A Thing of Beauty Important Questions CBSE Class 12 English

A Thing of Beauty Important Questions Short Answer Type Questions (3-4 Marks)

Question 1.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow: (Delhi 2000)
Therefore, on every morrow, are we wreathing
A flowery band to bind us to the earth,
Spite of despondence, of the inhuman dearth
Of noble natures, of the gloomy days,
Of all the unhealthy and o’er-darkened ways
Made for our searching:

  1. What are the flowery bands that bind us to the earth?
  2. What message do the above lines convey?

Answer:
1. The flowery band that binds us to earth is beauty in one shape or the other. It removes all sufferings and sorrow that covers our mind and spirit. There is disappointment and dejection all around but the presence of some objects of beauty removes this sadness from our hearts.
2. There are many things that bring us troubles and sufferings. The message conveyed in these lines is that the natural beauty of objects around us takes away the suffering from our sorrowful hearts.
Some beautiful shape or any object of beauty removes the pall of gloom from our mind and spirit.

Question 2.
According to Keats, what makes man love life in spite of all its problems and miseries? (All India 2000)
Answer:
In spite of all the problems and miseries that make man’s life gloomy and cause him suffering and pain, he does not cease to love life because a thing of beauty removes all the sadness that covers his spirit. The beautiful things of nature make life sweet and happy.

Question 3.
What image does Keats use to describe the beautiful bounty of the earth? (Delhi 2010)
Answer:
Keats uses the image of a perennial fountain that constantly pours forth bounties on the earth in the form of an immortal drink from the heavens into our hearts. The beauty of the sun, the moon, the trees, the daffodils and clear rivers are reflections of the beautiful bounties God has blessed us with.

Question 4.
What makes human beings love life inspite of troubles and sufferings? (All India 2010)
Answer:
It is the occasional phases of joy and happiness that make life beautiful and make human beings love life in spite of troubles and sufferings. Natural beauty in its various forms, like the clear rivers, the gurgling brooks and forest vegetation, motivates us to live life and moves away the pall from our dark spirits.

Question 5.
Mention any two ‘things of beauty’ that Keats has described in his poem. How do they make us joyful? (Comptt. Delhi 2010)
Answer:
According to Keats every small or big thing of nature is a thing of beauty and a source of pleasure. The sun, the moon, the trees and daffodil flowers are all things of beauty. So are the small streams with clear water, mass of ferns and the blooming musk roses.

Question 6.
Mention any two things which, according to Keats, give us pain and suffering. (Comptt. All India 2010)
Answer:
According to Keats man suffers from pain and suffering due to the inhuman dearth of noble natures on earth and due to the inhuman and hostile attitude that makes our days sad and darkens our ways with distress and wretchedness.

Question 7.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow: (Comptt. Delhi 2011)
A thing of beauty is a joy forever
Its loveliness increases, it will never
Pass into nothingness; but will keep
A bower quiet for us, and a sleep
Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet
breathing

  1. List any tivo things of beauty mentioned above.
  2. What does the phrase, ‘pass into nothingness’ mean?
  3. What are the effects of beautiful things on man’s spirit?

Answer:
1. The things of beauty mentioned above include a quiet bower, peaceful sleep and quiet breathing.
2. The phrase ‘pass into nothingness’ means it will never cease to exist but will continue to have a lasting impression.
3. Beautiful things leave a lasting impression on man’s spirit. They give him great joy and happiness and also help him to gain inner peace and calm.

Question 8.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow: (Comptt. All India 2011)
Therefore, on every morrow, are we wreathing
A flowery band to bind us to the earth,
Spite of despondence, of the inhuman dearth
Of noble natures, of the gloomy days,
Of all the unhealthy and o’er-darkened ways
Made for our searching:

  1. What are the flowery bands that bind us to the earth?
  2. What message do the above lines convey?

Answer:
1. The flowery band that binds us to earth is beauty in one shape or the other. It removes all sufferings and sorrow that covers our mind and spirit. There is disappointment and dejection all around but the presence of some objects of beauty removes this sadness from our hearts.
2. There are many things that bring us troubles and sufferings. The message conveyed in these lines is that the natural beauty of objects around us takes away the suffering from our sorrowful hearts.
Some beautiful shape or any object of beauty removes the pall of gloom from our mind and spirit.

Question 9.
Why and how is grandeur associated with the mighty dead? (Delhi 2011)
Answer:
Grandeur is associated with the mighty dead because of their grand deeds and achieve-ments. Their achievements make their lives extraordinary. Therefore, the grandeur of the mighty dead is a thing of beauty that is a source of inspiration for other.

