SSC Englsh Mock Test 3 (Pass/Hons) Arms & the Man, Shelley & Keats

1.         From which mythology has Shelley borrowed the idea of “destroyer and preserver” in Ode to the West Wind? Who is the destroyer and preserver in the poem?

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2.   Suggest how Keats uses three human senses to structure his poem “Ode to Autumn”.

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3.   Explain the two similes that Shelley has used t describe the skylark.

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4.   “Think not of them, thou hast thy own music too…”  - How is the music of Autumn created?

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5.   Explain the significance of the allusion to Ruth in “Ode to a Nightingale”.

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6.   What is the effect of the west wind on land in Shelley’s Ode to the West Wind?

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7.   What would Shelley wish to learn from the skylark?

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8.   “Singest of summer in full throated ease” – Who sings in full-throated ease? What does the phrase ‘full-throated ease’ signify? 

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9.   “Until they think warm days will never cease” – Who thinks so and why?

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10.     “This is a better weapon than a revolver.” – Identify the speaker. Who is the person spoken to? Comment on the speaker’s choice of the ‘better weapon’.

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11.        In what sense Arms and the Man is an anti-romantic comedy?

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12.        Consider Arms and the Man as a pleasant play.

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13.     Join the following sentences into one single sentence:

(i)     Anish is the best boy of this school. I met him yesterday. (Simple)

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(ii)   The stolen car was found near a bridge. The number plate had been removed. (Use a relative clause)

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14.     Fill in the blanks with appropriate prepositions:

(i)                  I am anxious  ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­____________ your health.        (iii)  The man was blind _____ his faults.

(ii)                He aimed _______ a bird.                                   (iv) The boy was absent ______ the class.

15.     Correct the errors in the following sentences:

a)      He took medicine because he might get well.

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b)      Both did not go.

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c)      I don’t know how to speak it in English.

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d)      Mr. Roy is the most industrious and noblest man in the company.

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16.     Change the voice of the following sentences:

i)        May I have it?

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ii)      They proposed to hold a meeting.

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iii)    He was selected the skipper of the team.

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iv)    I like to be respected.

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17.     Do as directed:

a)      There is no mystery so great as misery. (Make it simple)

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b)      He used to play football at school. (Make it interrogative)

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c)      The teacher said, “Don’t shout. Keep quiet.” (Change the mode of narration)

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d)      Rabi said, “I’m sure everything will be right.” (Change the mode of narration)

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18.     What is the difference between phrase and clause? Explain with suitable examples. 

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19.     Do as directed:

(i)                 He bathed in the Ganga and then went to the temple. (Rewrite the sentence using a gerund)

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(ii)               It is too hot outside to get out. (Omit ‘too’)

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20.     Write a paragraph on Value of Time.

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ANSWER TO THE QUESTIONS OF 12TH RLAST, ENGLISH (HONS/PG CATEGORY)

COLLECTED FROM MEMORY

1.      Show how Sidney presents the problem of poetic creation in his sonnet Loving in Truth.

Answer: In his sonnet Loving in Truth Sidney presents the problem of poetic creation with the help of superb imagery. In order to express the pang of his love he is in search of the power of poetic creation. But his frantic search for inspiration in the creation of other poets proves to be in vain. The poet pictures his situation as a pregnant lady suffering from intense pain being at the final hour of the gestation period.

2.      Comment on the last two lines of Shakespeare’s sonnet Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day.

Answer: In the last two lines of his sonnet Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day Shakespeare asserts that his love for his friend is permanent as he expresses his love through his verse which is immortal. In a challenging way he declares that the beauty of his friend will survive up to infinity along with the existence of his poetry.

3.      Why does the poet compare “virtuous soul” to “season’d timber”?

Answer: In the poem Virtue Herbert asserts that only the virtuous soul is permanent in a transient world. The quality of virtue is imperishable, despite the inevitable mortality of all grand, glorious and gorgeous elements. Herbert compares the quality of virtue to a seasoned timber. Like a seasoned timber which never surrenders to corrosion, the quality of virtue yields to no destructive or corrosive force.

4.      “Did he who made Lamb make thee?” – Explain the significance of this line in Blake’s The Tyger.

