Comprehension Questions with Answers: Poem "Ozymandias"

I met a traveller from an antique land,                               

Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone     

Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand,   

Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown, 

And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,  

Tell that its sculptor well those passions read  

Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,

The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;

1. Whom did the speaker meet? What was special about this traveller?

Ans: The speaker met a traveller. This traveller was from a land of ancient civilization and he had visited many distant places.

2. What do "two vast and trunkless legs of stone refer to?

Ans: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone refer to the broken statue of Ozymandias in the desert. There are only two trunkless legs and a large head. The head is shattered and is half-sunk in the sand.

3. What does the "shattered visage" refer to? What is its condition?

Ans: The shattered visage refers to the half-sunk head of the broken statue of Ozymandias. It lies half-buried in the sand of the desert. The face of the statue can be seen.

4. What did the appearance of the half-sunk visage suggest?

Ans: There were expressions of a frown on the forehead, a wrinkled lip and sneer of cold order from the eyes. The sculptor had made the statue very skillfully. These expressions suggest that the person made in the statue was very proud and powerful.

5. The appearance on the face suggests two things. What are they?

These expressions suggest that the person made in the statue is very proud and powerful. The statue has been made by a great artist because the sculptor understood the feelings of the man accurately and stamped the feelings in stone. These feelings can be seen even today.

And on the pedestal, these words appear:

My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;

Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!

Nothing beside remains. Round the decay

Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare

The lone and level sands stretch far away.”

1. Which pedestal is referred to in the first line?

2. How do the words written on the pedestal describe Ozymandias?

3. What are the things that surround the broken statue of Ozymandias?

4. What is the name of the poet of this poem.

5. What do you think is the moral of the passage? 

Answers:

Answer: 1)The pedestal of the statue of Ozymandias is referred to in the first line.

2) The words written on the pedestal describe Ozymandias as king of kings. Ozymandias is very proud of his achievements.  

Or The words written on the pedestal are, “My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings; Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!”. These words describe him as king of kings. This phrase has also been used for Jesus in the Bible so we can say that Ozymandias considers himself God. Ozymandias is very proud of his achievements. 

or

The words written on the pedestal describe Ozymandias as king of kings. This phrase has also been used for Jesus in the Bible so we can say that Ozymandias considers himself God. Ozymandias is very proud of his achievements. 

Or

The words written on the pedestal describe Ozymandias as king of kings. Ozymandias is very proud of his achievements. We can say that Ozymandias considers himself like God.

3)What are the things that surround the broken statue of Ozymandias?

3) There is nothing but boundless, bare, lone and level sand that surrounds the broken statue of Ozymandias.

Or 

Only Boundless, bare, lone and level sand is the thing that surrounds the broken statue of Ozymandias.

4)What is the name of the poet of this poem.

P.B. Shelley is the name of the poet of this poem.

5) What do you think is the moral of the passage? 

We think that the moral of the passage is that pride has a fall.

 Or

Time is the most powerful entity/thing in the universe. Ozymandias was a mighty king but today nothing remains of his kingdom. So we can say that pride always has a fall.

Or

The moral of the passage is that pride has a fall.

Comprehension Questions with Answers: Poem "Ozymandias"

A. "Had he and I but met        

      By some old ancient inn,    

We should have sat us down to wet  

            Right many a nipperkin!  

            "But ranged as infantry,

            And staring face to face,

I shot at him as he at me,

            And killed him in his place.

            "I shot him dead because —

            Because he was my foe,

Just so: my foe of course he was;

            That's clear enough; although

Questions:

1. Who are referred to in the first line as “he” and “I”?

“He” is used for the enemy soldier and “I” is used for the speaker of the poem.

Or 

“He” and “I” have been used for two soldiers who belong to opposite armies in the first line.

2.  What would they have done if they had met somewhere near an old inn?

They would have shared drinks and their life-stories if they had met by some old ancient inn.

Or

If they had met by some old ancient inn, they would have shared drinks and their life-stories.

3.  But when and where did they meet?

They met on the battlefield as soldiers of enemy armies, facing each other.

4.  What did each of them try to do to the other?

Both these soldiers tried to shoot each other. The speaker shot down/killed the other soldier.

5. Do you think the speaker succeeds in justifying his action in the last four lines of the passage?

The speaker fails to justify his action. He tries to find the reason why he killed the other soldier but he    

fails to convince himself as well as the readers. 

6. Name the poem and the poet.

The name of the poem is “The Man He Killed” and the name of the writer/poet/author is Thomas Hardy. 

B.  "He thought he'd 'list, perhaps,

            Off-hand like — just as I —

Was out of work — had sold his traps —

            No other reason why.

            "Yes; quaint and curious war is!

            You shoot a fellow down

You'd treat if met where any bar is,

            Or help to half-a-crown."

