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 honour. 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

Choose the correct opton: A. "Rose-red"
B. "No, lily white, -"
C. "Or, both provide" ......

Question

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 honour. 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

Choose the correct opton: A. "Rose-red" 
B. "No, lily white, -" 
C. "Or, both provide" ......

Accepted Answer

The correct option is (3):The correct option is (3): A, B, C are all spoken by love

Students, let's analyze this beautiful passage, which is an excerpt from Toru Dutt's famous poem, "The Lotus." This poem is an allegory involving the deities Flora (Goddess of Flowers) and Love (Cupid), and it settles the age-old rivalry between the Rose and the Lily for the position of the flower queen. To determine who speaks lines A, B, and C, we must carefully track the dialogue between Love and Flora in the second stanza.

The second stanza begins with Love addressing Flora, stating his requirement for a perfect flower: "Give me a flower delicious as the rose / And stately as the lily in her pride—". Flora responds by inquiring about the color: "But of what colour?"—indicating that this line is spoken by Flora. The subsequent lines are direct answers and changes of mind from Love to Flora.

Line A, *"Rose-red," Love first chose,*: The text explicitly tells us that *"Love first chose"* the color "Rose-red." Therefore, statement A is spoken by Love.

The very next action described is Love changing his mind: *Then prayed,* —

Line B, *— "No, lily-white, —*: This is Love retracting his first choice and suggesting a new color, lily-white. This is part of Love's spoken prayer/request.

Line C, *— or, both provide;"*: Immediately following the retraction and suggestion, Love offers the final, conclusive request: combine the colors, asking for both. This entire stream of thought—choosing rose-red, retracting and choosing lily-white, and finally asking for both—is attributed to Love’s direct speech and prayer to Flora. Since Love expresses the initial choice, the revised choice, and the concluding demand for the combination, all three segments (A, B, and C) belong to Love.The incorrect options are:

The incorrect option is (1): A is spoken by Love; B, C by Flora.
This option is incorrect because, while it correctly identifies A as being spoken by Love, it incorrectly attributes statements B ("No, lily-white,—") and C ("or, both provide;") to Flora. These lines clearly follow the phrase "Then prayed," indicating that Love is the one speaking, revising his request, and ultimately asking for a bi-colored flower.

The incorrect option is (2): B is spoken by Love, A, by Flora C by the Bards.
This option contains multiple errors. The text directly states that A ("Rose-red") was Love's choice, not Flora's. Furthermore, C ("or, both provide;") is also part of Love's prayer to Flora, not a claim sung by the Bards (who are only mentioned in the first stanza, disputing the rose and lily's honor).

The incorrect option is (4): A, B, C are all soken by Flora.
This option is incorrect because the entire second stanza focuses on Love approaching Flora, making a request, and engaging in a dialogue with her about the desired flower’s attributes. Lines A, B, and C are directly attributed to Love's choosing and praying. Flora only speaks the line: "But of what colour?".