Class 12 English (Elective) Poem 2 – Poems by Milton Important Question Answers from Kaleidoscope Book Poetry
Class 12 English (Elective) Poems by Blake Question Answers – Looking for questions and answers for CBSE Class 12 English (Elective) Poem 2 – Poems by Milton? Look no further! Our comprehensive compilation of important questions will help you brush up on your subject knowledge. Practising Class 12 English question answers can significantly improve your performance in the exam. Improve your chances of scoring high marks by exploring Poem 2 – Poems by Milton now. The questions listed below are based on the latest CBSE exam pattern, wherein we have given NCERT solutions to the chapter’s extract-based questions, multiple choice questions and Extra Question Answers
Also, practising with different kinds of questions can help students learn new ways to solve problems that they may not have seen before. This can ultimately lead to a deeper understanding of the subject matter and better performance on exams.
- Poems by Milton NCERT Solutions
- Poems by Milton Grammar Exercises
- Poems by Milton Extra Question Answers
- Poems by Milton Multiple Choice Questions
- Poems by Milton Extract Based Questions
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Poems by Milton Textbook Questions (NCERT Solutions)
Understanding the Poem (On Time)
1. Why has the poet pitted the flight of Time against the ‘lazy leaden-stepping hours’ and ‘the heavy Plummets pace’?
Ans. The speaker mocks Time, being fast-paced, his hours are slow-paced, and working against him. The speaker asks Time to run as fast as it can, until it outran itself in its race and also took away his lazy, slow-paced hours, whose speed is slow like the heavy lead weight has been put on them, who slows down the time’s fast movements. The speaker emphasises that time’s movement is limited by hours and bound to end, while humans can exist eternally.
2. What are the things associated with the temporal and what are associated with the eternal?
Ans. The poem shows how earthly worries are temporary, and happiness alone is permanent. The poet reveals that time is temporal, and the eternal aspects are joy, bliss, divinity, truth, peace, and love.
3. What guides human souls towards divinity? Who is the final winner in the race against Time?
Ans. When the earth is no longer in control of time, the joy will overtake humans like floods. Everything with positive aspects like loyalty, trust, happiness, helpfulness and so on, will be there, as all the worthless materialistic things are consumed by time. Everything that is left behind is positive, leading Earth to be a divine place, now humans can connect with God on a spiritual level. Truth, peace, and love will outshine everything around humans. The final winner in the race against Time is humans, as they win against death, time and chance.
Understanding the Poem (On Shakespear)
1. Why does Milton feel it is not necessary to put up a monument in stone for Shakespeare?
Ans. Milton was quizzical about the thought of building tombs. He questions why Shakespeare’s bones should be kept in the pile of stones which have been made by labourers through the years. Or why Shakespeare’s bones could be hidden under the y-like Pyramid reaching heaven. For him, building a memorial is a questionable enterprise. Milton believes that Shakespeare doesn’t want his bones to be treated like this. He considers his works to be the true monument and his bones are nothing in comparison to his work.
2. What does the ‘weak witness of thy name’ refer to?
Ans. The tombs and pyramids are referred to as the ‘weak witness of thy name’.
3. How does Milton describe Shakespeare as the source of inspiration for all succeeding generations of poets?
Ans. The poets of Shakespeare’s age are trying hard to create work like him, though they are failing, as his art is inbuilt and touches the heart of the people easily. He considers them as the creator of ‘slow endeavouring art’. He believes their poetry is slow and uninspiring, in comparison to Shakespeare’s art. In contrast to their poetry, Shakespeare’s words are in poetic flow, which comes easily to him. Some of his work has touched the hearts of the readers so much that they would take off the leaves of his priceless work.
4. What is the best tribute that posterity has bestowed on Shakespeare?
Ans. Shakespeare’s readers are his real tomb, where his works and memories were living with pride. The readers have become his tomb in which he rests forever. Every king would love to die in a Tomb like Shakespeare’s because then, it won’t perish and his legacy would be passed on to readers for ages.
Poems by Milton Grammar Exercises
Language Study
Etymology is the study of the history of linguistic change. When applied to individual words, it is an account of (i) the history of a word, (ii) the derivation of a word.
The dictionary meaning of a word is followed by notes on its origin.
For the word ‘entomb’d’ the information we get is: [late ME entoumbe(n) MF entombe(r)]. This means that
- The word is found in late Middle English
- The word is of French origin and is found in use from 1578
- Also, about 30 percent of the words in English are of French origin. Borrowings from French reached its height after the Norman Conquest (1066)—between 1250 and 1400.
