DELHI PUBLIC SCHOOL, UDAIPUR
Class: XII Subject: English Core (301)
A Thing of Beauty – Question & Answers
Q.1. According to Keats, what makes man love life in spite of all its problems and miseries? (All India 2000)
Ans: 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.
Q.2. What image does Keats use to describe the beautiful bounty of the earth? (Delhi 2010)
Ans: 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.
Q.3. What makes human beings love life inspite of troubles and sufferings? (All India 2010)
Ans: It is the occasional phases of joy and happiness that make life beautiful and make human beings love
life in spite of troubles and sufferings. Natural beauty in its various forms, like the clear rivers, the gurgling
brooks and forest vegetation, motivates us to live life and moves away the pall from our dark spirits.
Q.4. Mention any two ‘things of beauty’ that Keats has described in his poem. How do they make us
joyful? (Comptt. Delhi 2010)
Ans: 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.
Q.5. Why and how is grandeur associated with the mighty dead? (Delhi 2011)
Ans: Grandeur is associated with the mighty dead because of their grand deeds and achieve-ments. Their
achievements make their lives extraordinary. Therefore, the grandeur of the mighty dead is a thing of
beauty that is a source of inspiration for other.
Q.6. What is the message of the poem, ‘A Thing of Beauty’? (All India 2011)
Ans: John Keats was a worshipper of beauty and he saw it as an everlasting source of joy and happiness.
Through his poem he conveys that a thing of beauty removes the pall of sadness and sorrow and gives us
joy and pleasure. The beauty of a thing goes on increasing and never passes into nothingness.
Q.7. How is a thing of beauty a joy forever? (Delhi 2012)
Ans: A thing of beauty is a joy forever because it gives us eternal and everlasting happiness and leaves
such an impact in our mind that we are able to relive the wonderful feeling we get from it each time we
think about it. It never fades into nothingness, in fact its loveliness increases with each passing moment.
