PSEB Class 10 English Poem 1 Character of a Happy Man Important Question Answers from English Main Course Book
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PSEB Class 10 English Poem 1 Character of a Happy Man Textbook Questions
1. What does the poet want to say in the poem?
Ans. The poet wants to tell us what real happiness looks like. He’s saying that true contentment comes from being honest, controlling your desires, not worrying about fame, and living a simple spiritual life. A genuinely happy person isn’t chasing wealth or power, they’re free from those ambitions. They have mastered themselves, they pray regularly, and they don’t let jealousy or worldly attachments control them. Even without material possessions, such a person has everything because they have inner peace and freedom.
2. Write a note on the central idea of the poem.
Ans. The poem talks about what makes someone genuinely happy. A happy person doesn’t work for others’ benefit or chase after what everyone else wants. They protect themselves with honest thinking and simple truth, that’s their armor and skill. They control their emotions instead of being controlled by them, and they’re ready to face death peacefully because they’ve lived well. They don’t care about public fame or private gossip.
Such a person never feels jealous when others succeed through luck or bad behavior. They don’t understand how people use praise to hurt others because they’re too genuine for that. They care about being good, not about political power. They pray every day asking God for grace more than material gifts. They spend their time reading spiritual books or talking with friends.
This person is free from wanting to rise higher or fearing they’ll fall lower. They rule themselves even if they don’t own property. And even though they have nothing material, they have everything that actually matters, peace, freedom, and contentment.
3. Write a summary of the poem in your own words.
Ans. The poem talks about what makes someone genuinely happy. A happy person doesn’t work for others’ benefit or chase after what everyone else wants. They protect themselves with honest thinking and simple truth, that’s their armor and skill. They control their emotions instead of being controlled by them, and they’re ready to face death peacefully because they’ve lived well. They don’t care about public fame or private gossip.
Such a person never feels jealous when others succeed through luck or bad behavior. They don’t understand how people use praise to hurt others because they’re too genuine for that. They care about being good, not about political power. They pray every day asking God for grace more than material gifts. They spend their time reading spiritual books or talking with friends.
This person is free from wanting to rise higher or fearing they’ll fall lower. They rule themselves even if they don’t own property. And even though they have nothing material, they have everything that actually matters, peace, freedom, and contentment.
4. Explain the lines: “Whose armour is his honest thought, And simple truth his utmost skill !”
Ans. These lines are beautiful. The poet is saying that an honest thought process is this person’s armor, their protection against the world. Just like a soldier wears armor to protect himself in battle, this happy person protects themselves by thinking honestly. They’re not scheming or plotting or lying to themselves.
And their greatest skill is being truthful. They’re not masters of manipulation or political games. They don’t have fancy talents for impressing people or climbing social ladders. Their utmost skill, the thing they’re best at, is just being truthful. That’s it. And according to the poet, that’s actually enough. You don’t need complicated strategies for life when you have honesty and truth on your side.
5. How does a man become really happy?
Ans. According to the poem, real happiness comes from several things working together. First, you need to be independent, not serving others’ whims or desires. Second, you need honesty as your foundation. Third, you’ve got to control your passions instead of letting them control you. Fourth, you shouldn’t care too much about fame or what people say about you.
It is also important not to be jealous of others’ success, whether they got it fairly or unfairly. One must follow moral rules instead of political ones, pray regularly and ask for spiritual growth more than material things. Spend your time with good books and good friends. When you do all this, you become free from the anxiety of wanting more or fearing you’ll lose what you have. You master yourself. And that self-mastery brings genuine happiness even if you own nothing.
6. How does ‘a religious book or a friend’ give happiness?
Ans. A religious book gives you spiritual knowledge, moral guidance, and peace. When you read it, you’re connecting with timeless wisdom and divine teachings. It reminds you what really matters and helps you stay grounded. It’s not about entertainment, it’s about nourishment for your soul.
A friend provides companionship, meaningful conversation, and genuine connection. The poet specifically says “a friend,” not “friends” or “parties”, he’s talking about quality over quantity. Deep conversations with one good friend are more valuable than shallow interactions with many people. Both the religious book and the friend help you “entertain the harmless day”, they fill your time in ways that are peaceful and enriching rather than stressful or corrupting.