Answer: In his poem The Tyger Blake makes this question to the tiger. He is surprised whether it is possible for the same Creator to create two contrary products like the lamb and the tiger. God is the creator of both the tiger which is the symbol of fierceness and the lamb which is the symbol of innocence.

5.      Give examples of two features that establish The Rape o the Lock as a mock-heroic poem.

Answer: Pope’s The Rape of the Lock is full of many such features that establish it as a mock-heroic poem. The poem opens with the proposition of the subject matter and Pope’s invocation to the Muses to help him compose the literary art. Such a grand treatment of a trivial subject matter like the clipping of the lock of Belinda provokes laughter. Secondly, Pope describes Belinda preparing herself with combs and pins – with “Puffs, Powders, Patches” – nothing that “Now awful Beauty puts on all its Arms.” This is nothing but funny.

6.      Briefly discuss Tintern Abbey as a poet’s journey of mind.

Answer: Tintern Abbey is in fact the delineation of the poet’s journey of mind. His visit to the river Wye and the nature surround it influenced his mind in different way at different times. When he was a mere boy, he possessed a purely sensuous love of nature. Then he thought nature to be a spiritual power; and in his last stage he formed a never-failing bond between nature and him.    

7.      Explain any two personifications Keats employs to describe Autumn in his Ode to Autumn.

Answer: In his Ode to Autumn Keats has employed many personifications to describe the season. First he personifies the season as a harvester who sits carelessly in his granary and falls asleep there with the fragrance of poppy. Autumn is then personified as a gleaner who is crossing the rivulet with a load of corn on her head. He then personifies the season as a farmer who is attending the vat with a patient look till the last drop of juice oozing from it. 

8.      Write briefly in your own words the story narrated by Geraldine to Christabel in the poem Christabel.

In Coleridge’s poem Christabel Geraldine told Christabel her sad story in a very realistic manner. She said that she was of noble origin. She also said that on the previous morning five warriors kidnapped her and placed her underneath the oak tree and departed with a promise of returning soon. She informed Christabel that she was extremely weary and scarcely alive. 

9.      “To follow knowledge like a sinking star.” – What does this line signify in Tennyson’s poem?

In Tennyson’s poem Ulysses the hero Ulysses refers to himself as the grey spirit. With the help of a simile he draws a parallel with his pursuit for knowledge with man’s attempt to reach a falling star. He desires to follow the star of knowledge till the edge of the world and beyond, till the end of his life. 

10.  “My Last Duchess is a dramatic monologue.” – Discuss.

Browning’s My Last Duchess is out and out a dramatic monologue. The poem highlights the inner world of the Duke and the Duchess of Ferrara. Browning perfectly presents the Duke in a monologue which brings out the character of the Duke. The poem is a superb study in self exploration or introspection.

11.  What does the poet mean by “harmonious madness” in the poem To A Sklark?

With the help of an oxymoron Shelley has expressed the inner thought of his mind through this phrase “harmonious madness”. He asserts that the skylark does not know the pains, sorrows and disappointments of earthly life. The earthly troubles do not touch it. He appeals to the bird to teach him the secret of this unrestrained joy so that he may compose such brilliant verse for the coming generation.

12.  What is the significance of the epigraph in Eliot’s The Hollow Men?

There are two epigraphs in the poem. The first epigraph “Mistah Kurtz – he dead”, taken from Conrad’s novel Heart of Darkness, signifies that it is better to be evil than be inactive and dead like the hollow men today. The second epigraph “A penny for the old Guy” is a line from a song sung by the children to raise money to buy fireworks on the occasion of Guy Fawkes Day. Eliot refers this to compare this notorious man to the modern hollow men and to feel that they are like the effigy of Guy Fawkes which is stuffed and burnt by children.

13.  Who were the visitors in the imaginary Hell of the Porter Scene in Macbeth?

The visitors in the imaginary Hell of the Porter Scene in Macbeth  are – a farmer who committed suicide in expectation of plenty, a Jesuit priest who equivocates and a tailor who stole from a French horse.

