Multiple choice

Why did everybody assembled there want the widow to weep?

Directions: Read the following poem carefully. On the basis of your reading of the poem, complete the following sentences as briefly as possible. Write your answer against the correct question number.

Home They Brought Her Warrior Dead
Home they brought her warrior dead:
She nor swooned, nor uttered cry:
All her maidens, watching, said,
'She must weep or she will die.'

Then they praised him, soft and low,
Called him worthy to be loved,
Truest friend and noblest foe;
Yet she neither spoke nor moved.

Stole a maiden from her place,
Lightly to the warrior stepped,
Took the face-cloth from the face;
Yet she neither moved nor wept.

Rose a nurse of ninety years,
Set his child upon her knee—
Like summer tempest came her tears—
'Sweet my child, I live for thee.'

                        Alfred Tennyson

  1. Because it is customary for a woman to weep at her husband's death.

  2. Because they believed that she must mourn the death of her husband.

  3. Because they believed that bottling one's emotions inside was dangerous.

  4. Because they wanted her to join them.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The maidens explicitly say 'She must weep or she will die' - they believe that suppressing emotions after such a traumatic loss could be physically or psychologically fatal. This reflects the understanding that bottling up grief can have severe consequences.

Keep practicing — related questions