Question

Select the correct answer from each drop-down menu. Read this excerpt and complete the sentences that follow. A Shropshire Lad by A. E. Housman (excerpt) When I was one-and-twenty I heard a wise man say, "Give crowns and pounds and guineas But not your heart away; Give pearls away and rubies But keep your fancy free." But I was one-and-twenty, No use to talk to me. When I was one-and-twenty I heard him say again, "The heart out of the bosom Was never given in vain; 'Tis paid with sighs a plenty And sold for endless rue." And I am two-and-twenty, And oh, 'tis true, 'tis true. The central theme of the poem is ______ In the end, the poet_____ the wise man's views.

Answer 1

1. how one should invest in love. 
The old men tells the speaker that you should give away materialistic items with ease but never your heart. Your heart was not given to you in vain and is priceless.  
2. agrees with
The speaker says "tis true" 

Answer 2

The central theme of the poem is how one should attain wisdom. In the end, the poet agrees with the wise man's views.

The focus of the poem is the wise man's advise regarding love, how to give it to a lover and the consequences after giving love from the heart. Though the poet listened to it, he/she decided not to pay attention but later, in older age, he/she agrees with the men's wisdom. The poem reflects how one should attain wisdom: by listening to wise people's advise.