Multiple choice

Why did the people assembled there praise the slain soldier?

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. They praised him for his heroics in the battle field.

  2. Because he was a good friend of everybody.

  3. They praised him so that the widow could let out her emotions.

  4. Because it was a custom to praise the dead in their society.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The poem states they 'praised him, soft and low' right after saying the widow must weep or die. The context clearly shows their praising was an attempt to trigger her emotional release - they spoke positively about her husband hoping it would make her cry and thus save her from the perceived danger of suppressed grief.

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