Questions: 

1. Who are referred to as ‘he’ and ‘I’ in this passage?

2. Why has ‘he’ joined the army?

3. Why does the speaker call war quaint and curious?

4. What would ‘I’ and ‘he’ do in peace time?

5. Who is the poet of the poem “The Man He killed”? 

Answers:

1. Two soldiers belonging to enemy armies are referred to as “he” and “I” in this passage. "He" is the enemy soldier who was killed by the speaker. "I" is the speaker who is also a soldier. 

2. “He” or one soldier joined the army without much thought because he was out of work and had nothing to go back to.

3. The speaker calls the war “quaint and curious” because war makes people kill each other without any personal hostility.

4. In peacetime, They would have shared their feelings and would have offered each other a drink and helped each other with half a crown.

5. Thomas Hardy is the poet of the poem “The Man He Killed”.

Comprehension Questions with Answers: Poem "Blow, blow, Thou Winter Wind"

A. Blow, blow, thou winter wind,

    Thou art not so unkind

      As man’s ingratitude;

    Thy tooth is not so keen,

Because thou art not seen,

      Although thy breath be rude.

Heigh-ho! sing, heigh-ho! unto the green holly:

Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly:

    Then, heigh-ho, the holly!

      This life is most jolly.

Question:

1.Name the poem & the poet:

Ans: The name of the poem is “Blow Blow Thou Winter Wind” and the name of the poet is William Shakespeare.

2. Why does the poet say that the winter wind is not so unkind?

Ans: The winter wind is not so unkind because it is not seen. It is natural for the winter wind to be cold and rough, so the poet justifies its nature by calling it ‘not so unkind’.

3. Why is the tooth of the winter wind not so keen?

Ans: The tooth of the winter wind is not so keen because it is not seen and also winter wind is naturally rude in nature. 

4. What does the poet say about ‘most friendship’?

Ans: According to the poet, most friendship is just pretension or pretending or hypocrisy. Most people pretend to be kind and loving but are selfish in reality.

5. What does the poet say about ‘most loving’?

Ans: According to the poet, love in most cases is only foolishness.

6. If things are so bad, why does the poet say that “This life is most jolly”?

Ans: This is a positive message and the poet wants us to make the most of our lives and not waste it.

B. Freeze, freeze, thou bitter sky,

   That dost not bite so nigh

      As benefits forgot:

   Though thou the waters warp,

      Thy sting is not so sharp

      As friend remembered not.

Heigh-ho! sing, heigh-ho! unto the green holly...

Questions:

1. Why does the poet say that the sky does not bite "so nigh?"

2. What is worse than the bitter and freezing sky?

3. Why is the sting of the bitter sky not so sharp?

4. Explain: "As a friend remembered not."

5. What does the poet say about "most friendship" and "most loving?"

Answers:

1. The sky is high. It is not so near as a thankless friend. So even if the sky is freezing cold, it does not cause so much pain.

OR

The sky doesn't "bite so nigh" because its cold is not as painful as the feeling of a friend forgetting you. The word "nigh" means "close." The cold is a physical feeling, but the hurt from a friend is a deeper, emotional pain.

2. If people or friends forget the benefits taken from us, it hurts more than the bitter and freezing sky.

3. The sting of a bitter sky is not so sharp as the attitude of a friend who has forgotten us and does not care for us.

OR

The bitter sky's "sting" is not as sharp because the cold is a pain that goes away whereas the pain caused by a friend who betrays us is much deeper.

4. "A friend remembered not" means "a friend who does not remember us any more."

OR

The phrase "As a friend remembered not" means that when a friend forgets you; it is the worst kind of pain. It is more painful than the physical cold of the sky.

5. According to the poet, most friends are false and selfish and most lovers are foolish.

Comprehension Questions with Answers: Essay: At the Himalayas: (It was set in a previous paper)

My father left his little cash-box in my charge. He had no reason to imagine that I was the fittest custodian of the considerable sums he kept in it for use on the way. He would certainly have felt safer with it in the hands of Kishori, his

attendant. So I can only suppose he wanted to train me to the responsibility. One day as we reached the staging bungalow, I forgot to make it over to him and left it lying on a table. This earned me a reprimand.  

Questions:

(i) Who is the father and who is the son referred to in the passage? 

(ii) Why did the father made his son the in charge of the cash-box?

(iii) Was the father really concerned about the safety of the cash-box ? 

(iv) What earned the son reprimand one day ?

(v) What impression do you get about the father's personality in his dealing with the cash-box ?

ANSWERS:

(i) Rabindranath Tagore is the son and his father is the father referred to in the passage.

OR

(i) Rabindranath Tagore is the son and Debendranath Tagore is the father referred to in the passage.