7. How does a contented man have all without having anything?
Ans. This is the beautiful paradox at the poem’s end. A contented man doesn’t own land, wealth, or material possessions. But he “hath all” because he possesses the things that truly matter, inner peace, freedom from anxiety, self-control, virtue, honesty, and contentment. He’s not enslaved by wanting more or fearing he’ll lose what he has.
Think about it: rich people often aren’t happy because they’re always worried about losing their wealth or wanting even more. But someone who’s content with nothing has everything because they’re free. They’re “Lord of himself”, they rule their own mind and heart. That’s worth more than ruling lands. Material things can be taken away, but inner peace and self-mastery are yours forever. That’s how having nothing becomes having everything.
8. A ‘synonym’ means a word with a similar meaning. Write down the synonyms of the following words from the poem.
passions ……
fame ………
grace ………
service …….
vice ……..
Ans.
Passions: strong emotions, desires
Fame: reputation, renown, celebrity, recognition
Grace: divine blessing, spiritual favor
service: servitude, work, duty (from “serveth”)
vice: immoral behavior, wickedness
9. Life is not made difficult by a hostile fate but because of our own dreamy, unrealistic desires. Alexander Pope’s poem “The Quiet Life” conveys the same idea. Compare the two poems.
Ans. Both poems share a central theme: happiness comes from simplicity and contentment, not from chasing worldly ambitions. Our problems aren’t caused by bad luck or fate, they’re caused by our own unrealistic desires and constant wanting.
Wotton’s “Character of a Happy Man” focuses on specific qualities, honesty, self-control, spiritual devotion, and freedom from worldly attachments. His happy man is someone who’s mastered themselves and doesn’t serve others’ wills. Pope’s “The Quiet Life” similarly celebrates those who live peacefully away from the noise and ambition of court life and politics.
Both poets reject the idea that happiness comes from fame, wealth, or power. Both emphasize that controlling your desires is key to contentment. Both suggest that quiet, simple living with moral integrity beats ambitious striving for status. The main difference is perhaps in emphasis, Wotton focuses more on internal spiritual qualities while Pope might focus more on external circumstances of quiet living. But ultimately, both poems tell us: stop wanting so much, live simply and honestly, and you’ll find the happiness that ambitious people spend their whole lives chasing unsuccessfully.
Punjab Board Class 10 English Poem 1 Character of a Happy Man Extra Question and Answers
Extract-Based questions
A.
“How happy is he born or taught
That serveth not another’s will;
Whose armour is his honest thought,
And simple truth his utmost skill!”
Q1. What does “serveth not another’s will” mean?
Ans. It means not being enslaved to someone else’s desires or commands. The happy person lives independently, following their own values and conscience. They’re not constantly trying to please others or living according to what society expects from them.
Q2. How does honest thought act as “armour”?
Ans. Just like armor protects a soldier in battle, honest thinking protects this person from life’s challenges. Their sincere, truthful thoughts shield them from corruption, manipulation, and moral compromise. When you think honestly, you can’t be easily fooled or controlled.
Q3. What is meant by “simple truth his utmost skill”?
Ans. Their greatest ability or talent is just being truthful. They don’t have fancy skills for impressing people or manipulating situations. Straightforward honesty is their highest capability, and according to the poet, that’s actually enough for living successfully.
Q4. What does this extract tell us about true happiness?
Ans. True happiness comes from independence and integrity, not from external achievements. You don’t need wealth, power, or complicated strategies. Just honest thoughts and simple truthfulness protect you and guide you through life effectively.
Q5. What quality of a happy man is emphasized here?
Ans. Independence and honesty stand out most. The happy person isn’t a puppet dancing to others’ tunes. They live authentically, protected by sincere thinking and guided by truthfulness. That self-determination, combined with integrit,y forms their foundation.
B.
“Whose passions not his masters are,
Whose soul is still prepared for death;
Untied unto the world with care
Of public fame or private breath;”
Q1. What does “passions not his masters are” mean?
