Question

read this passage:
ah, love, let us be true
to one another! for the world, which seems
to lie before us like a land of dreams,
so various, so beautiful, so new,
hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light,
nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain;
and we are here as on a darkling plain
swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight,
where ignorant armies clash by night.
— matthew arnold, \dover beach\
which word from this passage of matthew arnolds \dover beach\ makes the mood of the poem sad and gloomy?
a. dreams
b. darkling
c. beautiful
d. new

Explanation:

To determine which word creates a sad and gloomy mood, we analyze each option:

• Option A: "dreams" often conveys positive or imaginative thoughts, not sadness/gloom.
• Option B: "darkling" means darkening or dim, which evokes a sense of sadness, gloom, and unease, fitting the poem's somber tone.
• Option C: "beautiful" is a positive adjective, not associated with sadness.
• Option D: "new" suggests freshness, not gloom.

Answer:

B. darkling