CBSE Class 12 English A Thing of Beauty Worksheet Set D

Question. List the things of beauty mentioned in the poem.
Answer. The things of beauty are the Sun, the Moon, old and new trees, sheep, daffodils, green world, clear streams, musk roses that bloom among the thick forest ferns, deeds of our noble ancestors, tales that we have heard or read.

Question. List the things the cause suffering and pain.
Answer. The things that cause suffering and pain are dark phases of our life like depression, disappointment, adverse circumstances, gloomy days, death of noble people and ill health.

Question. What does the line ‘Therefore on every morrow, are we wreathing a flowery band to bind us to Earth’ suggest?
Answer. Every morning we connect to nature, to the beauties of the Earth despite all the sadness that we experience. This is a result of all the beautiful things around us.

Question. What makes human beings love life in spite of all troubles?
Answer. In spite of all the sufferings, a thing of beauty helps us to remove the cover of gloom or darkness from our lives.

Question. Why is grandeur associated with the ‘mighty dead’?
Answer. Grandeur is associated with the ‘mighty dead’ because great men will always be remembered for their noble and splendid deeds and creations. They have left behind a legacy for us to enjoy.

Question. Do we experience things of beauty only for a short time?
Answer. No, these things of beauty have a lasting impression on us. Its impact never passes away.

Question. What image does the poet use to describe the beautiful bounty of the Earth?
Answer. The poet creates the image of ‘an endless fountain of immortal drink’ that pours joys on to us from the edge of the heaven. These are the beautiful things in nature or man-made objects that he calls ‘immortal drink’.

Question. What is the cause of our ‘gloomy days’ and ‘dark spirits’?
Answer. Our own acts of unkindness, cruelty and malice towards others, make our days sad and gloomy. We also get disappointed due to the lack of human values and nobility around us.

Question. How does a thing of beauty provide us shelter and comfort?
Answer. Nature bestows us with things of rare beauty. It has created the shade of trees to make us feel comfortable and peaceful in it so that we are able to enjoy sound sleep, sweet dreams and good health. Similarly, beautiful things like the Sun and Moon have the power to lift our spirits.

Question. What spreads the pall of despondence over our dark spirits? How is it removed?
Answer. Man makes his life miserable and full of suffering because of his own actions. The pall of despondence is the sadness that is a result of what he does. A thing of beauty works wonders by removing the cover of gloom that engulfs a man.

Question. What is the message of the ‘A Thing of Beauty’?
Answer. Keats, an ardent lover of nature, in his poem refers to the powers of nature. He urges man to realize that these powers make life enjoyable and worth living. He tells us how a thing of beauty provides joy.

Question. How do the ‘daffodils’ and ‘clear rills’ enrich our environment?
Answer. Daffodils are lovely yellow, orange or white flowers that bloom in the green surroundings. The ‘clear rills’ or clear streams of water create a ‘cooling comfort’ or a passage for themselves as they pass through the thick bushes to ward away the heat of the Sun.

Question. What is the ‘grandeur’ of the ‘dooms’ and ‘endless fountain of immortal drink’?
Answer. The ‘grandeur of the dooms’ is a reference to our mighty and dead ancestors who have created beautiful objects for us. The ‘endless fountain’ is the everlasting joy provided to us by the bounties of nature in the form of nectar pouring on us from heaven.

Question. What makes human beings love life in spite of troubles and sufferings?
Answer. Human beings love life because nature is the best healer and it brings beauty and joy to our lives. The memory of beautiful experiences helps us to bear our sorrows.

Question. Keats feels that nature binds us to the Earth.How does he justify this?
Answer. Keats feels that man has a strong bond with nature. Despite the gloom and suffering, man is connected to the Earth. A flowery band ties us to the Earth. This band is a thing of beauty and metaphorically made of flowers and brings joy. There is an affinity between things of beauty in nature and in man.

Question. How can ‘mighty dead’ be thing of beauty?
Answer. ‘Mighty dead’ refers to the great and inspiring people about whom grand stories were written. These are read and admired even today and are a source of beauty and relaxation to a man.

Question. In the hot season, how do man and beast get comfort? 
Answer. A thing of beauty reserves a bower, quiet place in our heart. When we are tired, tensed, troubled or disappointed, the thing of beauty heals our sorrows and restores happiness for us again.

