Read the following poem and answer the question that follows :
In Those Days
In those days - they were long ago-
The snow was cold, the night was black.
I licked from my cracked lips
A snowflake, as I looked back
Through branches, the last uneasy snow.
Your shadow, there in the light, was still.
In a little the light went out.
I went on, stumbling_till at last the hill
Hid the house. And, yawning,
In bed in my room, alone,
I would look out: over the quilted
Rooftops, the clear stars shone.
How poor and miserable we were,
How seldom together!
And yet after so long one thinks:
In those days everything was better.
Choose an appropriate synonym of the word: 'seldom'
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Rarely
- Seldom means not often, on very few occasions. In the poem, "How seldom together!" means that the two were together only now and then.
Example: He seldom visits his hometown now. - Rarely also means not often, hardly ever, so it is the synonym of seldom.
Example: It rarely snows in Chennai.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 2: Lonely — Incorrect. Lonely means sad because one is alone. It describes a feeling, not how often something happens.
Example: The old man felt lonely after his children moved abroad.
Option 3: Sad — Incorrect. Sad means unhappy. It has no link with frequency.
Example: She was sad to leave her old school.
Option 4: Purchase — Incorrect. To purchase is to buy. It is a verb with no connection to seldom.
Example: We purchased a new refrigerator last week.
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