(ii) His father left the cash box with the writer because he wanted to give him training in handling cash and taking care of it.

(iii) The father was not concerned about the safety of the cash box, he simply wanted to train the writer to the sense of responsibility.

(iv) The son forgot to handover the cash box to his father and left it lying on the table this earned him a reprimand.

(v) Writer's father wanted the writer to learn things by practically doing them. Father's personality is of a practical person who allows his son to learn from his own experience. 

Q1. Explain the line "what man has made of man" from the poem "Lines Written in Early Spring".

Ans: (by Priyanka BA 1st, 20121) 

This line is taken from the poem "Lines Written in Early Spring " which is written by William Wordsworth. In this poem William Wordsworth describes how everything in nature appears to be full of joy, while the distortions in society often make the life of  human beings unhappy. Nature always gives us happiness and joy but the human being destroys all this, only for fulfilling his wishes.This  line" what man has made of man "describe the sad situation of the life of a man and it is the reality. Poet Wordsworth observes nature, at its peak, in all its splendor and beauty. All this Joy thrilled the poet's heart and he felt that his soul had become one with the happy life in nature. Yet in the midst of all this happiness he felt very sad to think how most human beings are unhappy as a result of distortions, injustice and unnecessary sufferings in human society. The joy found everywhere in nature reflects the holy plan of God and nature to spread happiness on this earth."What man has made of man", this line comments on the human situation. Human beings with their distorted social setup and misguided rules and practices have made life very unhappy and joyless for a majority of human beings. Nature has given us everything, but still man has made his life sad due to the evils created by himself.

2. (answer by Neha BA 1st 20132)

Answer: William Wordsworth is a great romantic poet who gives a new direction to English poetry. He presents nature and everyday objects with freshness in his poems. He is also known as a " Poet of Nature". The poem " Lines Written in Early Spring" expresses Wordsworth's philosophy of nature. Wordsworth considers the nature of beauty and happiness. There is a close link between nature and the world of human beings as well as between nature and the soul of man. Nature is kind and forgiving but man is selfish and cruel. Man has neglected Nature as well as his fellow human beings and so has become his own enemy. The same soul runs through man and nature. There is a close relationship between man and nature. Nature has given the same soul to men and her fair works. But it pained the poet much to see what man has made of man. In other words. men's separation from nature grieved the poet's heart. This very separation, according to the poet, is the cause of all ills in the world of man. In every season there are a large number of beautiful flowers of different colours and shades. There are the mixed notes that come from different objects and creatures of nature. But the man has occupied himself with his materialistic pursuits and forgotten his link with nature. He has forgotten the fact that the soul in him is the same soul that animates all objects and creatures of nature. He has become unaware of nature's Holy plan which provides scenes and sights of joys and thereby lifts one's mind to word a state of bliss. Poet feels very sad to think that most human beings are unhappy as a result of distortions, injustice and unnecessary and unhappiness suffering in human society. Lack of happiness in human lives is all the more painful because nature does not want any unnecessary suffering caused by selfishness in human actions. The poem thus clearly shows Wordsworth's love for and delight in nature. It also makes a strong plea that man should not forget his link with nature.

3. by Isha Choudhary BA 1st 20187

'What man has made of man'  refers to the works of man.The poem  'Lines Written In Early Spring'  is the mixture of happiness and sadness. Man keeps fighting with man and has no peace and stays busy in his monotonous schedule. In this poem, the poet describes the unnatural aspects of human industry created by man. 

Q1.  Explanation of the poem "The Good Morrow"

Ans: (by Priyanka BA 1st, 20121) 

"The Good Morrow" is a love song written by John Donne . He is considered as the greatest poet in English poetry during his career. All his poems are appreciated by the critics even today. John Donne was also called a metaphysical poet ,because he used complicated arguments even to describe love.The poem has three seven line stanzas(septets). He uses unexpected comparisons and arguments to convey his meaning and expression related to love. In this poem he described the happiness of amusing love with the woman he loved. The poem seems to be set in a bedroom where the poet and his lover are waking up gently after spending a night together and he is expressing his feelings for her. In the first stanza the poet describes that the life he has spent before the marriage was birthless. He says that if he loved any woman in the past she was only the reflection of the beauty of his present beloved.He spent his whole life before marriage as if he was in a deep slumber.Each soul has awakened to the other and has discovered a whole world in it. Perhaps it is their first night after marrying and they are anticipating a long and happy life together. There is no fear that one or the other will soon depart. The poet and his wife have no such fear and do not need to watch each other's behaviour. They were happy in this little room. Further the poet says that their love will never fade. He also says that their true love makes their love so unified that it will not decay with the past of the time. We can tell how close they are,both physically and emotionally in the lines"My face in thine eye ,thine in mine appears, and true plain do in the faces rest." The face of a lover is reflected in the face of his sweetheart. In the same way her face is reflected in his .He said that their love for each other will remain exactly equal and so will never change .When he says. "If our two loves  be one,or thou and I love so alike that none can slacken,none can die " with this final line Donne explains that he reaffirms his belief at the end that their unity is unending. He spent his whole life before marriage as if he was in a deep slumber.The bond of love between the poet and his beloved is so unique and simple that the poet thinks that he and his lady love have possessed their own world.

