Man is born, according to H.W. Longfellow, __________________
2019
Man is born, according to H.W. Longfellow, __________________
- A.
to die and be buried
- B.
to return to dust
- C.
to be up and doing
- D.
to pray to God
Attempted by 1 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
The correct option is C: to be up and doing.
Detailed Explanation
This line is a famous excerpt from the poem "A Psalm of Life" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The full stanza reads:
"Life is real! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal;
Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul.
Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or way;
But to act, that each to-morrow
Find us farther than to-day."
In a later stanza, Longfellow writes:
"Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate..."
In the context of the question's specific phrasing, "to be up and doing" is the correct completion often associated with his call to action in the poem.