Tamilnadu 12th Standard English Poem - 4 - Ulysses Important Questions Study Material - QB365

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Questions:

Poem - Appreciation questions

33 x 2 = 66

"... I mete and dole
Unequal laws unto a savage race,
That hoard, and sleep, and feed, and know not me'.
(a) What does Ulysses do?
(b) Did he enjoy what he was doing? Give reasons.

Yet all experience is an arch wherethrough
Gleams that untravelled world, whose margin fades
For ever and for ever when I move
(a) What is experience compared to?
(b) How do the lines convey that the experience is endless?

"Little remains: but every hour is saved
From that eternal silence, something more,
A bringer of new things/ and vile it were"
(a) How is every hour important to Ulysses?
(b) What does the term 'Little remains' convey?

"This is my son, mine own Telemachus,
To whom I leave the sceptre and the isle
Well-loved of me';
(a) Who does Ulysses entrust his kingdom to, in his absence?
(b) Bring out the significance of the 'sceptre'.

"That ever with a frolic welcome took
The thunder and the sunshine, and opposed"
(a) What do 'thunder' and 'sunshine' refer to?
(b) What do we infer about the attitude of the sailors?

"Death closes all: but something ere the end,
Some work of noble note, may yet be done,
Not unbecoming men that strove with Gods"
(a) The above lines convey the undying spirit of Ulysses. Explain
(b) Pick out the words in alliteration in the above lines

…………………for my purpose holds
To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths
Of all the western stars, until I die.
(a) What was Ulysses' purpose in life?
(b) How long would his venture last?

One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
(a) Though made weak by time and fate, the hearts are heroic. Explain
(b) Pick out the words in alliteration in the above lines

Life is hard; be steel; be a rock."
(a) How should one face life?
(b) Identify the figure of speech in the above line

10.

Life is a soft loam/ be gentle/ go easx.
And this too might serve him."
(a) Why does the poet suggest to take life easy?
(b) Identify the figure of speech in the above line

11.

Tell him solitude is creative if he is strong
and the final decisions are made in silent rooms.
(a) can being in solitude help a strong human being? How?
(b) Identify the figure of speech in the above line.

12.

Tell him time as a stuff can be wasted.
Tell him to be a fool every so often
(a) Why does the poet suggest that time can be wasted?
(b) Identify the figure of speech in the above line.

13.

Tell him to be a fool ever so often
and to have no shame over having been a fool
yet learning something out of every folly
hnning to repeat none of the cheap follies
(a) Is it a shame to be a fool at times?
(b) What does one learn from every folly?

14.

" - - - - - - Free imaginations
Bringing changes into a world resenting cnenqe".
(a) How does free imagination help the world?
(b) Identify the figure of speech.

15.

Pick out the alliterated words from the poem and write.
And this might stand him for the storms

16.

"Legs wide, arms locked behind,
As if to balance the prone brow
Oppressive with its mind."
(a) Whose action is described here ?
(b) What is meant by prone brow ?
(c) What is his state of mind ?

17.

'You're wounded!' 'Nay; his soldier's pride
Touched to the quick, he said:
(a) Why'did the boy contradict Napoleon's words ?
(b) Why was his pride touched ?

18.

"A film mother-eagle's eye
When her bruised eaglet breathes"
(a) Who is compared to the mother eagle in the above lines ?
(b) Explain the comparison.

19.

"I will drink
Life to the lees; All times have enjoyed
Greatly, have suffer'd greatly both with those"
(a) How does Ulysses want to live ?
(b) Describe the experiences of Ulysses.

20.

"For always roammg with a hungry heart
Much have Iseen and known; cities men
And manners, climates, councils, government"
(a) How did Ulysses go around ?
(b) What did Ulyssescome to know out of his vast travel ?

21.

"Well-loved of me, discerning to fulfil
This labour, by slow prudence to make mild
A rugged people, and thro'soft degrees"
(a) Who is well-loved of Ulysses ?
(b) What is the labour mentioned here ?

22.

And this might stand him for the storms
and serve him for humdrum monotony
(a) What might stand the poet's son for the storms ?
(b) Give the meaning of the phrase 'humdrum monotony.

23.

The growth of a frail fbwer In a path up
has sometimes shattered and split a rock
(a) What has sometimes split a rock ?
(b) Write the words in alliteration in these lines.

24.

So does a rich soft wanting
Without rich wanting nothing arrives
(a) What does the poet mean by the second line ?
(b) Identify the figure of speech.

25.

Tell him too much money has killed men
And left them dead years before burial
(a) What happened to the people who wanted too much money ?
(b) Write the words in alliteration in the above lines.

26.

Tell him to be different from other people
if it comes natural and easy being different
(a) What are the poet's thoughts on being different ?
(b) What condition does the poet lay for being different ?

27.

Let him have lazy days seekfng his deeper motives
Let him seek deep for where he Is born natural
(a) Why does the poet advise his son to have lazy days ?
(b) What is the figure of speech employed in the first line ?

28.

"Just as perphaps he mused, 'My plans'
That soar, to earth may fall,
Let once my army leader Lannes
Waver at yonder welt"
(a) Why did Napoleon think that his plans that soared might fall to earth ?
(b) Find the rhyme scheme of the above lines.

29.