14.  How does Goldsmith maintain the principle of three unities in his play She Stoops to Conquuer?

Goldsmith skillfully maintains the principle of three unities in his play She Stoops to Conquer. The time when the play opens is evening and the curtain falls by the time of supper. The setting or place of action is mostly the house of Mr. Hardcastle, but the scene sometime shifts to the ‘Three Pigeons Inn’. The action of the play revolves round Kate and how she wins her love.  

15.  Do you describe Arms and the Man as a pleasant play?

Shaw includes Arms and the Mani in his Plays Pleasant. It is indeed a pleasant play that contains much matter, within its form of a pleasant comedy. His treatment of the themes of love and war and his well conceived dramatic situations are truly delightful. The play is well-characterized as ‘thought-provoking’ and ‘entertaining’, and this may well be taken as a typical aspect of the pleasant character of the play.   

16.  How does Synge heighten the tragic atmosphere in “Riders to the Sea”?

The play opens in a mournful atmosphere and this atmosphere is gradually heightened by the dramatist through hints and forebodings of the impending tragedy. Synge makes the tragedy very lurid by making Maurya her own mouthpiece. Her description of the past deaths in the family makes the atmosphere very tragic. Her reference to ominous signs and spectres add a lurid touch to the play.

17.  ‘In David Copperfield we find characters who act as foils to each others’. – Discuss.

In David Copperfield we find two characters – Dora and Agnes who are foil to each other. Both Dora and Agnes are two women with whom David fell in love. He also married them successively. Dora was very childish and silly, whereas Agnes was very good and sensible. Dora belonged to a higher society and was unable to do household work. But she loved David very dearly. Agnes gave David home and happiness when Dora died. 

18.  Describe the character of Lady Catherine de Bourgh.

Lady Catherine De Bourgh is a comic character like Mr. Collins in Pride and Prejudice. She is Collins’ patroness and Mr. Darcy’s aunt. She has a bossy nature by which she always tries to advise in others’ problems. She comes to Longbourn to make Elizabeth promise not to marry Mr. Darcy. But she does not become successful in this purpose. At last Darcy proposes Elizabeth for marrying her with the intervention of Lady Catherine. 

19.  “The Lagoon presents a moral dilemma.” – Comment.

In the story The Lagoon the central character Arsat experienced a tug-of-war between his love for sweetheart Diamele and his duty too his brother who risked his very life to ensure Arsat’s happiness. If he went back to his brother, it might have resulted death of all three. But it is also difficult to say that Arsat was right in doing his duty to his love at the cost of his brother’s life. It is a problem which is basically insoluble.  

20.  Briefly describe the symbols used in Araby.

James Joyce’s short story Araby  is full oof rich symbols. The name Araby itself stands for romance and beauty. Love stands for suupreme bliss and unening fund of joy. The boy’s journey to Araby represents man’s universally frustrated search for beauty and ideal. 

21.  How many times and how did the fly try to survive in The Fly?

The fly tried to survive for three times against the whimsicality of the boss.

When the boss drops the first drop of ink on the newly cleaned body of the fly, it struggled hard to escape and get rid of the sudden danger. Even it escaped for the second time. But when the third drop was given, it was beyond its capacity. 

22.  “We are not of Alice, nor of thee, nor are we the children at all.” – What does this sentence signify in Lamb’s essay Dream Children – A Reverie?

This sentence refers to some pathetic incidents of Charles Lamb’s personal life. John and Alice are here mere imaginary children. They might have been his children if Lamb married Alice W.N. or in reality Ann Simmons. For some unavoidable reason he had remained a bachelor. So these children are his unrealized hopes.

23.  Write a short note on Shaw’s views on freedom as depicted in his essay.

According to Shaw, perfect freedom in this world is not possible for any person. None can do things of his own likes for nature compels him to do a number of things according to her will. He says that twelve hours a day is compulsory to the natural functions including sleep. If a person does not obey this, it may prove fatal to him. Society also restricts our freedom by introducing laws which have been framed to ensure common welfare.

24.  “Abeunt studia mores” – What is the meaning of this line and how is it validated by Francis Bacon in his essay Of Studies?

Bacon has quoted this expression from one of the epistle of the Roman poet Ovid. The Latin poet expression means “Studies pass into character”. He means to say that studies play greater role in building our characters.