Ans. His emotions and desires don’t rule over him, he controls them instead. Most people become slaves to anger, greed, lust, and jealousy. But this happy person has mastered these impulses. He feels emotions but isn’t puppeteered by them.
Q2. Why is his soul “still prepared for death”?
Ans. Always prepared means he’s lived so well and consciously that death holds no terror for him. No regrets haunt him, no shame about his life. When you’ve lived with integrity, death loses its power to frighten you.
Q3. What does “untied unto the world with care of public fame or private breath” mean?
Ans. He’s not attached to the world through worries about reputation or gossip. Public fame doesn’t control his choices. Private breath means what people whisper about him privately, that doesn’t wound him either. Others’ opinions don’t bind him.
Q4. What is ironic about being prepared for death while truly living?
Ans. You’d think constantly thinking about death makes life gloomy. But actually, accepting mortality frees you to live fully. No fear, no desperate clinging to life, no anxiety about the end. That acceptance paradoxically makes you more alive right now.
Q5. What does this extract reveal about the happy man’s relationship with the world?
Ans. Complete detachment from worldly concerns defines him. He’s in the world but not controlled by it. Fame, gossip, reputation, none of these chains bind him. He has achieved rare freedom from others’ judgments and expectations.
C.
“Who envies none whom chance doth raise
Nor vice; who never understood
How deepest wounds are given with praise;
Nor rules of state, but rules of good:”
Q1. What does “whom chance doth raise nor vice” mean?
Ans. He doesn’t envy people who rise through mere luck or through immoral means. Success of another doesn’t poison his peace of mind.
Q2. How can “deepest wounds be given with praise”?
Ans. Praise can be weaponized. False flattery makes you complacent or proud, setting you up for a fall. Excessive praise creates expectations you can’t meet. People use compliments manipulatively to control you or let your guard down.
Q3. Why has he “never understood” this about praise?
Ans. He’s too genuine to think in these manipulative ways. He doesn’t recognize when others use praise as a weapon because he’d never do that himself. His sincerity makes him innocent of such scheming tactics.
Q4. What is the difference between “rules of state” and “rules of good”?
Ans. Rules of state mean political rules, power games, laws that serve those in authority. Rules of good mean moral principles, genuine ethics, what’s truly right and wrong. He follows conscience over convenience, integrity over advantage.
Q5. What quality of the happy man is highlighted here?
Ans. Moral integrity above worldly wisdom shines through. He cares about being genuinely good, not politically powerful. He’s too honest to understand manipulation. That purity of character, that commitment to goodness over cunning, defines him.
D.
“Who God doth late and early pray
More of His grace than gifts to lend;
Who entertains the harmless day
With a religious book or friend;”
Q1. What does “late and early pray” mean?
Ans. He prays both at night and in the morning, essentially all the time. His spiritual life isn’t occasional or sporadic. Prayer bookends his days, keeping him constantly connected to God throughout his life.
Q2. What is the difference between “grace” and “gifts”?
Ans. Grace means spiritual blessings, moral strength, wisdom, virtue, the ability to live well. Gifts means material things, money, possessions, worldly success. He wants to become a better person more than he wants to have more stuff.
Q3. Why does he ask for grace more than gifts?
Ans. He values who he is over what he has. Spiritual growth matters more than material accumulation. Character development beats circumstance improvement. That priority shows remarkable maturity, understanding that inner qualities outlast outer possessions.
Q4. What does “entertains the harmless day” mean?
Ans. He spends his innocent, peaceful days meaningfully. “Entertains” here means occupies or passes time, not parties. Harmless means simple, uncorrupted, wholesome. He fills his time constructively, not destructively or wastefully.
Q5. How do “a religious book or friend” bring happiness?
Ans. A religious book nourishes the soul with wisdom and divine teachings. One good friend provides deep, meaningful conversation and genuine connection. Both fill time peacefully and enrichingly, developing character rather than just passing time emptily.
E.
“This man is free from servile bonds
Of hope to rise, or fear to fall;
Lord of himself, though not of lands;
And having nothing, yet hath all.”
Q1. What are “servile bonds of hope to rise, or fear to fall”?