Ans. Whilst
The earliest known use of whilst was in the 14th century. From Late Middle English whilst, whilest, qwhilste (Northern England)
Hath
“Hath” comes from the Proto-Germanic word habaiþi, which is equivalent to “have” plus “-th”
Thy
The word “thy” comes from the Old English word thīn, which was the possessive form of thū (“thou”).
Thou
The word thou comes from the Old English word þū, which comes from the Proto-Indo-European word tu.
Sepulcher’d
The word sepulcher comes from the Latin word sepulcrum, which means “grave” or “burial place”. The word entered the English language in the 13th century.
Thy self
The word thyself comes from the Middle English words thy-self, thiself, and thi-zelf, which are derived from the Old English word þīnes selfes. Thyself is formed by combining the words “thy” and “self”.
Hast
The word hast comes from the Old English word hæfst, which was the second-person singular form of the verb habban.
CBSE Class 12 English (Elective) Poem 2 – Poems by Milton Extra Question and Answers
Answer the following questions.
Q1. How has the speaker described Time?
Ans. ‘Time’ has been described as a person with the Supreme abilities. The negative adjectives used to describe Time show that the speaker has a pessimistic viewpoint towards Time. The speaker has called the Time ‘envious’ of human beings as it is bound to end, unlike humans who live eternally. The speaker asks Time to run as fast as it could, until it outran itself in its race and also take away its lazy, slow-paced hours, whose speed is slow like the heavy lead weight has been put on them, who slow down time’s fast movements. The speaker emphasises that Time movement is limited by hours and bound to end, while humans can exist eternally. He wants Time to consume beyond its capacity, everything it can swallow since everything that has negative aspects and adds to our arrogance is worthless. It’s a little gain for time and little loss for humans, as these aspects are worthless for them.
Q2. How would Earth be a divine place?
Ans. When the speaker told Time, when everything bad, like anxiety, fears, jealousy and so on, has been buried inside it and there is nothing left to eat, but to consume itself to fulfill its greed. The speaker wants Time to end itself. After this, every human will be welcomed with an individual kiss from eternity and live with happiness on Earth. Without time, the human will not be bound by wants and pressure to accomplish materialistic things. Once the earth is no longer in control of time, the joy will overtake humans like floods. Everything with positive aspects like loyalty, trust, happiness, helpfulness and so on, will be there, as all the worthless materialistic things are consumed by time. Everything that is left behind is positive, leading Earth to be a divine place, now humans can connect with God on a spiritual level.
Q3. How do humans win against death, chance and time?
Ans. Everything that is left behind, after Time consumes itself, is positive, leading Earth to be a divine place, now humans can connect with God on a spiritual level. Truth, peace, and love will outshine everything around humans. When humans connect to God, that’s the sight that would bring more joy and happy moments. When humans experience the heavenly aspects, then our Earth leaves out negative emotions and humans will feel like they are forever adorned with stars, winning over death, chance, and time, as they don’t bother them anymore.
Q4. What is Milton quizzical about?
Ans. Milton has been quizzical from the beginning of the poem by asking why Shakespeare needs a memorial of stones for his sacred bones that have taken a lifetime to build. For Milton, Shakespeare’s bones are honourable. He asks the readers why Shakespeare’s bones should be kept in the piled stones which have been made by labourers over the years. Or why Shakespeare bones could be hidden under the Pyramid reaching heaven. For him, building a memorial is a questionable enterprise. Milton believes that Shakespeare doesn’t want his bones to be treated like that.
Q5. Whom does Milton consider as his heir?
Ans. He refers to William Shakespeare’s works as the offspring of his memory and the one who inherits his fame because he is still remembered by the people for his famous work.
Class 12 Poems by Milton Multiple Choice Questions
Q1. Who is the speaker talking to?
A. Time
B. Joy
C. Lazy-laden stepping hours
D. Humans
Ans. A. Time
Q2. Who would take over Time’s position?
A. Lazy-laden stepping hours
B. Joy
C. Humans
D. Speaker
Ans. B. Joy
Q3. Who is Time envious of?
A. Joy
B. Lazy-laden stepping hours
C. Humans
D. Speaker
Ans. C. Humans
Q4. Who is being mocked by the speaker in the poem?