25.  Give example of each of the following:

(a)    Hyperbole: “To see her is to love her / And love her but for ever.

(b)   Periphrasis: The million-coloured bow. (Rainbow)

(c)    Alliteration: “Unswept, unhonoured and unsung...”

(d)   Epigram: The child is the father of man.

26.  Scan the following lines and identify the meter:

Wa ter / wa ter / eve ry / where

And all / the boards / did shrink

Wa ter / wa ter / eve ry / where

Not a / drop to / drink
This is written in troichaic tetrameter wiith an exception in the first and the last line.

27.  Do as directed:

(a)    Some birds live on  insects. (Fill in the blanks with appropriate preposition)

(b)   Standing at the gate,a scorion stung him. (Correct the sentence)

Ans: A scorpion stung him when he was standing at the gate.

28.  Do as directed:

(a)    The Headmaster gave away the prizes. (Change the voice)

Ans: The prizes were given away by the Headmaster.

(b)   ‘No’, said the child, ‘I won’t kneel, for if I do, I shall spoil my new dress’. (Change the narration)

Ans: The child said in the negative that he would not keel for if he did, he would spoil his new dress.

29.  Give one example of each of the following:

(a)    Participle: Driven by hunger he stole a piece of bread. Here driven is the example of a participle.

(b)   A connective: Since is an example of a connective. 

(c)    Gerund: Playing cards is not allowed here. Here playing is the example of a gerund.

(d)   Impersonal pronoun: It is given to him by the government. Here it is the example of an impersonal pronoun.

30.  Write a paragraph (within 50-60 words) on the Role of a Teacher.

1.      Among the greatest of all services that can be rendered by men to Almighty God, is the education and training of children, so that they can foster by grace in the way of salvation, growing like pearls of divine bounty in the shell of education and will be one day the jewel in the crown of abiding glory. The teacher is the yardstick that measures the achievements and aspirations of the nation. The worth and potentialities of a country get evaluated in and through the work of the teacher. The people of a country are the enlarged replica of their teacher. They are the real nation builders.

2.      The teacher is a dynamic force of the school. A school without teacher is just like a body without the soul, a skeleton without flesh and blood, a shadow without substance. There is no greater need for the cause of education today than the need for strong manly men and motherly women as teachers for the young. As social engineers, the teachers can socialize and humanize the young by their man-like qualities.

Answer to the Questions of 12th RLST, 2012 English (Pass Graduate Category)

Collected from Memory

1.      Why does Ulysses consider his people to be a savage race in Tennyson’s poem by the same name?

Ulysses, the great Greek ruler considers his people to be a savage race because they live an idle and ignorant life, spending time in food and drink and sloth and have no desire for knowledge. They even do not know the importance and greatness of their king.

2.      What is the poet’s prayer to the Skylark in the poem To A Skylark?

Shelley wishes to learn half of the gladness of the bird so that he can also sing with full-throated ease the eternal melodies like the bird. When he would be able to do that the world would listen to his song and would be inspired as he is inspired now by the bird’s song.

3.      In Ode to a Nightingale what does Keats contrast with the song of the nightingale?

In Ode to a Nightingale Keats contrasts the transience of human life and tragedy of old age with the song of the nightingale which is immortal, is not born for death. He says that human life is transient and full of pain and sorrow. On the other hand no human pang can reach to the world of the nightingale. It is free from all cares. 

4.      What are the ‘strange fits of passion’ that Wordsworth has known?

The ‘strange fits of passion’ that Wordsworth has known are his convulsive passion for a little girl named Lucy. But his passion is also fraught with fear: he has a fear that his beloved Lucy may die leaving him alone in this world. 

5.      “Since now at length my fate I know” – Who is the speaker? What is his fate? What last thing does he compare his fate with that of others?

The rejected lover in Browning’s poem The Last Ride Together is the speaker.

He thinks that it is his fate that he is rejected by his beloved.

The rejected lover consoles himself by comparing his failure with others. The lover compares his lot with those of the poet, musician, sculptor, statesman and soldier by saying that not only he but all of them fail in the end f their life.

