Read the poem given below and answer the questions that follow.
O gift of God! O perfect day:
Whereon shall no man work, but play;
Whereon it is enough for me,
Not to be doing, but to be!
Through every fibre of my brain,
Through every nerve, through every vein,
I feel the electric thrill, the touch
Of life, that seems almost too much.
I hear the wind among the trees
Playing celestial symphonies;
I see the branches downward bent,
Like keys of some great instrument.
And over me unrolls on high
The splendid scenery of the sky,
Where through a sapphire sea the sun
Sails like a golden galleon,
Towards yonder cloud-land in the West,
Towards yonder Islands of the Blest,
Whose steep sierra far uplifts
Its craggy summits white with drifts.
Blow, winds! and waft through all the rooms
The snow-flakes of the cherry-blooms!
Blow, winds! and bend within my reach
The fiery blossoms of the peach!
O Life and Love! O happy throng
Of thoughts, whose only speech is song!
O heart of man! canst thou not be
Blithe as the air is, and as free?
Which of the following is NOT true about the speaker of the poem?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → He is sorry that he has to work on such a fine day
This statement is not true.
- The poem opens with a happy day “Whereon shall no man work, but play”. Whereon means on which.
- On this day nobody works. The speaker is free and glad.
- He is not sorry about any work.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: He feels that simply being alive is enough on this day — Incorrect. True in the passage: He says it is enough for him “Not to be doing, but to be”.
Option 2: He hears music in the sound of the wind — Incorrect. True in the passage: He hears the wind “Playing celestial symphonies”. This means heavenly music.
Option 4: He wants the winds to bring the blossoms closer to him — Incorrect. True in the passage: He asks the winds to “bend within my reach” the peach blossoms.