A. Time
B. Lazy leaden-stepping hours
C. Joy
D. Humans
Ans. B. Lazy leaden-stepping hours
Q5. What does the speaker consider as ‘dross’?
A. Negative aspects that add up to arrogance
B. Positive aspects
C. Joy
D. Time
Ans. A. Negative aspects that add up to arrogance
Q6. What does the speaker want Time to gut itself with?
A. Negative aspects that add to arrogance
B. Humans
C. Hours
D. Joy
Ans. A. Negative aspects that add to arrogance
Q7. What does the speaker mean by ‘individual kiss’?
A. Kiss of death
B. Kiss of negative aspects
C. Kiss of time
D. Blessings or happiness every individual is bestowed with
Ans. D. Blessings or happiness every individual is bestowed with
Q8. What is entombed inside Time?
A. Joy
B. Negative aspects that boast our arrogance
C. Hours
D. Humans
Ans. B. Negative aspects that boast our arrogance
Q9. What does the Supreme Throne represent?
A. Time
B. Joy
C. Hours
D. God
Ans. D. God
Q10. Which aspect humans won’t win against after they become Heavenly souls?
A. Chance
B. Time
C. God
D. Death
Ans. C. God
Q11. What is Milton quizzical about in the poem ‘On Shakespear’?
A. He questions building a tomb for Shakespeare
B. To sing his praises to other poets
C. He wants to read his work
D. To write him a poem
Ans. A. He wants to build a tomb
Q12. What does the poet mean by ‘weak witnesses’?
A. Milton
B. Tomb
C. Readers
D. Shakespeare’s work
Ans. B. Tomb
Q13. What does the poet refer to as ‘live-long Monument’?
A. Milton
B. His work that stays in the people’s heart
C. Pyramid
D. Tomb
Ans. B. His work that stays in the people’s heart
Q14. What does the poet refer to as ‘reliques’?
A. Shakespeare’s bones
B. Shakespeare’s sonnet
C. Shakespeare’s plays
D. Shakespeare’s poems
Ans. A. Shakespeare’s bones
Q15. What does the poet mean by the ‘leaves of thy unvalu’d Book’?
A. Unpublished work of Shakespeare
B. Pages of unpublished work of Shakespeare
C. Pages of Shakespeare’s work
D. Tree leaves
Ans. C. Pages of Shakespeare’s work
Q16. Who is Milton talking to?
A. Shakespeare and Readers
B. No one
C. Self meditative poem
D. To Poets of Shakespeare’s era
Ans. A. Shakespeare and Readers
Q17. Who is referred to as ‘Marbles’?
A. Tomb
B. Readers
C. Stones used to make tomb
D. Pyramid
Ans. B. Readers
Q18. Why does the poet want to build a Pyramid?
A. To Hide Shakespeare’s bones
B. In Shakespeare’s memories
C. It’s perishable
D. It’s feasible
Ans. A. To Hide Shakespeare’s bones
Q19. What is the type of Milton’s poem ‘On Shakespear’?
A. Limerick
B. Narrative
C. Dramatic
D. Epitaph
Ans. D. Epitaph
Q20. What does the poet mean by ‘slow endeavouring art’?
A. Poets of Shakespeare’s era were inspiring
B. Shakespeare’s art was slow and uninspiring
C. Poets of Shakespeare’s era were slow and uninspiring
D. Shakespeare’s art was an endeavouring
Ans. C. Poets of Shakespeare’s era were slow and uninspiring.
CBSE Class 12 English (Elective) Poem 2 Poems by Milton Extract-Based Questions
Answer the following extract-based questions.
A.
Fly envious Time, till thou run out thy race,
Call on the lazy leaden-stepping hours,
Whose speed is but the heavy Plummets pace;
And glut thy self with what thy womb devours,
Which is no more than what is false and vain,
And merely mortal dross;
So little is our loss,
So little is thy gain.
Q1. Who is the speaker talking to?
Ans. The speaker is talking to Time.
Q2. Who is the Time envious of?
Ans. Time is envious of humans as it is bound to end, unlike humans who live eternally.
Q3. Who is mocked by the speaker in this stanza?
Ans. The lazy leaden-stepping hours have been mocked by the speaker as time’s movement is bound to it.
Q4. How did the speaker mock hours?
Ans. He called hours’ pace as a lazy, leaden-stepping who slows down the pace of Time, who is running at a fast pace.
