Multiple choice

'Who never interrupt for slumber, their stamping elephantine rumba.' The meaning of these lines is that

Directions: Read the passage given below and answer the question by selecting the most appropriate option.

Common Cold

1 Go hang yourself, you old M.D.! You shall not sneer at me. Pick up your hat and stethoscope, Go wash your mouth with laundry soap; I contemplate a joy exquisite I'm not paying you for your visit. I did not call you to be told My malady is a common cold.

2 By pounding brow and swollen lip; By fever's hot and scaly grip; By those two red redundant eyes That weep like woeful April skies; By racking snuffle, snort, and sniff; By handkerchief after handkerchief; This cold you wave away as naught Is the damnedest cold man ever caught !

3 Bacilli swarm within my portals Such as were ne'er conceived by mortals, But bred by scientists wise and hoary In some Olympic laboratory; Bacteria as large as mice, With feet of fire and heads of ice
Who never interrupt for slumber Their stamping elephantine rumba.

  1. the bacteria are continuously stamping their elephant-like feet

  2. the cold-causing germs are causing much discomfort and pain to the poet without any break

  3. the bacilli are so active that they refuse to go to sleep

  4. the poet is not able to concentrate on his work due to the raging cold
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The lines describe bacteria (bacilli) that are continuously active without rest ('never interrupt for slumber'). The 'stamping elephantine rumba' is a metaphor for the constant, uncomfortable activity of the germs causing the poet's suffering - the cold-causing germs are causing pain without any break.

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