Question

Read the poem.

excerpt from "Paul Revere's Ride"
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Paul Revere was an express rider who, on April 18, 1775, was charged with delivering a message and alerting communities about the approaching British troops.

Meanwhile, impatient to mount and ride,
Booted and spurred, with a heavy stride
On the opposite shore walked Paul Revere.
Now he patted his horse’s side,
Now gazed at the landscape far and near,
Then, impetuous, stamped the earth,
And turned and tightened his saddle girth;
But mostly he watched with eager search
The belfry-tower of the Old North Church,
As it rose above the graves on the hill,
Lonely and spectral and somber and still.
And lo! as he looks, on the belfry’s height
A glimmer, and then a gleam of light!
He springs to the saddle, the bridle he turns,
But lingers and gazes, till full on his sight
A second lamp in the belfry burns!

How does the content of this stanza advance the story in this narrative poem?

It explains why Paul Revere was nervous and frightened before his famous ride.

It shows how difficult it was for Paul Revere to read the signal from the North Church.

It explains Paul Revere's reasons for wanting to warn of the British invasion.

It shows Paul Revere reading the lantern signal and springing into action.

Answer 1

@Valirium

Answer 2

I'm thinking D because of the last several lines.