Question

4.1.1 exam: end of semester test: florida english 4, semester b
to rust unburnishd, not to shine in use!
as tho to breathe were life! life piled on life
were all too little, and of one to me
little remains: but every hour is saved
from that eternal silence, something more,
a bringer of new things; and vile it were
for some three suns to store and hoard myself,
and this gray spirit yearning in desire
to follow knowledge like a sinking star,
beyond the utmost bound of human thought.

a. the heroic exploits of ulysses
b. the acceptance of circumstances created by fate
c. the knowledge of approaching death
d. the effects and difficulties of old age
e. the thirst for knowledge and new experiences

Explanation:

The excerpt is from Tennyson's Ulysses. Lines like "every hour is saved From that eternal silence, something more, A bringer of new things" and "To follow knowledge like a sinking star, Beyond the utmost bound of human thought" emphasize a relentless drive to seek new experiences and knowledge, rather than focusing on past exploits, fate acceptance, death awareness, or old age struggles.

Answer:

E. the thirst for knowledge and new experiences