Read the poem and answer the question that follow:
Beside the ungathered rice he lay,
His sickle in his hand;
His breast was bare, his matted hair
Was buried in the sand.
Again, in the mist and shadow of sleep.
He saw his Native Land.
Wide through the landscape of his dreams
The lordly Niger flowed;
Beneath the palm-trees on the plain
Once more a king he strode:
And heard the tinkling caravans
Descend the mountain-road.
He saw once more his dark-eyed queen
Among her children stand;
They clasped his neck, they kissed his cheeks,
They held him by the hand!-
A tear burst from the sleeper's lids
And fell into the sand.
And then at furious speed he rode
Along the Niger's bank;
His bridle-reins were golden chains.
And, with a martial clank,
At each leap he could feel his scabbard of steel
Smiting his stallion's flank.
Before him, like a blood-red flag.
The bright flamingoes flew
From morn till night he followed their flight,
O'er plains where the tamarind grew,
Till he saw the roofs of Caffre huts,
And the oceans rose to view.
"dark-eyed" is an example of:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Adjective
Compound adjective:
- An adjective describes a noun: it tells us what kind of person or thing it is.
- A compound adjective is made of two words joined by a hyphen, often an adjective + a noun with -ed: dark-eyed, kind-hearted, long-legged.
- This line: in "his dark-eyed queen", the word stands before the noun queen and describes her: a queen with dark eyes.
Example: A dark-eyed child peeped out from behind the door.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: Noun Phrase — Incorrect. A noun phrase is a group of words built round a noun, such as "his dark-eyed queen"; "dark-eyed" alone has no noun in it and only describes one.
Option 2: Adverb — Incorrect. An adverb describes a verb, an adjective or another adverb (how, when, where); "dark-eyed" describes a noun.
Option 4: Noun — Incorrect. A noun is the name of a person, place or thing; here the noun is "queen", and "dark-eyed" tells us what she looks like.
Contrast: "dark-eyed" alone is an adjective; with its noun, "his dark-eyed queen" is a noun phrase.