Read the following literary passage. Answer Questions:-
No Man is an Island
No man is an island,
Entire of itself,
Every man is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
if a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of the friend's
Or of thine own were:
Any man's death diminishes me,
Because I am involved in mankind,
and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee.
What does the clause "for whom the bell tolls" entail?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → The arrival of death
A bell that tolls rings slowly and repeatedly, as church bells did to announce a death or a funeral. The line comes right after "Any man's death diminishes me": there is no need to send someone to ask whose death the bell announces, because every death is a loss to the listener too, "It tolls for thee".
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: The arrival of a guest — Incorrect. Misread: a doorbell may announce a guest, but the poem speaks of a tolling bell in the context of death.
Option 3: The Sunday church mass — Incorrect. Misread: church bells are also rung for services, but the slow toll in the poem follows the line about a man's death; it is a funeral bell.
Option 4: Time to Pray — Incorrect. Wrong link: a call to prayer does not fit the poem's thought that each death diminishes every one of us.