Question 10.
What is the message of the poem, ‘A Thing of Beauty’? (All India 2011)
Answer:
John Keats was a worshipper of beauty and he saw it as an everlasting source of joy and happiness. Through his poem he conveys that a thing of beauty removes the pall of sadness and sorrow and gives us joy and pleasure. The beauty of a thing goes on increasing and never passes into nothingness.

Question 11.
How is a thing of beauty a joy forever? (Delhi 2012)
Answer:
A thing of beauty is a joy forever because it gives us eternal and everlasting happiness and leaves such an impact in our mind that we are able to relive the wonderful feeling we get from it each time we think about it. It never fades into nothingness, in fact its loveliness increases with each passing moment.

Question 12.
Why is ‘grandeur’ associated with the ‘mighty dead’? (All India 2012)
Answer:
Grandeur is associated with the mighty dead because of their grand deeds and achieve-ments. Their achievements make their lives extraordinary. Therefore, the grandeur of the mighty dead is a thing of beauty that is a source of inspiration for other.

Question 13.
What makes human beings love life in spite of troubles and sufferings? (All India 2012)
Answer:
It is the occasional phases of joy and happiness that make life beautiful and make human beings love life in spite of troubles and sufferings. Natural beauty in its various forms, like the clear rivers, the gurgling brooks and forest vegetation, motivates us to live life and moves away the pall from our dark spirits.

Question 14.
Describe any three things of beauty mentioned in the poem, ‘A Thing of Beauty’. (All India 2012)
Answer:
The poet sees beauty in various natural things. He sees simple and scenic beauty in the image of the sun, the moon, the trees, the sheep, the green pastures and the clear water of the small streams. All these things of beauty are a constant source of joy for us.

Question 15.
Why does a thing of beauty never pass into nothingness? (Comptt. Delhi 2012)
Answer:
The joy provided by a thing of beauty is ever-lasting. It leaves an indelible imprint on our mind. Its loveliness never fades away and so it does not pass into nothingness. It increases manifold each time we think about it and thus we are forever able to relive the joyful experience.

Question 16.
Mention any two things of beauty that Keats talks of in his poem and explain how they influence us. (Comptt. All India 2012)
Answer:
The two things of beauty that influence us are the lushgreen surroundings of meadows and pastures that provide life to all living beings and the simple lambs and sheep that Keats envisions as the embodiments of serene and divine beauty.

Question 17.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow: (Delhi 2013)
A flowery band to bind us to the Earth,
Spite of despondence, of the inhuman dearth
Of noble natures, of the gloomy days,
Of all the unhealthy and o’er-darkened ways
Made for our searching:

  1. What are we doing everyday?
  2. Which evil things do we possess and suffer from?
  3. What are the circumstances that contribute towards making humans unhappy and disillusioned with life?

Answer:
1. Every day we are wreathing a flowery band which binds us to the earth and enables us to live life despite the dejection that surrounds us. We are looking for lovely things around us and establishing a close bond with the earth and nature.
2. We suffer from selfishness and self-centredness due to which there is dearth of noble souls on earth.
3. Man becomes unhappy and disillusioned because he suffers from pain and hopelessness at various junctures in life. Also the lack of nobility in human beings and gloomy days make him unhappy.

Question 18.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow: (Comptt. All India 2013)
Therefore, on every morrow, are we wreathing
A flowery band to bind us to the earth,
Spite of despondence, of the inhuman dearth Of noble natures,

  1. What is ‘morrow’?
  2. Why do we need ‘a flowery band’?
  3. What is inhuman in life?

Answer:
1. ‘Morrow’ means the next day.
2. Everyday we are wreathing a flowery band because it binds us to earth and makes us live our life despite the dejection that surrounds us.
3. Man’s self-centred nature and his inability to rise above pettiness is inhuman in life.

Question 19.
What does Keats consider an endless fountain of immortal drink and why does he call its drink immortal? (All India 2013)
Answer:
Keats considers beauty, in all its forms, which is God’s greatest gift to man as an endless fountain of immortal drink. He calls it immortal because the beauty bestowed by God is everlasting and perennial and men can bask in its glory forever.

Question 20.
According to Keats, what spreads the pall of despondence over our dark spirits? How is it removed? (All India 2013)
Answer:
According to Keats, suffering and pain caused by man’s malice and his evil ways spreads the pall of despondence over our dark spirits. Man lacks noble qualities and his hostile and inhuman nature makes the world gloomy. This can be removed by some shape of beauty that is a source of constant joy.

