Read the following poem and answer the questions that follows:
Are You There?
My father and I shove back the furniture
to the four walls of the sitting room
then lie on the carpet wearing blindfolds,
his left hand holding my left hand
Are you there, Moriarty? he enquires, before tightening (I imagine) the grip on his rolled-up copy of yesterday’s Times. There is only one possible answer to that.
I give it while rolling away to the side but still clasping his hand, still in range, and sure enough he manages a direct hit. Now it is my turn, but the moment I lift my weapon I realise there is no reason to continue I can tell from his stillness, and the chill and stiffness of his fingers, he has been dead for a good while already.
Andrew Motion
The poet and his father shove back the furniture to
Correct Answer :
To Play A Game
Solution :
The correct option is To Play A Game.
Explanation:
In the poem "Are You There?" by Andrew Motion, the poet describes a scenario where he and his father shove the furniture to the walls of the room to clear the carpet.
They lie down wearing blindfolds, holding hands, and his father asks, "Are you there, Moriarty?" before trying to strike him with a rolled-up copy of the newspaper.
"Are you there, Moriarty?" is a traditional British party game played by two blindfolded participants who try to hit each other with rolled-up paper. Therefore, the furniture is moved specifically to clear space to play this game.
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