Read the following poem and answer the questions that follow:
Apostrophe to Man Detestable race, continue to expunge yourself, die out. Breed faster, crowd, encroach, sing hymns, build bombing airplanes; Make speeches, unveil statues, issue bonds, parade: Convert again into explosives the bewildered ammonia and the distracted cellulose; Convert again into putrescent matter drawing flies The hopeful bodies of the young: exhort, Pray, pull long faces, be earnest, be all but overcome, be photographed: Confer, perfect your formulae, commercialize Bacteria harmful to human tissue, Put death on the market: Breed, crowd, encroach, expand, expunge yourself, die out, Homo called sapiens.
What is the meaning of the word “putrescent”?
Correct Answer :
Decomposed
Solution :
The correct answer is Decomposed.
Step-by-Step Explanation:
To find the meaning of the word "putrescent," we can analyze its context within the poem:
"Convert again into putrescent matter drawing flies
The hopeful bodies of the young..."
In these lines, the poet is describing the grim reality of war, where the living, "hopeful bodies of the young" are killed and transformed into decaying flesh that attracts flies. The word "putrescent" comes from the Latin root putrescere, which means "to grow rotten" or "to decay."
Therefore, "putrescent" refers to something that is rotting, decaying, or decomposing. Among the choices provided, Decomposed is the accurate definition.
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