“Paul Revere’s Ride” is about Paul Revere, a Patriot in the American Revolution who rode in 1775 to warn the colonists that British troops were coming. Read the excerpt from the poem. Then, answer the question(s).

Question

Then he said, “Good night!” and with muffled oar

Silently rowed to the Charlestown shore,

Just as the moon rose over the bay,

Where swinging wide at her moorings lay

5 The Somerset, British man-of-war;

A phantom ship, with each mast and spar

Across the moon like a prison bar,

And a huge black hulk, that was magnified

By its own reflection in the tide.

Multiple Choice Question
Read the following dictionary entry for mooring. Which definition
best fits the way the word moorings is used in the poem? Base your answer
on context.
mooring (MOR ing) noun 1. (often, moorings) the place where a boat is tied up or
anchored 2. (often, moorings) ropes or anchors used to keep a boat from leaving its
place 3. the act of tying up a boat 4. something such as a belief or routine that
grants a person stability or security
A.
definition 1
B.
definition 2
C.
definition 3
D.
definition 4

Answer 1

The best definition that fits the way "moorings" is used in the poem is:

A. definition 1 - the place where a boat is tied up or anchored.

In the context of the poem, "moorings" refers to the physical location where the ship, the Somerset, is secured, which aligns with the imagery of it lying at rest on the bay. The term refers to the ship being anchored or tied up rather than the ropes or the act of tying it up.