CBSE Class 12th English Term 2 2022: English Most Important Poetry Question With Solution
CBSE Class 12 Term 2 English (Poetry) exam is now just a month away. The students of class 12th are now in the last lap of their preparation. Check the most important questions from the English Poetry part of the syllabus. The questions below would be helpful for the revision before exams and have been asked in previous years.
Also Read: Best Study Materials For CBSE Class 12 Other Subjects
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This is why the questions are very important as CBSE is known to repeat the questions. Check and answer the questions listed below.
Aunt Jennifer’s Tiger
Que 1. Describe the tigers created by Aunt Jennifer. (Delhi 2009)
Answer: The poet describes Aunt Jennifer’s tigers as ‘bright topaz denizens’ of the forest. They are fearless and ferocious in sharp contrast to their creator, Aunt Jennifer’s nervousness and timidity. Gallant and confident, they are sure of their purpose and move ahead undeterred by any kind of hindrance or obstruction.
Que 2. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow: (Delhi 2010)
Aunt Jennifer’s tigers prance across a screen,
Bright topaz denizens of a world of green.
They do not fear the men beneath the tree;
They pace in sleek chivalric certainty.
Answer these:
- How are Aunt Jennifer’s tigers described?
- Why are they described as denizens of a world of green?
- Why are they not afraid of the men?
Answer: 1. Aunt Jennifer’s tigers are described as powerful, strong and fearless.
2. The tigers are inhabitants of the dense green forests so they are described as dwellers of a world of green.
3. Their courage and fearlessness gives them a confidence due to which they are not afraid of men.
Que 3. What will happen to Aunt Jennifer’s tigers when she is dead? (All India 2010)
Answer: Aunt Jennifer’s tigers will survive even after she is dead. She has created the tigers in a panel out of wool. These objects of art are immortal. They will continue prancing, proudly and fearlessly. To express her desire for freedom she had created the chivalrous tigers who will survive long after her death but her own longing for freedom will remain unfulfilled.
Que 4. How has Aunt Jennifer created her tigers? What traits of tigers do they reveal? (All India 2010)
Answer: Aunt Jennifer has created shining topaz yellow- coloured tigers who are denizens of a dense, green forest. They are fierce, unafraid and fearless and pace in ‘sleek’ and ‘chivalric’ certainty.
Que 5. Why are Aunt Jennifer’s hands fluttering through her wool? (Comptt. Delhi 2010)
Answer: Aunt Jennifer is a victim of gender oppression at the hands of her husband. She lives a life of total domination and constant fear. So she feels nervous and terrified that the hands shake and flutter through her wool as she sits down to knit.
Que 6. How do ‘denizens’ and ‘chivalric’ add to our understanding of the tigers’ attitude? (Delhi 2011)
Answer: ‘Denizens’ means that the tigers inhabit a green world. They live in the forests where they are free from constraints. ‘Chivalric’ means they are brave and fearless creatures. This helps us to understand that bravery and fearlessness are the basic nature of the tigers.
Que 7. What do the symbols, ‘tigers’, ‘fingers’ and ‘ring’ stand for in the poem, ‘Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers’? (Comptt. Delhi 2011)
Answer: The ‘tigers’ are symbols of bravery and courage and also of Aunt Jennifer’s desire for freedom. The ‘fingers’ are symbolic of the nervousness and fear experienced by Aunt Jennifer and the ‘ring’ symbolises a binding marriage that is full of oppression and curtails one’s freedom.
Que 8. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow: (Comptt. All India 2012)
Bright topaz denizens of a world of green.
They do not fear the men beneath the tree;
They pace in sleek chivalric certainty.
- Who are ‘They’? Where are ‘They’?
- Why are They’ not afraid of men?
Answer: 1. ‘They’ refers to the tigers that Aunt Jennifer has knitted on the panel. They are prancing jerkily in the forest (across a screen).
2. The tigers are not afraid of men because they are gallant and fearless creatures who are undeterred by any obstacles or hindrances and thus are not afraid of the men.
A Thing of Beauty:
Que 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:
- What are the flowery bands that bind us to the earth?
- 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.
Que 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.
Que 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.
Que 4. Mention any two ‘things of beauty’ that Keats has described in his poem. How do they make us joyful? (Comp. 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.
Que 5. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow: (Compt. 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
- What does the phrase, ‘pass into nothingness’ mean?
- What are the effects of beautiful things on man’s spirit?
Answer: 1. The phrase ‘pass into nothingness’ means it will never cease to exist but will continue to have a lasting impression.
2. 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.