In Sidney's "A Defence of Poesy", he argues that poetry is more useful and praiseworthy than history because it offers moral lessons by showing virtue rewarded and vice punished, which history may not always do. This idea supports the selection of option 2 as the correct answer.
Here's how it breaks down:
History is restricted by "truth" and merely recounts events as they happened, which may not always present clear moral lessons. This limitation makes it less useful for inspiring ethical behavior.
Poetry, on the other hand, has the creative freedom to craft stories where virtue is exalted and vice is punished, serving as a moral guide and offering inspiration. Poetry can idealize and elevate human experience to teach values and virtues, which is more beneficial according to Sidney.
Therefore, option 2 aligns with Sidney's argument because it emphasizes poetry's ability to provide moral clarity, which makes it more "useful" than the straightforward recounting of history.
Year-wise PYQs
