In Lewis Carroll's Jabberwocky, what word describes 'all mimsey'?

• A. Bandersnatch
• B. Borogroves
• C. Frabjous Day
• D. Tulgey Wood

Answer: (B)

In this poem, Carroll builds mood by pairing invented words with familiar grammar. The line says “All mimsy were the borogoves,” meaning the borogoves are described as mimsy. So the word that describes what’s being described as “mimsy” is borogoves—the borogoves are the ones described as mimsy.

“Mimsy” is a playful, invented adjective Carroll uses to convey a hazy, slightly worrisome feeling. It doesn’t have a precise modern definition, but it evokes a mood rather than a fixed meaning: something fragile, odd, or flimsy in a whimsical way.

The other options refer to different things in the poem (a creature, a day, a place) and don’t fit the grammatical role of the noun being described in that line.