6.      How does the poet build up a supernatural atmosphere in The Listeners?

Too create a supernatural atmosphere the poet Walter De La Mare chooses a haunted house as the setting of his poem. The traveller and the inhabitants of the lone house are not known to us. The night, the surroundings of the house, the horse of the traveller – all are presented in a mysterious way. Eerie suggestion and indefiniteness loom large in the poem. 

7.      What, according to Yeats, are the difference between himself and the wild swans?

The sight of the wild swans at the lake reminds him of his growing age. He realizes that when he saw the birds first time 19 years ago, he was more carefree and high in spirit. But the passage of time has taken away his youth and vigour and made him over-burdened with Time. But the swans remain same with full of energy, and passion and conquest. 

8.      “I am the enemy you killed my friend” – Explain the line with reference too its context.

The expression points to the bitter irony of the poem – the realization that any reconciliation cannot take place in this world, but it happens after life. The German soldier speaks to the English soldier about the ravages of war. Actually both of them act as the alter ego of the poet – Wilfred Owen. 

9.      How does Hardy describe Nature in Darkling Thrush?

Hardy has given a dull and desolate picture of a winter evening. He leaned over a wooden gate at one such winter evening. Frost was setting upon everything. The sun was becoming dimmer gradually. Leafless branches of the trees and creepers seemed to be the strings of a broken lyre. Not a single man was seen moving outside. The whole atmosphere looked gloomy.

10.  From which mythology has Shelley borrowed the idea of “destroyer and preserver” in Ode to the West Wind?

Shelley in his Ode to the West Wind has borrowed the idea of “destroyer and preserver” from the Hindu mythology. According to this mythology three principal Gods – Shiva, Brahma, and Vishnu are the representatives of destroyer, creator and preserver respectively. Shelley’s poem invokes all three gods as manifested in the one abstract force of the west wind.  

11.  What is the significance of the title She Stoops to Conquer?

When Goldsmith wrote this play, it had the title The Mistakes of the Night which is now the sub-title of the drama. But it was not a catchy title. So a long search was made to provide a suitable title to the play. At last Goldsmith himself gave the title She Stoops to Conquer. Perhaps she was influenced by Dryden’s line, “But kneels to conquer, and but stoops to rise”. Now the title of the drama is suitable and catchy. 

12.  “Yes! That’s Don Quixote...” Who is referred to as Don Quixote in Shaw’s play and why?

Major Sergius is referred to here as Don Quixote in Shaw’s Arms and the Man.

Don Quixote was a romantic hero of the great Spanish writer’s romance Don Quixote. He saw a windmill and imagined it o be a giant and charged upon it on horse-back with his long lance. Sergius acted likewise when he charged the enemy canons with wrong ammunitions. Bluntschli compares Sergius to Don Quixote to explain the ridiculous character of Sergius’s cavalry charge against the artillery of the Serbs.    

13.  In Justice which literary reference does Walter cite to prove his point?
      To prove his point Walter said, “The quality of mercy is not strained...” He quotes it from a famous speech of Portia in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice where Portia appeals to Shylock for Antonio’s case. Walter How wants to convey that mercy is a greater virtue and, therefore, greater justice, which makes everyone happy. He tries to convey his father that they should pardon on this virtue. 

14.  What does the expression ‘After all he only got what he deserved’ mean the short story The Lotus Eater?

W. Somerset Maugham, the author of The Lotus Eater said that Wilson, the central character of the short story, got the fate he deserved. He was responsible for his fate. His choice of the path of life was strong and was obviously wrong.

15.  Why are Jim and Della called the Magi?

In O. Henry’s story The Gift of the Magi Jim and Della are called the wisest persons among all in the world. They sacrifice their most valuable possessions – Della’s beautiful hair and Jim’s gold watch to buy Christmas gifts for each other. Their presents were useless for the time but invaluable for their spirit of love and sacrifice. So the author called them the Magi.

16.  How did Arsat’s brother die in Conrad’s story The Lagoon?

When Arsat abducted Diamelen on the night of torch light expedition, Arsat’s brother decided to face single-handed so many enemies that were pursuing Arsat. When all his shots were fired, they came and encircled him. He called his brother for thrice, but none came to help him. Finally he was surrounded by the enemies and killed mercilessly.

