Read the following poem and attempt the question :
Harlem
What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore -
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over -
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?
Choose the correct option from the following sentences:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → The poet is asking fundamental questions about the loss of hope.
Every line of the poem is a question: "What happens to a dream deferred?", "Does it dry up ...?", "Or does it explode?" The poet is probing a basic issue: what becomes of people's hopes and dreams when they are put off again and again. The questions are left open, so the poem is an enquiry into the loss of hope.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: The poet is nostalgic about eating sugary syrup. — Incorrect. Misread: the "syrupy sweet" is only one of the images for a dream that crusts over; the poet is not recalling a past pleasure.
Option 2: The poet is aghast at the explosion of his dreams. — Incorrect. Overstated: aghast means filled with horror or shock. "Or does it explode?" is a question about what might happen; the poem does not say that any dream has exploded.
Example: We were aghast at the damage caused by the flood.
Option 4: The poet is questioning his reality. — Incorrect. Wrong focus: the questions are about the fate of deferred dreams, not about whether his own life or surroundings are real.