Leaning into the afternoons I cast my sad nets
Towards your oceanic eyes.
There is the highest blaze my solitude lengthens and flames
Its aims turning a drowning man's.
I send out red signals across your absent eyes
That smell like the sea or the beach by a lighthouse.
You keep only darkness, my distant female
From your regard sometimes the coast of dread emerges.
Leaning into the afternoons I fling my sad nets
To that sea that thrashed by your oceanic eyes
The birds of night peck at the first stars
That flash like my soul when I love you
The night gallops on its shadowy mare
Shedding blue tassels over the land
Q. Identify the type of imagery used in the poem:
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Correct Answer: 1 (Natural Imagery)
Explanation: The poem relies almost exclusively on elements from nature to convey emotion. Examples include "oceanic eyes," "sea," "beach," "lighthouse," "birds of night," "stars," and "land."
Q. What is the central theme of the poem?
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Correct Answer: 2 (Love and longing)
Explanation: The speaker is "casting nets" (seeking connection) towards a "distant female" and "absent eyes." The imagery of the "drowning man" and "solitude" underscores a theme of intense, unrequited, or distant romantic longing.
Q. Identify the mood of the poem:
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Correct Answer: 1 (Sombre)
Explanation: The mood is heavy, melancholic, and serious (sombre). Key indicators are words like "sad nets," "solitude," "drowning man," "darkness," and "coast of dread."
Q. The phrases ‘oceanic eyes’ and ‘absent eyes’ are examples of:
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Correct Answer: 1 (Parallelism)
Explanation: Parallelism involves the repetition of grammatical structure. Here, the structure [Adjective + "eyes"] is repeated in "oceanic eyes" and "absent eyes" to draw a thematic connection between the vastness (oceanic) and the lack of presence (absent).
Q. What does the phrase ‘red signals sent out’ signify?
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Correct Answer: 2 (Distress and desperation of speaker)
Explanation: In maritime context, "red signals" (flares) are used to signal danger or a request for rescue. Combined with the "drowning man" imagery earlier in the stanza, this signifies the speaker's emotional desperation and cry for help.
Passage Excerpt: "Suspicion amongst thoughts is like a bat amongst birds, they ever fly by twilight. Certainly, they are to be repressed, or at the least well-guarded: for they cloud the mind... They dispose of kings to tyranny, husbands to jealousy... There is nothing that makes a man suspect much, more than to know little, and therefore men should remedy suspicion by procuring to know more..."
Q. Which among the following is true in the context of the given paragraph?
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Correct Answer: 2 (Suspicion is a stepping stone to faith)
Explanation: The passage concludes by stating, "suspicion gives license to faith... but it ought rather to kindle it to discharge itself." This suggests that when suspicion is cleared through honesty, it can actually lead to stronger faith or trust.
Q. What helps in eliminating suspicion?
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Correct Answer: 2 (Discussion and knowledge)
Explanation: The author explicitly states: "There is nothing that makes a man suspect much, more than to know little, and therefore men should remedy suspicion by procuring to know more." He further advises to "frankly to communicate them with the party that he suspects."
Q. What does the word ‘guarded’ signify?
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Correct Answer: 3 (To keep under control)
Explanation: In the context "they are to be repressed, or at the least well-guarded," the word "guarded" means to keep the suspicions in check or under strict control so they do not cause harm to business or relationships.
Q. What is the primary theme of the paragraph?
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Correct Answer: 3 (Perspectivising suspicion)
Explanation: The entire essay analyzes the nature of suspicion—its causes (ignorance), its effects (melancholy, tyranny), and its cures (communication). It places suspicion in perspective rather than just condemning it.
Q. What tone does the passage predominantly convey?
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Correct Answer: 3 (Detached and reflective)
Explanation: This text is a classic Baconian essay (likely Of Suspicion). The tone is analytical, philosophical, and objective ("Suspicion... is like a bat"), typical of a detached and reflective study of human nature.