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.
The person in the beginning of the poem seems:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Exhausted
At the beginning the man lies beside the ungathered rice with his sickle still in his hand, his breast bare and his matted hair in the sand, and he falls asleep. He has dropped down in the middle of his work, worn out by labour, so he seems exhausted, that is, extremely tired.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: Exuberant — Incorrect. Contradicted: exuberant means full of energy and cheerfulness, the opposite of a man lying spent in the sand.
Example: The exuberant fans danced in the stands after the win.
Option 2: Fuming — Incorrect. Not mentioned: fuming means very angry; the opening lines show no anger.
Example: He was fuming when the bus left without him.
Option 4: Heartbroken — Incorrect. Wrong part of the passage: heartbroken means overcome by grief. His tear falls later, in the dream, when he sees his queen and children; at the beginning he is shown only as worn out.
Example: She was heartbroken when her old dog died.