XAT 2019 — VARC Question 8
Read the poem given below and answer the question that follows it
Black lake, black boat, two black, cut-paper people.
Where do the black trees go that drink here?
Their shadows must cover Canada.
A little light is filtering from the water flowers
Their leaves do not wish us to hurry:
They are round and flat and full of dark advice.
Cold words shake from the oar.
The spirit of blackness is in us, it is in the fishes.
A snag is lifting a valedictory , pale hand;
Stars opening among the lilies.
Are you not blinded by such expressionless sirens?
This is the silence of abandoned souls.
Which of the following options presents a convincing evaluation of the line, ‘Stars opening among the lilies’?
Answer & solution
- A
The ethereal light of the stars gets reflected among the lilies.
- B
The stars are flowers in the sky and the flowers in the lake are stars in water.
- C
Lilies purify the ‘dark’ into ‘light’ as symbolized in and by stars.
The spirit of blackness does not hinder the appearance of beauty in nature which is symbolic of hope blossoming in the soul.
- E
The mirror images, the worlds above and overlap.
Since the third last line of the poem states stars opening among lilies, it does not talk about the reflection of light from the stars. Thus option 1 can be negated. Though the first line of the second stanza talks about talks about light filtering from the water flowers, the given line specifically mentions ‘lilies’. Thus the flowers, lilies and stars are not being compared. Negate option 3. Though there is sense of hopelessness all around you, the beauty of nature can still capture you. This is similar to the blossoming of hope even when everything around is hopeless. Thus option 4 correctly captures the meaning of the line. Retain it. Nothing has been mentioned about the similarity of heaven and earth in the poem. Thus option 5 can also be negated.
Hence, the correct answer is option 4.