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.
What vision of his native land did the man not see?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → the black cows grazing in fields
The poem never mentions cows or grazing. Everything else in the options is part of the man's dream of his native land.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: tamarind tree — Incorrect. True in the passage: he follows the flamingoes "O'er plains where the tamarind grew", so he does see it.
Option 3: the Niger river — Incorrect. True in the passage: "The lordly Niger flowed" through his dream, and he rides along its bank.
Option 4: the queen standing with her children — Incorrect. True in the passage: he sees his "dark-eyed queen / Among her children stand".