Directions : Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow by selecting the correct/most appropriate option.
Love came to Flora asking for a flower
That would of flowers be undisputed queen,
The lily and the rose, long, long had been
Rivals for that high honor. Bards of power
Had sung their claims. ‘The rose can never tower
Like the pale lily with her Juno mien’ –
‘But is the lily lovelier ?’ Thus between
Flower-factions rang the strife in Psyche’s bower.
‘Give me a flower delicious as the rose
And stately as the lily in her pride’ –
‘But of what colour ?’ – ‘Rose-red’, Love first chose,
Then prayed, ‘No, lily-white – or, both provide;’
And Flora gave the lotus, ‘rose-red’ dyed,
And ‘lily-white’, the queenliest flower that blows.
Psyche’s garden echoed with the sounds of a dispute between the supporters of :
Correct Answer :
the lily and the rose.
Solution :
The correct answer is the lily and the rose.
Step-by-step explanation:
1. Analyze the Poem Extract:
In the poem, Love asks Flora (the goddess of flowers) for a flower that would be the undisputed queen of all flowers.
The text states:
"The lily and the rose, long, long had been
Rivals for that high honor. Bards of power
Had sung their claims... Thus between
Flower-factions rang the strife in Psyche’s bower."
2. Identify the Rivals / Opposing Sides:
The poem explicitly highlights that the rivalry ("strife") in Psyche's bower (garden/arbor) was taking place between the supporters/factions of the two rival flowers: the lily and the rose.
3. Conclusion:
Therefore, Psyche’s garden echoed with the sounds of a dispute between the supporters of the lily and the rose.
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