CBSE Class 10 English Communicative Chapter 10 The Rime of the Ancient Mariner Question Answers from previous years question papers (2017-2025)
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner Previous Year Questions with Answers – Question Answers from Previous years Board Exam Question papers provide valuable insights into how chapters are typically presented in exams. They are essential for preparing for the CBSE Board Exams, serving as a valuable resource.They can reveal the types of questions commonly asked and highlight the key concepts that require more attention. In this post, we have shared Previous Year Questions for Class 10 English Communicative Chapter 10, “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”.
Questions from the Chapter in 2025 Board Exams
Q1. From the poems ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ and ‘The Snake’, discuss how the characters, the albatross and the snake view human attitude and perspective towards creatures. (150 Words) (8 marks)
Ans. In both the poems, we see the involuntary response of the human involved – to hit and try to kill the animal. This shows the inner voice of education and impulse which instructs humans to destroy other species.
In the poem ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’, the mariner shoots the albatross bird and kills it for no reason. The bird is a holy messenger, it is considered a good omen for the sailors. However, the mariner kills it on an impulse. The innocent albatross bird will consider humans to be heartless, the indiscriminately misuse the powers and weapons for harming and killing harmless animals.
In the poem ‘Snake’, the narrator hits the snake with a log of wood because his inner voice of education repeatedly coerces him to kill the snake and even challenges his manlihood for not doing so. He is termed a coward for not hitting the snake. It is said in Sicily that black snakes are harmless but the golden ones are venomous. Although the snake means no harm, it is simply there to quench its thirst and retreats back home, the narrator hits it. This will make the snake feel that humans are dangerous and so mean that they try to kill innocent and harmless animals.
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2019 Exam Question and Answers from the chapter
Q1. Why did the sailor hail the albatross in ‘God’s name’? [30 – 40 words]
Ans. The albatross is referred to as the Christian soul in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. It appeared out of nowhere, so it was praised in God’s name. The seafarers thought it was a lifesaver. The icebergs began to break after the albatross arrived, allowing the ship to go forward.
Questions that appeared in 2017 Board Exams
Q1. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
Ah ! Well-a-day ! What evil looks
Had I from old and young !
Instead of the cross, the Albatross
About my neck was hung.
(a) Why did the speaker have evil looks from the mariners?
Ans. The speaker had evil looks from the mariners because they held him responsible for their suffering.
(b) Why did they hang the albatross around the speaker’s neck?
Ans. They hung the Albatross around his neck as a mark of his sin and to evoke guilt in him. They did so out of a sense of revenge.
(c) What does the word ‘evil’ mean?
Ans. The word evil means wicked or cruel.
Q2. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
The Bridegroom’s doors are opened wide,
And I am next of kin;
The guests are met, the feast is set :
Mays’t hear the merry din.
(a) Who speaks the above lines?
Ans. mariner
(b) What occasion is being described?
Ans. the wedding
(c) What does the word, ‘merry’ mean?
Ans. happy
Q3. Why did the mariners hail the arrival of the albatross? [30 – 40 words]
Ans. The arrival of the bird was marked with the start of a favourable wind which drove their ship. Thus, the mariners treated it as a holy messenger of god that brought the good south wind.
Q4. No sinful action can ever go without its consequences. What consequences does the Ancient Mariner have to face as a result of his sinful action? [80 – 100 words]
Ans. The poem, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, deals a cruel mariner who did the ghastly act of killing the albatross. As a result, he landed himself in such a situation that all the sailors blamed him for the problem they faced during their voyage and hung the dead albatross around his neck to remind him of his sinful act. Through the poem, Coleridge wants to say that we are paid back in the same coin. The mariner was being tormented and the only way to lessen this torment was by sharing the incident with someone and to do the same, he stopped one of the wedding guests and told him the story. Thus, since that day, the mariner has been living a life of guilt and looking to expiate his sin.
Related:
- The Rime of the Ancient Mariner Class 10 English Summary, Explanation, Difficult Words
- The Rime of the Ancient Mariner Question Answers
- The Rime of the Ancient Mariner Character Sketch