Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow.
Most near, most dear, most loved and most far.
Under the window where I often found her Sitting as huge as Asia, seismic with laughter Gin and chicken helpless in her Irish hand. Irresistible as Rabelais, but most tender for The lame dogs and hurt birds that surround her,- She is a procession no one can follow after But be like a little dog following a brass band.
She will not glance up at the bomber, or condescend
To drop her gin and scuttle to a cellar,
But lean on the mahogany table like a mountain Whom only faith can move, and so I send
O all my faith, and all my love to tell her
That she will move from mourning into mourning.

Astronomical images.

The correct option is: Is alive.

Step-by-step Explanation:

1. Analyze the passage: The excerpt is from George Barker's poem "To My Mother." The speaker describes a mother figure sitting by a window, "huge as Asia, seismic with laughter," holding "Gin and chicken" in her Irish hand. She is depicted as a lively, towering, and colorful personality.

2. Examine the specific lines for clues about her state:
The speaker describes her current physical presence and actions: "Sitting... seismic with laughter", "Gin and chicken helpless in her Irish hand", "She is a procession no one can follow after", and "She will not glance up at the bomber, or condescend / To drop her gin and scuttle to a cellar." These descriptions use present tense verbs ("is", "will not glance", "condescend", "lean") and portray an active, stubborn, and robust woman who is currently enduring the hardships of war (bombers) without hiding.

3. Synthesize the conclusion:
Since the poem describes her ongoing actions, her defiant behavior, and the speaker sending his faith and love to her in the present ("and so I send / O all my faith, and all my love to tell her"), it is clear that she is currently living. Therefore, the passage depicts that she is alive.