Which line expresses time's effect on ruins?

Which line expresses time's effect on ruins?

• A. King of Kings
• B. Nothing beside remains
• C. Look on my works, ye mighty
• D. Round the decay of that colossal wreck

Answer: (B)

Time’s effect on ruins is shown by a direct statement of what’s left after the passage of ages. In Ozymandias, the once-mighty statue has crumbled and is buried in the desert, and the line “Nothing beside remains” sums up the outcome of time: nothing else survives the centuries except emptiness. It’s a stark contrast to the boast on the pedestal, but this line explicitly communicates the ruin’s result—time has erased the works. The other lines are part of the ruler’s grand claim or describe the ongoing decay, but they don’t convey the final emptiness as directly as this line.

Time’s effect on ruins is shown by a direct statement of what’s left after the passage of ages. In Ozymandias, the once-mighty statue has crumbled and is buried in the desert, and the line “Nothing beside remains” sums up the outcome of time: nothing else survives the centuries except emptiness. It’s a stark contrast to the boast on the pedestal, but this line explicitly communicates the ruin’s result—time has erased the works. The other lines are part of the ruler’s grand claim or describe the ongoing decay, but they don’t convey the final emptiness as directly as this line.