Q5. What did the speaker tell the Time to do?
Ans. The speaker told the Time to consume beyond his capacity and swallow everything that has negative aspects, adding to our arrogance, as the speaker considers them as worthless.
B.
For when as each thing bad thou hast entomb’d,
And last of all, thy greedy self consum’d,
Then long Eternity shall greet our bliss
With an individual kiss;
And Joy shall overtake us as a flood,
When every thing that is sincerely good
And perfectly divine,
With Truth, and Peace, and Love shall ever shine
About the supreme Throne
Of him, t’whose happy-making sight alone,
When once our heav’nly guided soul shall clime,
Then all this Earthy grossnes quit,
Attir’d with Stars, we shall for ever sit,
Triumphing over Death, and Chance, and thee O Time.
Q1. What has been entombed in Time?
Ans. Time has entombed every negative aspect like fear, anxiety, jealousy and so on, inside it.
Q2. What is referred to as ‘long Eternity’ and ‘individual kiss’?
Ans. Long Eternity is referred to as humans living on earth without any negative aspects and time around them. The individual kiss refers to happiness or blessings every individual would be blessed with.
Q3. What does the speaker mean by ‘thy greedy self consum’d’?
Ans. The speaker wants Time to consume itself to fulfill its greed. He wants Time to end itself, so that Joy can overtake the human race.
Q4. What does the Supreme Throne represent?
Ans. The Supreme Throne represents God.
Q5. What will happen after joy overtakes the human race?
Ans. When Joy overtakes the human race, all that is left is the truth, peace and love among our heavenly souls. The humans can then connect with God, winning over death, chance and time.
C.
What needs my Shakespear for his honour’d Bones,
The labour of an age in piled Stones,
Or that his hallow’d reliques should be hid
Under a Star-ypointing Pyramid?
Dear son of memory, great heir of Fame,
What need’st thou such weak witness of thy name?
Thou in our wonder and astonishment
Hast built thy self a live-long Monument.
Q1. What is the subject of the poem?
Ans. The poem is about William Shakespeare, the poet.
Q2. What does the poet mean by ‘weak witness of thy name’?
Ans. The ‘weak witness of thy name’ refers to the tomb that the poet Milton is talking about constructing for his bones.
Q3. Who is referred to as ‘Dear son of memory, great heir of Fame’?
Ans. Milton refers to William Shakespeare’s works as ‘Dear son of memory, great heir of Fame’.
Q4. What does the poet mean by ‘Hast built thy self a live-long Monument’?
Ans. Milton addresses Shakespeare about his works that have left the people with so much wonder and surprise, that he lives within the heart of his readers. ‘Live-long Monument’ refers to the heart and memory of the readers.
Q5. What was the idea given by Milton to Shakespeare about his bones?
Ans. He gives him an idea that either his bones could be kept in the piled Stones, which have been made by labourers through the years, or his bones could be hidden under the pyramid reaching the stars.
D.
For whilst to th’shame of slow endeavouring art,
Thy easie numbers flow, and that each heart
Hath from the leaves of thy unvalu’d Book,
Those Delphic lines with deep impression took,
Then thou our fancy of it self bereaving
Dost make us Marble with too much conceaving;
And so Sepulcher’d in such pomp dost lie,
That Kings for such a Tomb would wish to die.
Q1. Why does Milton call poets of Shakespeare’s era ‘slow endeavouring art’?
Ans. The poets of Shakespeare’s age are trying hard to write work like him, though they are failing, as his art is inbuilt and touches the heart of the people easily. Their work is slow and uninspiring in comparison to Shakespeare.
Q2. Where is Shakespeare’s Tomb?
Ans. Shakespeare’s readers are his real tomb, where he lives with pride.
Q3. What does the poet mean by the lines ‘Then thou our fancy of it self bereaving’?
Ans. Milton in the lines ‘Then thou our fancy of it self bereaving’ means that Shakespeare makes the readers mourn for their imagination, as no poet can write like Shakespeare. The reader’s imagination feels the loss of Shakespeare’s works.
Q4. Are poets successful in copying Shakespeare’s style?
Ans. No, the poets of Shakespeare’s age are trying hard to write work like him, though they are failing, as his art is inbuilt and touches the heart of the people easily.
Q5. What was the King envious of?
Ans. Shakespeare’s readers are his real tomb, where he was living with pride. Every king would love to die to be in a Tomb like Shakespeare’s.