Question

There in the meadow, by the river side, A Flock of Nymphs chanced to espy , All lovely Daughters of the Flood thereby, With goodly greenish locks loose untied, As each had been a Bride, And each one had a little wicket basket Made of fine twigs entrailed curiously , In which they gathered flowers to fill their flasket: And with fine Fingers cropped full feateously The tender stalks on high Of every short which in the Meadow grew, They gathered some, the Violet pallid blew, The little Daisy that at evening closes , The virgin Lily, and the Primrose true, With a store of vermeil Roses To deck their Bridegrooms posies Against the Bridal day which was not long Sweet Thames run softly , till I end my song .

Which sentence is the best summary of the stanza?
A.) Along the Thames River, young women gather flowers for a wedding.
B.) By the Thames River, young women hoping to marry the speaker pick flowers for him. C.)Young women gather violets, daisies, lilies, primrosesand roses in baskets
D.)The speaker sees lovely young women in a meadow beside the Thames River.

Answer 1

The sentence that is the best summary of the stanza is:

A) Along the Thames River, young women gather flowers for a wedding.

Step-by-step explanation:

The speaker of the stanza sees beautiful women who happen to be gathering flowers for their wedding beside the Thames River. That is what he is telling us, but in a much more fluid and beautiful way. That's why letter A is the best choice. Letter B says the women hope to marry the speaker, which is not at all what he says. Letter C focuses only on their picking flowers, ignoring the rest of the information. Letter D fails to mention the wedding part. Letter A is clearly the best options for a summary: Along the Thames River, young women gather flowers for a wedding.