"Out 'twixt the battery - smokes there flew
A rider, bound on bound
Full - galloping"
(a) Who was riding at his fastest ?
(b) What does the phrase 'Full-galloping' mean ?

30.

You hardly could suspect
(So tight he kept his lips compressed scarce any blood came throught)
(a) What could one hardly suspect ?
(b) Why did the young soldier keep his lips compressed ?
(c) What happened to the rider ?

31.

''And you'll be there anon,
To see your flag - bird flap his vans
When I, to heart's desire
Perched him"!
(a) Who does 'you' refer to ?
(b) Who hoisted the flag ? Where ?
(c) Pick out the words in alliteration.

32.

"A film the mother-eagle's eye
When her bruised eaglet breathes:"
(a) Explain the comparison made in these lines.
(b) Pick out the words in alliteration.

33.

".... I mete and dole
Unequal laws unto a savage race,
That hoard, and sleep, and feed, and know not me."
(a) Who is the speaker here?
(b) What does he say about his subjects?

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Answers Key:

Poem - Appreciation questions

33 x 2 = 66

(a) Ulysses meets people and talks to them about the laws
(b) He did not enjoy what he was doing. His main goal was to travel for adventure. He called his people a savage race

(a) Experience is compared to an arch through which one can see the unknown world.
(b) When we see through the arch, the end fades away and immediately a new sight emerges. So the experience is endless.

(a) Ulysses wants to utilise whatever time is left with him. So every hour is important to him
(b) He is already old so only little time is left with him.

(a) Ulysses entrusts his kingdom to his son, Telemachus in his absence
(b) Sceptre is the decorated staff carried by kings. It is a symbol of kingly power.

(a) 'Thunder' and 'sunshine' refer to the easy and difficult situations they meet when they travel
(b) Sailors are ready to accept any situation on the way. They have positive attitude

(a) Ulysses has a strong and determined mind to travel. He will not be frightened of any difficult situation on the way
(b) ere- end; noble - note

(a) Ulysses' purpose in life was to travel to unknown lands which might lay far away from him.
(b) His venture would last till his death

(a) Ulysses and the sailors may be weak due to the age and their fate but they all have a very strong will.
(b) heroic - hearts;
weak - will;
strive - seek.

(a) One should face life by being like a rock
(b) Metaphor.

10.

(a) Life is like a fertile soil. We can make our life fruitful by being gentle and taking life easy.
(b) Metaphor.

11.

(a) Yes. Being in solitude helps a strong human being to introspect and make final decisions.
(b) Transferred Epithet.

12.

(a) Time can be wasted for leisure
(b) Repetition.

13.

(a) No, it is not a shame to be a fool at times. But follies should not be repeated
(b) One learns some lessons from every folly and hopes not to repeat anyone of the folies

14.

(a) Free imagination helps the world by introducing changes
(b) Transferred epithet.

15.

stand - storms

16.

(a) Napoleon'saction is described here.
(b) The phrase,'prone brow' means eye brow inclined downward. It conveys anxiety and concern.
(c) Napoleon was anxious

17.

(a) The boy felt proud to die for his country. So he contradicted Napoleon'swords by sayingthat he was killed and not wounded.
(b) His pride was touched to the quick when Napoleonsaid that he was wounded.

18.

(a) Napoleonis comparedto the mother eagle.
(b) The concerned mother eagle sees her bruised eagle that breathes painfully. Likewise Napoleon worriedly looks at the wounded soldier.

19.

(a) He wants to live his life to the fullest.
(b) Ulysses has enjoyed greatly and suffered also greatly.

20.

(a) He always went around with a hungry heart. He wanted to explore new places.
(b) Ulysses came to know different cities, their men, manners, climate and the types of governments.

21.

(a) Telemachus, his son is well-loved of Ulysses.
(b) The labour mentioned here is ruling the people.

22.

(a) Being like a hard rock might stand for the poet's son while facing the challenges of life.
(b) The phrase 'humdrum monotony' means boring routine.

23.

(a) The growth of a tender flower has sometimes split the rock
(b) frail - flower; sometimes - shattered - split.

24.

(a) Without the desire to earn sufficient money, one cannot satisfy one's basic needs for survival.
(b) Repetition.

25.

(a) Too much money has left men dead before, their burial.
(b) much - money - men; before - burial

26.

(a) The poet thinks that instead of being one among many, his son should stand different if it is natural and easy.
(b) The poet's son can be different if that is his nature.

27.

(a) The poet advises his son to have lazy days for finding his deeper motives and inherent talents.
(b) Transferred Epithet.

28.

(a) Napoleon was anxious about the result as Austrians were defending Ratisbon. So he feared that his plans that soared might fall to earth.
(b) abab.

29.

(a) A young soldier was riding at his fastest.
(b) The phrase, 'Full-galloping' means the horse running at its fastest.

30.

(a) One could hardly suspect that he was wounded.
(b) The young soldier kept his lips compressed to prevent the flow of blood from his mouth.
(c) He was wounded in the war.

31.

(a) 'You' refers to Napoleon.
(b) The young soldier hoisted the flag in the market-place.
(c) flag - bird, flap.

32.

(a) Napolean is compared to Mother Eagle and the Soldier to an Eaglet.
(b) Bruised - Breathes

33.

(a) Ulysses / The King / King of Ithaca
(b) They are savages who do nothing but hoard, sleep and feed