Question 21.
How does a thing of beauty provide shelter and comfort? (All India 2013)
Answer:
A thing of beauty will always provide a pleasant shelter, a place under the shade of a tree, where we will always remain peaceful and comfortable. Whenever we are under nature’s shelter, we will have a quiet and peaceful sleep which will give us serenity and comfort.

Question 22.
Describe any two things mentioned by Keats in “A Thing of Beauty” which cause suffering and pain. (Comptt. Delhi 2013)
Answer:
According to Keats man suffers from pain and suffering due to the inhuman dearth of noble natures on earth and due to the inhuman and hostile attitude that makes our days sad and darkens our ways with distress and wretchedness.

Question 23.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow: (Delhi 2014)
All lovely tales that we have heard or read;
An endless fountain of immortal drink.
Pouring unto us from the heaven’s brink.

  1. Name the poem and the poet.
  2. What is the thing of beauty mentioned in these lines?
  3. What image does the poet use in these lines?

Answer:
1. The poem is ‘A Thing of Beauty’ and the poet is John Keats.
2. The thing of beauty mentioned in these lines are the tales we have heard or read describing the glorified sacrifices of mighty warriors.
3. Using the divine image the poet tells us that beauty is God’s greatest gift to man. This beauty is eternal and everlasting in whose glory man can bask and it is an endless fountain from where he can drink the immortal elixir of life.

Question 24.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow: (All India 2014)
Spite of despondence, of the inhuman dearth
Of noble natures, of the gloomy days,
Of all the unhealthy and o’er-darkened ways
Made for our searching: yes in spite of all,
Some shape of beauty moves away the pall
From our dark spirits.

  1. Name the poem and the poet.
  2. Why are we ‘despondent’?
  3. What removes ‘the pall from our dark spirits’?

Answer:
1. The poem is ‘A Thing of Beauty’ and the poet is John Keats.
2. We are ‘despondent’ due to lack of noble people, because of gloomy days and because of unhealthy and over darkened ways.
3. Any shape or manifestation of beauty removes ‘the pall from our dark spirits’.

Question 25.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow: (Comptt. All India 2014)
Some shape of beauty moves away the pall
From our dark spirits.

  1. How does beauty help us when we are burdened with grief?
  2. Explain: “Some shape of beauty.”
  3. Identify the figure of speech used in the above lines.

Answer:
1. Beauty, in some shape or form, will help to drive away the sadness and despair from the dark enclosures of our spirit when we are burdened with grief.
2. ‘Some shape of beauty’ means some object of beauty bestowed on us by nature.
3. The figure of speech used in the above lines is alliteration.

Question 26.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow: (Comptt. Delhi 2015)
And such too is the grandeur of the dooms
We have imagined for the mighty dead;
All lovely tales that we have heard or read;
An endless fountain of immortal drink,
Pouring unto us from the heaven’s brink.

  1. Name the poem.
  2. Who are the ‘mighty dead’ referred to here?
  3. What is the endless fountain of immortal drink?
  4. What does the word, ‘brink’ mean?

Answer:
1. The poem is ‘A Thing of Beauty’.
2. The ‘mighty dead’ referred to here are our ancestors, the great people of the world who are worthy of respect.
3. The endless fountain of immortal drink are all the things of beauty that sustain mankind.
4. The word ‘brink’ means ‘an edge at the top/ the point of onset’.

Question 27.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow: (Comptt. All India 2015)
Spite of despondence, of the inhuman dearth
Of noble natures, of the gloomy days,
Of all the unhealthy and o’er-darkened ways
Made for our searching : yes, in spite of all,
Some shape of beauty moves away the pall
From our dark spirits.

  1. Name the poem.
  2. Give one cause of human suffering.
  3. What moves away the pall from our lives?
  4. What does the word, ‘gloomy’ mean?

Answer:
1. The poem is ‘A Thing of Beauty.’
2. Man lacks noble qualities and his hostile and inhuman nature is the cause of human suffering.
3. Nature’s beauty moves away the pall from our lives.
4. The word ‘gloomy’ means ‘dull or depressed.

Question 28.
‘ What does a thing of beauty do for us? (Delhi 2015)
Answer:
A thing of beauty gives us eternal and everlasting happiness and leaves an indelible impression on our mind that we are able to relive the wonderful feeling we get from it each time we think about it. It never fades into nothingness and its loveliness increases with each passing moment.

Question 29.
What makes human beings love life in spite of all the troubles they face? (Delhi 2015)
Answer:
It is the occasional phases of joy and happiness that make life beautiful and make human beings love life in spite of troubles and sufferings. Natural beauty in its various forms, like the clear rivers, the gurgling brooks and forest vegetation, motivates us to live life and moves away the pall from our dark spirits.