Question. What rich bounty has the heaven given us?
Answer. John Keats sees beauty in all the natural things. According to him, everything in nature is a source of beauty. In the poem we can see, the Sun, the Moon, the trees, daffodils, green forests, clear rills, masses of ferns, blooming musk-rose, lovely tales, etc. These beautiful sources provide pleasure and joy to the mankind. Along with many beautiful stories created by man.

Question. How do things of beauty enrich us?
Answer. Our desire to live on this Earth is to a great extent due to the presence of beautiful things that are a constant source of joy for us. Without beauty, the Earth is full of gloom and sadness. There is cruelty, selfishness, mean behaviour all around and lack of good natured people. It is this beauty, a creation of God which removes the sadness and darkness from our minds and souls. As we get wrapped up in the beautiful flowery band or this strong connection with nature we get a reason to live further. The Sun, the Moon, trees old and young are all sources of happiness for us.
The trees sprout and spread their branches to provide shelter within their shade for the simple sheep. The daffodils bloom within the green surroundings in which they grow. The clear and small streams of water make a cooling shelter for themselves against the hot season. The thick mass of ferns look grand with their beautiful musk roses. All these things enrich our lives to an extent that it is not possible to live without them (the ‘mighty dead’ or our noble ancestors. Their work and stories that we have heard or read are things of beauty that leave an indelible impression on us and make us happy. Keats further paints a picture of an endless fountain of nectar that pours the heavenly bliss of nature into our hearts.

Read the extracts given below and attempt the questions that follow:

1. 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.

Questions

Question. Name the poem and the poet.
Answer. The poem is ‘A Thing of Beauty’ and the poet is John Keats.

Question. How is a thing of beauty a joy forever?
Answer. A thing of beauty provides everlasting joy. Its beauty never decreases but continues to increase with the passage of time. It never fades away.

Question. What do you understand by a ‘bower’?
Answer. ‘Bower’ is the shelter under the shade of trees.It provides protection from the harsh rays of the Sun.

Question. What kind of a sleep does it provide?
Answer. It provides a sound sleep, full of sweet dreams, healthy and peaceful breathing.

Question. ‘pass into nothingness’ means
(a) never increases
(b) brings nothing
(c) never fades away
(d) passes away
Answer. never fade away

Question. The beauty of lovely things
(a) is a bower
(b) gets diverted
(c) is short-lived
(d) increases
Answer. increases

2. 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: yes, in spite of all,

Questions

Question. What are we doing every day?
Answer. Every morning, we are weaving a flowery wreath which binds us to the beauties of the
Earth or we are collecting things of beauty that connects us to other things of beauty and keeps us grounded.

Question. Which evil things do we possess and suffer from?
Answer. Human beings possess qualities of malice, hatred and disappointment. There is a shortage of noble qualities and men continue to be evil and unhealthy.

Question. Explain ‘in spite of all’.
Answer. In spite of all the negative qualities and evils mentioned by the poet, a thing of beauty can infuse us with positivity and joy.

Question. Find a word from the exact which means ‘diappointment’.
(a) spite
(b) despondence
(c) wreath
(d) dearth
Answer. despondence

Question. ‘are we wreathing’ means
(a) we are weaving
(b) we are weathering
(c) we are waving
(d) we are hassled
Answer. we are weaving

Question. The figure of speech in ‘flowery band’ is
(a) simile
(b) metaphor
(c) pun
(d) irony
Answer. metaphor

3. Some shape of beauty moves away the pall
From our dark spirits. Such the sun, the moon,
Trees old, and young, sprouting a shady boon.
For simple sheep;…….

Questions

Question. What removes the pall from our dark spirits?
Answer. A thing of beauty removes the pall or cover of unhappiness from our dark spirits.

Question. What sprouts a shady boon for sheep and how?
Answer. The old and young trees sprout branches to provide shade and shelter to the sheep. It is a blessing for the sheep against the harsh Sun.

Question. Find a word from the extract that means ‘covering’.
(a) pall
(b) shape
(c) sprouting
(d) boon
Answer. pall

Question. Name the poem and the poet.
Answer. The poem is ‘A Thing of Beauty’ and the poet is ‘John Keats’.

