In the darkened room
a woman
cannot find her reflection in the mirror
waiting as usual
at the edge of sleep
In her hands she holds
the oil lamp
whose drunken yellow flames
know where her lonely body hides
Which of the following statements BEST conveys the theme of the poem?
- The poem explores the quality of life of a woman.
- The poem laments the suffering and frustration of a woman.
- The poem celebrates the woman’s futile and meaningless life.
- The poem revolves around a woman whose liberty has been throttled.
- The poem revolves around the woman’s feeling of alienation.
The Correct Option is
Solution and Explanation
Step 1: Analyze the theme of the poem.
The poem uses metaphors like ”drunken yellow flames” and ”her lonely body” to depict a sense of isolation. The lack of a reflection in the mirror further emphasizes the alienation felt by the woman.
Step 2: Evaluate the options.
- Option 1: Incorrect. While the poem reflects on life, it does not explore its quality.
- Option 2: Incorrect. Frustration and suffering are present, but alienation is more central.
- Option 3: Incorrect. There is no celebration of futility or meaninglessness in the poem.
- Option 4: Incorrect. The poem doesn’t directly address liberty being throttled.
- Option 5: Correct. The poem vividly portrays the woman’s feelings of alienation and solitude.
Final Answer: (5)
What do the lines “the drunken yellow flames/know where her lonely body hides” BEST represent?
- The lines represent flames as forces that are aware of her solitude.
- The lines represent flames as turbulent emotions of a nameless woman.
- The lines represent flames that highlight the location of her body.
- The lines represent flames as distorted memories that preserve her identity.
- The lines represent flames as her desperate pursuit for her lost self.
The Correct Option is A
Solution and Explanation
Step 1: Interpret the metaphor.
The ”drunken yellow flames” symbolize an omnipresent awareness of the woman’s isolation. The flames metaphorically represent her solitude and internal struggles.
Step 2: Evaluate the options.
- Option 1: Correct. The flames are symbolic of solitude and awareness of her loneliness.
- Option 2: Incorrect. The poem does not depict turbulence or chaos in emotions.
- Option 3: Incorrect. The flames are metaphorical and not literal indicators of location.
- Option 4: Incorrect. There is no mention of preserving identity.
- Option 5: Incorrect. The flames do not represent a pursuit or quest.
Final Answer: (1)
Top Questions on Poems
Read the following extracts and answer the questions
Aunt Jennifer's fingers fluttering through her wool
Find even the ivory needle hard to pull.
The massive weight of Uncle's wedding band
Sits heavily upon Aunt Jennifer's hand.
When Aunt is dead, her terrified hands will lie
Still ringed with ordeals she was mastered by.
The tigers in the panel that she made
Will go on prancing, proud and unafraid.
(Aunt Jennifer's Tigers)Driving from my parent's
home to Cochin last Friday
morning, I saw my mother, beside me,
doze, open mouthed, her face
ashen like that
of a corpse and realised with
pain
that she was as old as she
looked but soon
put that thought away, and
looked out at Young
Trees sprinting, the merry children spilling
out of their homes, .....
(My Mother at Sixty-six)- The Tyger, The Little Black Boy, and The Lamb are poems by
- On which day does Dante's poem Inferno begin?
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Questions Asked in XAT exam
- In an 8-week course, the teacher conducts a test every week, and the scores are in the range of 1–4. There are only two students enrolled in the course, \(R\) and \(S\). The following conditions are given:
- \(R\) and \(S\) scored the same on the first test.
- From the second test onwards, \(R\) consistently scored the same (a non-zero score).
- The total of the first three test scores of \(R\) equals the total of the first two test scores of \(S\).
- From the fifth test onwards, \(S\) scored the same as \(R\).
- The scores of \(S\) from the first two tests and all the remaining tests follow a geometric progression.
- XAT - 2025
- Algebra
- Arya, a graduate from a reputable institute, got a job in an IT company but became bored after a year. Her best friend S, who worked at the same company, joined a top-tier B-school for an MBA, which tempted Arya to pursue the same path. Her friend assured her that an MBA would boost her career prospects and salary. Arya started preparing for an MBA while continuing her job, but the challenge of balancing preparation with work made her consider leaving the job.
- XAT - 2025
- Analytical Decision Making
- There’s a community 30 km outside of the main city. Mr. S started a grocery business in the community after winning the bid by offering way above the rent initially drafted by the community council. The community council, led by Mr. D, agreed to the offer with a performance review every three years. Mr. S also agreed to provide an additional 15% of his grocery sales to the council, banking on the prospect of selling in higher volumes. After setting up his business, Mr. S noticed that SUV owners in the community usually bought goods in bulk from the city once a week and used his store primarily for daily necessities and occasional big purchases like mixer grinders.
- XAT - 2025
- Analytical Decision Making
- Four reviewers (R1, R2, R3, R4) are in charge of reviewing products from companies A, B, C, and D. Each reviewer provides a rating between 1 and 5 for the products. Due to a technical glitch, the original ratings were deleted, and only the averages calculated for each product (A, B, C, D) and each reviewer (R1, R2, R3, R4) were saved. The data available is as follows:Tasks:
A B C D Average 3 4 4 ? 4 3 ? 5 ? 4 ? 3 3 ? 4 ? ? ? ? 4.25 4 4 4 4.25
1. What are the missing values in the table?
2. How were the missing values calculated?
3.Verify the correctness of the given averages for both rows and columns. - A bought a phone from a store and paid \(\frac{1}{6}\) of the price using UPI, \(\frac{1}{3}\) of the price in cash, and the remaining balance a year later. He also paid 10% interest on the remaining balance after one year. What was the original price of the phone?
- XAT - 2025
- Percentage