Question 30.
Mention any four things of beauty that add joy to our life. (All India 2015)
Answer:
The poet sees beauty in various things of nature that add joy to our life. These include the sun, the moon, the trees, the sheep, the green pastures and the clear water of the small streams. These remove the sadness from our dark spirits.

Question 31.
Mention any two things which cause pain and suffering. (All India 2015)
Answer:
Pain and suffering is caused by man’s malice and unhealthy and evil ways. Man lacks noble qualities and his hostile and inhumane nature makes the world gloomy and depressing and brings misery and suffering in his life, thus distressing him with sorrow and despair.

Question 32.
Which objects of nature does Keats mention as sources of joy in his poem, ‘A Thing of Beauty’? (All India 2015)
Answer:
The poet sees beauty in various natural things. He sees simple and scenic beauty in the image of the sun, the moon, the trees, the sheep, the green pastures and the clear water of the small streams. All these things of beauty are a constant source of joy for us.

Question 33.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow: (Delhi 2016)
Its loveliness increases, it will never
Pass into nothingness; but will keep
A bcnver quiet for us, and a sleep
Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet
breathing.

  1. Whose loveliness will keep on increasing?
  2. Identify the phrase which says that ‘it’ is immortal.
  3. What is a ‘bower’?
  4. Why do we need sweet dreams, health and quiet breathing in our lives?

Answer:
1. The loveliness of a thing of beauty will keep increasing.
2. The phrase which implies its immortality is ‘it will never pass into nothingness’.
3. A ‘bower’ is a pleasant shady place under the trees.
4. We need sweet dreams, health and quiet breathing in our lives to refresh and relax our minds and drive away our anxieties and restlessness. They help us to bear the problems of life and remove, our sufferings.

Question 34.
How do beautiful things influence our lives? (Comptt. Delhi 2016)
Answer:
Beautiful things take away sadness and gloom from our spirits. They give us hope and joy. Whenever we think about a thing of beauty it brings a smile on our lips and is a source of joy forever.

Question 35.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :(Comptt. Delhi 2016)
…….and clear rills
That for themselves a cooling covert make
Gainst the hot season; the mid forest brake,
Rich with a sprinkling of musk-rose blooms;
…………………………

  1. Name the poem and the poet.
  2. How do the rills protect themselves from the heat?
  3. What makes the mid forest brake rich?
  4. What does the word, ‘sprinkling7 mean?

Answer:
1. The poem is ‘A Thing of Beauty’ by John Keats.
2. The rills protect themselves from the heat by making a cooling covert overhead.
3. The sprinkling of musk-rose blossoms makes the mid forest brake rich.
4. The word ‘sprinkling’ means spreading of fragrance.

Question 36.
In the hot season, how do man and beast get comfort? (Delhi 2017)
Answer:
Man and beast get comforted in the hot season by walking past the rivers and small streams which are a natural source of water and are considered as the vital potions of life. They relax under a bower and under the shade of trees.

Question 37.
How is the Earth a source of life when all seems dead on it? (All India 2017)
Answer:
The Earth, which is a source of life, can teach us how new life emerges from the dead remains of the ashes. Life is an eternal and continuous process and new life is believed to rise from the dead remains.

Question 38.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow: (Comptt. Delhi 2017)
Answer:
‘A thing of beauty is a joy forever
Its loveliness increases, it will never
Pass into nothingness; but will keep
A bower quiet for us, and a sleep
Full of sweet dreams, and health and quiet breathing.

  1. How does a thing of beauty give us everlasting joy?
  2. What is the effect of increase in its loveliness?
  3. Which one example of the beauty of nature has the poet given here?
  4. What kind of joy do we get from a quiet bower?

Answer:
1.  A thing of beauty gives us eternal joy as its loveliness never dies out or fades away but keeps on increasing.
2. The effect of increase in its loveliness is that a thing of beauty will never cease to give us joy.
3. The example of beauty of nature that the poet describes is of a quiet bower, a shelter under the shade of trees which protects us from the hot sunrays.
4. The quiet bower gives us a place where we can sleep soundly and peacefully and enjoy sweet dreams.

Question 39.
Mention two things of beauty that Keats refers to in his poem. How do they influence us? (Comptt. All India 2017)
Answer:
The two things of beauty that influence us are the lushgreen surroundings of meadows and pastures that provide life to all living beings and the simple lambs and sheep that Keats envisions as the embodiments of serene and divine beauty.

Important Questions for Class 12 English