Question

the chambered nautilus (1858) - oliver wendell holmes, sr.
this is the ship of pearl, which poets feign
sails the unshadowed main,-
the venturous bark that flings
on the sweet summer wind its purpled wings
5 in gulfs enchanted, where the siren sings,
and coral reefs lie bare,
where the cold sea-maids rise to sun their streaming hair.
its webs of living gauze no more unfurl;
wrecked is the ship of pearl!
10 and every chambered cell,
where its dim, dreaming life was wont to dwell,
as the frail tenant shaped his growing shell,
before thee lies revealed,-
its irised ceiling rent, its sunless crypt unsealed!
15 year after year beheld the silent toil
that spread his lustrous coil;
still, as the spiral grew,
he left the past years dwelling for the new,
stole with soft step its shining archway through,
20 built up its idle door,
stretched in his last-found home, and knew the old no more.
thanks for the heavenly message brought by thee,
child of the wandering sea,
cast from her lap, forlorn!
25 from thy dead lips a clearer note is born
than ever triton blew from wreathed horn!
build thee more stately mansions, o my soul...

the phrase \a clearer note is born\ suggests-

a. a new type of shell has been discovered
b. the creatures death teaches a moral lesson
c. the speaker hears a sound from the sea
d. nature celebrates the nautilus with music

Explanation:

Analyze the context of the phrase

Using Textual Analysis, we locate the phrase "a clearer note is born" in lines 25–26 of the poem:
"From thy dead lips a clearer note is born / Than ever Triton blew from wreathed horn!"
The "dead lips" refer to the empty, broken shell of the dead nautilus.

Interpret the poetic imagery

Using Poetic Imagery, we examine what the "clearer note" represents. The poem describes the life and death of the nautilus as a "heavenly message" (line 22). The "note" is not a literal sound, but a spiritual or moral message of growth and self-improvement.

Evaluate the multiple-choice options

• Option A is incorrect because it is too literal and scientifically inaccurate.
• Option B is correct because the "clearer note" represents the moral lesson of spiritual growth taught by the creature's life and death.
• Option C is incorrect because the speaker does not hear a literal physical sound.
• Option D is incorrect because it misinterprets the metaphor as literal music from nature.

Answer:

• A. a new type of shell has been discovered
• B. the creature's death teaches a moral lesson (Correct answer)
• C. the speaker hears a sound from the sea
• D. nature celebrates the nautilus with music