Question

read the stanza from \paul reveres ride.\

he said to his friend, \if the british march
by land or sea from the town to-night,
hang a lantern aloft in the belfry arch
of the north church tower as a signal light,--
one if by land, and two if by sea;
and i on the opposite shore will be,
ready to ride and spread the alarm
through every middlesex village and farm,
for the country folk to be up and to arm.\

which best describes the central idea of this stanza?

paul revere will warn people that the british are coming as soon as he parts with his friend.
paul revere will hang a lamp in a church to let his friend know when the british are coming.
paul reveres friend will send a secret signal to inform him of the british armys plan.
paul reveres friend will ride through the country alerting everyone that the british army is on the move.

Explanation:

Analyze the stanza's details

The speaker ("He") instructs his friend to hang a lantern in the belfry of the North Church tower as a signal ("One if by land, and two if by sea") to let him know how the British are marching. The speaker will be on the opposite shore, ready to ride and spread the alarm. This means the friend is the one sending the signal, and Paul Revere is the one receiving it to start his ride.

Evaluate the options

• Option 1: Incorrect. Revere does not warn people as soon as he parts with his friend; he waits for the signal.
• Option 2: Incorrect. Revere is not the one hanging the lamp; his friend is.
• Option 3: Correct. The friend will hang the lantern in the tower to signal Revere on the opposite shore about the British army's route.
• Option 4: Incorrect. Revere's friend does not ride through the country; Revere does.

Answer:

• Paul Revere will warn people that the British are coming as soon as he parts with his friend.
• Paul Revere will hang a lamp in a church to let his friend know when the British are coming.
• Paul Revere's friend will send a secret signal to inform him of the British army's plan. (Correct answer)
• Paul Revere's friend will ride through the country alerting everyone that the British army is on the move.