Which line is from Ozymandias?

• A. I met a traveller from an antique land
• B. Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
• C. Sneer of cold command
• D. They were told to walk, not run

Answer: (C)

The line hinges on a vividly clear image from the poem. In Ozymandias, the statue’s face is described with a “wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,” a striking phrase that captures the tyrant’s arrogant power and its ultimate futility. That exact image—the sneer of cold command—has become one of the poem’s most recognizable and distinctive lines, making it a strong marker for identifying the text. The other lines are also from the poem, but this particular phrase stands out as a concise, memorable cue tied to the poem’s central moment: the ruler’s pride immortalized in stone while time erodes his empire. So, that line is the best cue to recognize Ozymandias.