Read the following poem carefully before choosing your answer.
1 Down the long corridor of silent stone,
2 Where once the heavy step of kings did sound,
3 Now creeps the ivy, ancient and alone,
4 To wrap its fingers round the dusty ground.
5 No voice of herald wakes the sleeping hall,
6 Nor does the torch flare bright against the cold;
7 But shadows, cast from some forgotten wall,
8 A deeper silence than the night unfold.
9 Yet in this ruin, where the grand decay,
10 A single blossom greets the rising day.
In lines 7–8 ("But shadows . . . unfold"), which of the following best describes the grammatical relationship and function of the word order?
- The noun "shadows" serves as the grammatical subject of the verb "unfold," with the direct object "silence" placed between them to delay the resolution of the clause.Answer
- BThe line break after "wall" creates a grammatical division that isolates the subject "shadows" from the verb "unfold," rendering the two lines independent fragments.
- CThe phrase "cast from some forgotten wall" functions as the main predicate of the sentence, making "shadows" subordinate to the location.
- DThe word "unfold" functions as an intransitive verb that describes the movement of the shadows rather than acting on a direct object.
- EThe inverted word order serves to signal the author's personal struggle with the poem's composition, shifting the focus from the scene to the writing process.
Answer
The noun "shadows" serves as the grammatical subject of the verb "unfold," with the direct object "silence" placed between them to delay the resolution of the clause.
The correct option correctly identifies "shadows" as the grammatical subject of the verb "unfold," noting that the direct object "silence" is inserted between them. This Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) order is a classic form of poetic inversion that delays the resolution of the clause and emphasizes the quiet, reflective atmosphere.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Poetic Syntax and Inversion
Estimated Time:1m 30s