Function of Character Change: Poetry Practice Test

Read the following poem and answer the question that follows.

"Receipt"

The cashier hands me a receipt

long as a winter scarf.

Milk, soap, batteries—proof of a life

made of small replacements.

At the bottom, a survey code

asks if I was satisfied.

I fold the paper into my pocket,

forget it, wash it.

Days later, I find it again,

soft as lint,

its ink fading into blankness.

Even my purchases

refuse to stay remembered.

What is the function of the shift at Days later?

Read the following poem and answer the question that follows.

"The Piano in the Lobby"

In the hotel lobby a piano waits,

black and glossy as a sealed lake.

Guests pass it with their rolling suitcases,

wheels whispering over marble.

A boy touches one key—quick, guilty—

and his mother pulls him away.

I sit nearby, pretending to read.

A woman in a red coat sits down.

She plays one slow chord,

then another, as if naming the room.

People pause. Even the elevator dings

sound softer, listening.

What is the function of the shift to the woman’s playing (A woman... She plays) ?