Read the following lines and answer the question that follows by choosing the correct option :
'My father lived at Blenheim then,
Yon little stream hard by;
They burnt his dwelling to the ground,
And he was forced to fly;
So with his wife and child he fled,
Nor had he where to rest his head.
'With fire and sword the country round
Was wasted far and wide,
And many a childing mother then,
And new-born baby died;
But things like that, you know, must be
At every famous victory.
Who are 'they' in the third line?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Soldiers of enemy
The old man is telling of the battle of Blenheim: his father's house stood near the little stream, and "They burnt his dwelling to the ground", so that he "was forced to fly". The pronoun points to the invading army that razed the house and drove the family out: the enemy soldiers.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: Mother and child — Incorrect. Wrong link: the father's wife and child fled with him; they were the victims, not the ones who burnt the house.
Option 3: Soldiers of the narrator's side — Incorrect. Not mentioned: nothing in the lines shows the father's own side attacking him; the people who burnt his home and drove him out are treated as the enemy.
Option 4: The family members of father — Incorrect. Wrong link: the family members fled with him; they lost their home and did not destroy it.