbulent" is a good synonym for "unstable".
• (D) It evokes the ordinariness of an event in nature to suggest that the critical self-evaluation the speaker engages in is a common pursuit.
  Incorrect. While the wind shaking seed pods *is* an ordinary event, the poem doesn't suggest that the speaker's intense emotional response is "common." The focus is on the speaker's *personal* experience, not a universal one.

The correct answer is (C).

Context and Function Breakdown:

• The passage is about the Bayeux Tapestry and how it was made.
• The key idea is that the workers likely *improved* their technique as they went along. This is the "claim" made by "some researchers."
• The underlined sentence provides *evidence* to support this claim. It's a supporting claim.
• The underlined sentence describes a *contrast*: the *first* join is misaligned, but the *later* joins are "virtually invisible." This shows improvement.

The function of the underlined sentence is to provide *evidence* or *support* for the claim about the workers improving their technique.

Answer Choice Analysis:

• (A) It identifies the people and events depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry.
  Incorrect. The underlined sentence focuses on the *construction* of the tapestry, not its *content*.
• (B) It supports an argument about the workers who produced the Bayeux Tapestry.
  Correct. The sentence directly supports the claim that the workers "developed and refined their joining process." The misalignment of the first join versus the later joins is *evidence* of this development.
• (C) It compares the Bayeux Tapestry with other tapestries from eleventh-century France.
  Incorrect. There's no comparison to *other* tapestries. The comparison is between different *parts* of the *same* tapestry.
• (D) It describes how researchers determined where the Bayeux Tapestry was produced.
  Incorrect. The sentence focuses on *how* the tapestry was made (the joining process), not *where*.

The correct answer is (B).