17.  “.....both the children gradually grew fainter.....” – Why did the children grow fainter in Lamb’s essay? Who was their mother?

The children in Lamb’s essay are mere imaginary children of him. They might have been to him if the marriage between him and Ann Simons could take place. Lamb was only dreaming of his past reminiscences. So when his reverie was becoming over, the children were gradually growing fainter.

The mother of the children was Ann Simon, the beloved of Charles Lamb. 

18.  What, according to Hill, are the principles of good writing?

In his essay Principles of Good Writing L.A. Hill mentions some features that make a piece of writing good. A good writing should have clarity, logicality, good vocabulary, interest, individuality in style, good presentation, avoidance of jarring and rhetorical flourishes. To make his writing good one should avoid strictly the mixture of different styles. 

19.  Sketch the character of Mrs. Thurlow as presented by Bates in The Ox.

Mrs. Thurlow was a hard working woman who earned money by working at others’ houses only to make her sons settled in their life. But in course of events, her husband stole the money and shattered her hopes. He was executed for a case of murder. The sons were sheltered by her brother. But when her crisis was over, another blow came on her. Her sons declined to go back home with their mother. Thus throughout her life she had to suffer in the hand o fate. In the story Bates presents her as a tragic character.

20.  Write a paragraph (50 words) on the ideals of Swami Vivekananda.

It is very tough to write the ideals of such a great personality within 50 words. He told us to have faith in ourselves and stand up on that faith and be powerful. If we think ourselves weak, weak we will be; if we think ourselves strong, strong we will be; if we think ourselves impure, impure we will be; if we think ourselves pure, pure we will be. The remedy for weakness is not brooding over weakness, but thinking of strength.  He advised us to teach men of the strength that is already within them. He says that the power of concentration is the only way to acquire knowledge.

21.  Fill in the blanks with articles and prepositions:

(a)    There were  a   good many caravans scattered  arround .

(b)   He looked at the clouds and wished it would rain.

22.  Do as directed:

(a)    He was too tired to walk. (Split the sentence)

Ans: He was very tired. He could not walk.

(b)   Mr. Bose is rich. He is an honest man. (Make a compound sentence)

Ans: Mr. Bose is rich but he is an honest man.

23.  Gove the noun forms of the following words:

(a)    Assume : assumption                           (c) compare: comparison

(b)   Begin:  beginning                                 (d) grow: growth

24.  Give the adjective forms of the following words:

(a)    Badly: bad                              (c) ferocity: ferocious

(b)   Awfully: awful                         (d) unjustly: unjust

25.  Change the voice of the following sentences:

(a)    She seems to be overburdened by the work.

Ans: The work seems to overburden her.

(b)   We visited the Agra Fort last year.

Ans: Last year the Agra Fort was visited by us. 

26.  Make sentence with the following:

(a)    Work out : Things have worked out quite well for us.

(b)   Bring about : Her folly brought about her fall. 

27.  Change into indirect speech:

(a)    He said to me, “I have often told you not to play with fire.”

Ans: He warned me that he had often told me not to play with fire.

(b)   The police said to us, “Where are you going at this hour of night.”

Ans: The police asked us where we were going at that hour of night.

28.  Do as directed:

(a)    As soon as the guests had seated themselves the Minister arrived. (use ‘no sooner’)

Ans: No sooner had the guests seated themselves than the minister arrived.

(b)   He has the most wonderful house at the town. (Turn into negative sentence).

Ans: None but he had the most wonderful house at the town. 

29.  Replace the underlined words with appropriate phrasal verb:

(a)    He has stopped  smoking.

Ans: He has given up smoking.

(b)   The police have promised to investigate the matter.

Ans: The police have promised to look into the matter.

30.  Identify the clause and identify its nature:

(a)    He says that he won’t go.

Ans: that he won’t go is the clause in the sentence. It is a noun clause as it explains the idea if a pronoun and also replaces it.

(b)   As soon as he heard the news he wrote to me.

As soon as he heard the news is the clause in the sentence. It is an adverbial clause as the clause clarifies the next verb ‘write’  in the main sentence.