Question

She may have reasoned in the dark
That one way of the few there were
Would hide her and would leave no mark:
Black water, smooth above the weir
Like starry velvet in the night,
Though ruffled once, would soon appear
The same as ever to the sight.
Which sentence BEST paraphrases these important closing lines of the poem?
A) She decided to use the cover of night to run away and never be found again.
B) She wished to be hidden in the dark somewhere near black water so no one would suddenly appear and see her.
C) There were only a few people who were able to hide her in the dark night so that her husband would not find her.
D) She thought there were only a few ways to commit suicide and leave no mark: after drowning herself in the water at night there would be no indication of it the next day.

Answer 1

The best way to paraphrase this is D. 

This can be inferred mostly because we, as readers, know that if she is "escaping" under water, she will drown. We are also given clues to this in the previous stanza, as hanging is mentioned, and the subject (the woman the poem is about) begins to be referenced in the past tense.