Which statement cites direct evidence from the passage to support its meaning most effectively? a) dunbar claims that the bird is not in a real cage at all and is actually "free." b) paul dunbar's poem expresses great sadness and longing for finding romantic love. c) paul dunbar uses the metaphor of a bird that is in a cage to describe how others feel. d) dunbar identifies strongly with a trapped animal: "i know what the caged bird feels, alas! ".

d) Dunbar identifies strongly with a trapped animal: "I know what the caged bird feels, alas!"

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D.

Explanation: The statement that cites direct evidence from the passage to support its meaning MOST effectively is Dunbar identifies strongly with a trapped animal: "I know what the caged bird feels, alas!". In "Sympathy", by Paul Laurence Dunbar, through this poem, the author states that he knows what the caged bird feels. His parents were former slaves and he knows what oppressed African-Americans felt. The caged bird is expressing those feelings, which are of profound sorrow.