Question. What is the figure of speech in ‘simple sheep’?
(a) simile
(b) metaphor
(c) alliteration
(d) pun
Answer. alliteration

Question. ‘Our dark spirits’ is a reference to
(a) things of beauty
(b) wreathing a flowery band
(c) our dampened and demoralised spirits
(d) grandeur of the dooms
Answer. our dampened and demoralised spirits

4. …and such are daffodils
With the green world they live in; and clear rills
That for themselves a cooling covert make
‘Gainst the hot season; the mid forest brake,
Rich with a sprinkling of fair musk-rose blooms;

Questions

Question. How do ‘daffodils’ and ‘rills’ enrich the environment?
Answer. The daffodils bloom and are surrounded by the green world. The clear streams of water create a cooling shelter for themselves against the heat of the Sun.

Question. What makes the mid forest brake rich?
Answer. The beautiful musk-roses help to make the beautiful forest rich in beauty.

Question. Find a word/phrase in the extract which means ‘small streams’.
(a) clear rills
(b) brake
(c) blooms
(d) sprinkling
Answer. clear rills

Question. ‘Cooling covert’ is a
(a) simile
(b) metaphor
(c) personification
(d) alliteration
Answer. alliteration

Question. ‘Cooling covert’ in the extract means
(a) cold and calm
(b) cool shelter of thicket
(c) shade of a tree
(d) the cool green surroundings
Answer.  cool shelter of thicket

Question. The thick bushes in the forest have an abundant growth of
(a) rills
(b) ferns
(c) musk roses
(d) daffodils
Answer. musk roses

5. 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

Questions

Question. Explain ‘the grandeur of the doom’.
Answer. The magnificence that we associate with our ancestors and the beautiful things created by them.

Question. What is implied by ‘all lovely tales that we have heard or read’?
Answer. All the beautiful stories that have been read or heard by us are also things of beauty as they leave a positive impact.

Question. What is the source of the ‘endless fountain of immortal drink’?
Answer. The source of the endless fountain of immortal drink is ‘the brink of heaven’.

Question. Pick two things of beauty mentioned in the extract.
Answer. The two things of beauty in the extract are ‘grandeur of the dooms’ and ‘tales’ that we have heard or read.

Question. The immortal drink pours on
(a) the daffodils
(b) us
(c) rills
(d) covert
Answer.  us

Question. ‘the Mighty dead’ are our
(a) great royal ancestors
(b) spirits in heaven
(c) great dooms
(d) pall
Answer. great royal ancestors

code Html play_circle download content_copy expand_less

Question. Write the phrase which means 'it is immortal'
(a) it will never fade
(b) it will never pass into nothingness
(c) it will never cease
(d) it will keep giving happiness for a longer time
Answer: b

Question. What is a bower?
(a) a river
(b) a stream
(c) a big tree
(d) a shady tree
Answer: d

Question. Why do we need sweet dreams , health and quiet breathing?
(a) to have a healthy mind and body
(b) to have sound sleep
(c) to have peace and happiness
(d) All these
Answer: d

Question. What are 'mighty dead' in the poem?
(a) dead people
(b) dead relatives
(c) dead plants
(d) great respectworthy ancestors specially dead emperors
Answer: d

Question. What is the endless fountain of immortal drink?
(a) rivers
(b) flowing streams
(c) Sunlight
(d) All the things of beauty
Answer: d

Question. What does 'brink' mean?
(a) roof top
(b) a rocky space
(c) mountain top
(d) an edge at the top
Answer: d

Question. What does immortal mean?
(a) ever flowing
(b) evergreen
(c) forever beautiful
(d) never ending or endless
Answer: d

Question. What image does the poet use to convey that beauty is everlasting?
(a) a bower quiet for us
(b) Some shape of beauty
(c) endless fountain of joy
(d) sprouting a shady boon
Answer: c

Question. What is the effect of immortal drink?
(a) no one is thirsty
(b) everyone is happy
(c) immense joy and happiness
(d) beauty never moves away
Answer: c

Question. Pick the words from the poem which mean: stories, magnificence.
(a) tales and grandeur
(b) old,and young
(c) green world and clear rills
(d) sweet dreams and health
Answer: a

Question. What removes pall from our life?
(a) dark spirits
(b) Trees old, and young
(c) all the unhealthy things
(d) Nature's beauty
Answer: d

Question. What is the meaning of gloomy?
(a) all the unhealthy things
(b) dark spirits
(c) dull and depressive
(d) none
Answer: c