The main theme of the poem is metaphysical. This love is not physical love but is a higher and refined form of love. Donne starts with physical love but it turns into spiritual love.

2. by Isha Choudhary BA 1st 20187

The Good Morrow -a morning love poem - written by English poet John Donne in 1590s. In it, the speaker describes love as an awakening of the soul .The two lovers  dedicate themselves to love above adventure and success .They do not watch each other out of fear .There's no need of jealousy and it makes their small bedroom as wide as the world . The truth of their hearts is visible on their faces . They are like the two hemispheres joined together. The North is without the cold of the north or the darkness that comes when the sun sets in the west. Their love is so perfectly matched that they have become one and thus their love will not  lose its power and they will not die. 

1.What message is conveyed by the poet in the poem"Ozymandias"?

The "Ozymandias" is a famous poem written by  PB Shelley. In this poem the poet describes the broken statue of the proud King, Ozymandias. This statue is made by the king himself. The king calls himself King of kings and equal to God because he is proud of his achievements. Poet says that he meets a traveller from an antique land. He tells the poet that there are two large and trunkless legs standing in the desert. The trunk of the statue is missing. Only these two legs and a half sunk head is present. The face of the statue is shattered. There are emotions, frowning on the head of the broken statue. The sculptor who made this statue knew the emotions of the person very well and stamped those emotions in stone so skillfully that we can see them even today. These emotions tell us that he was a powerful and proud king. There is a pedestal of the statue. There is a message on the statue,it says his name is Ozymandias, King of kings and look at his works that are mighty or disappear or be sad. The traveller comments that there is nothing to see around the broken statue but only sand in the desert. The sand of the desert is boundless, bare, lone and level. 

We can learn from the poem that the Ozymandias was a proud and great king. He was very powerful and proud of his many achievements. He made his statue himself and gave the message of his great achievements written on the pedestal of the broken statue. He calls himself "King of kings". But today there is nothing to see around the broken statue. There is only sand all around the broken statue. The message of the poem is very clear that pride has a fall. The poem is a comment on the nature, pride and boastfulness of the King, Ozymandias. 

Q.Why does the speaker get enlisted in the army in the poem "The Man He killed"? Why does the enemy Soldier join the army?

The poem "The Man He Killed" is an-anti war poem. In this poem Thomas shows that war is really cruel, unhuman and savage. Thomas Hardy is a well known poet and novelist from the Victorian era of English history. He has written many novels and poems. This poem is about two soldiers who had joined the army for a living. After the war is over the poet tries to refresh the whole moment in his mind he realises that if he and the man he had killed met at some bar instead of battlefield, they could be friends and share their life stories. They would listen to each other's experiences and life stories. They would be helped even with money from each other. But unfortunately, they faced each other on the battlefield. They belonged to rival armies. They fired each other because they had no other choice. Another Soldier was out of work and he had sold all his belongings, that was why he joined the army. They had no personal enmity between them. But it must be a war that is the real cause of enmity between human beings. 

Q.How does the song "Blow Blow Thou Winter Wind" warn its readers about the treachery and deceit of our own people? Explain.

"The Blow, Blow, thou Winter Wind " has been written by William Shakespeare. He is considered the greatest dramatist of the word. This poem is a song that is a part of a comedy "As You Like It". This song has been sung by Amiens. The central point of the poem is that the thanklessness of a man is more painful than the winter wind and cold freezing sky. Amiens says that the winter wind is no doubt sharp. But its sting is not as an ingratitude part of the man. The blowing of a cold winter wind and its harsh nature is quite natural. Besides, the winter wind is not seen. But it hurts without seeing. Amiens compares this to a person who has received a favour from someone but refuses to acknowledge it. Naturally this person should be thankful for the favour but he or she does not show any gratitude. Therefore the behaviour of that person is more biting and unnatural. Similarly, Amiens compares the bitterness and harshness of cold winter sky to the thanklessness of man. He says that if the winter wind is cold even the cold sky seems to freeze into snow. But still all these natural water drops have turned into snow. But the thankless Ness of man is quite natural , likewise a friend who forgets a benefit is no more than an enemy and therefore becomes more hurtful. Amiens says that love is nothing but foolishness and friendship is nothing but pretending.