Ans. These are the chains of ambition and anxiety that enslave most people. Hope to rise means desperate desire for higher status. Fear to fall means anxiety about losing what you have. These hopes and fears bind people like slavery.
Q2. How is someone “lord of himself” without owning lands?
Ans. He rules himself, his thoughts, emotions, actions, even though he owns no property. Most people want to control things outside themselves but can’t even control their own minds and hearts. He’s conquered the harder kingdom, himself.
Q3. What is the paradox in “having nothing, yet hath all”?
Ans. Materially, he possesses nothing, no wealth, property, or possessions. But he has everything that truly matters: inner peace, freedom from anxiety, self-control, virtue, honesty, and contentment. Material poverty combined with spiritual wealth creates this beautiful contradiction.
Q4. Why is self-mastery more valuable than owning lands?
Ans. Lands can be taken away by war, theft, or disaster. But inner peace and self-control belong to you forever. External possessions are vulnerable and temporary. Internal qualities are permanent and unshakable. That’s why self-mastery trumps material ownership.
Q5. What is the ultimate message of this extract?
Ans. True richness isn’t material, it’s spiritual and internal. Freedom from the slavery of ambitions matters more than achieving status. Mastering yourself beats controlling external things. When you possess inner peace and virtue, you have everything regardless of material circumstances.
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
1. The poem “Character of a Happy Man” was written by ________.
A. Alexander Pope
B. Sir Henry Wotton
C. William Wordsworth
D. John Keats
Ans. B. Sir Henry Wotton
2. Sir Henry Wotton was born in the year ________.
A. 1558
B. 1568
C. 1578
D. 1588
Ans. B. 1568
3. The happy man’s armour is his ________.
A. wealth
B. power
C. honest thought
D. fame
Ans. C. honest thought
4. A truly happy man serves ________.
A. another’s will
B. his own honest principles
C. the king
D. society
Ans. B. his own honest principles
5. The happy man’s soul is always prepared for ________.
A. battle
B. wealth
C. fame
D. death
Ans. D. death
6. The happy man is untied to the world with care of ________.
A. public fame or private breath
B. wealth and property
C. family and friends
D. health and comfort
Ans. A. public fame or private breath
7. The happy man does NOT envy those raised by ________.
A. hard work
B. chance or vice
C. education
D. inheritance
Ans. B. chance or vice
8. According to the poem, deepest wounds are given with ________.
A. swords
B. hatred
C. praise
D. envy
Ans. C. praise
9. The happy man prays to God for ________ rather than gifts.
A. wealth
B. fame
C. grace
D. power
Ans. C. grace
10. The happy man entertains his day with ________.
A. parties and celebrations
B. a religious book or friend
C. travel and adventure
D. luxury and comfort
Ans. B. a religious book or friend
11. The happy man is free from servile bonds of ________.
A. poverty
B. hope to rise or fear to fall
C. illness
D. ignorance
Ans. B. hope to rise or fear to fall
12. Though not lord of lands, the happy man is lord of ________.
A. wealth
B. fame
C. himself
D. others
Ans. C. himself
13. Sir Henry Wotton studied at Winchester and ________.
A. Cambridge
B. Oxford
C. London
D. Edinburgh
Ans. B. Oxford
14. In 1595, Wotton was engaged by the Earl of Essex as ________.
A. poet
B. teacher
C. agent and secretary
D. diplomat
Ans. C. agent and secretary
15. Wotton’s poems and writings were collected in ________.
A. 1641
B. 1651
C. 1661
D. 1671
Ans. B. 1651
16. The happy man’s utmost skill is his ________.
A. intelligence
B. courage
C. simple truth
D. diplomacy
Ans. C. simple truth
17. Sir Henry Wotton was born in ________.
A. London
B. Kent
C. Oxford
D. Winchester
Ans. B. Kent
18. The happy man does NOT understand rules of ________.
A. grammar
B. mathematics
C. state
D. nature
Ans. C. state
19. According to the poem, the happy man’s passions are NOT his ________.
A. friends
B. enemies
C. masters
D. servants
Ans. C. masters
20. Having nothing, the happy man yet hath ________.
A. sorrow
B. regret
C. all
D. nothing
Ans. C. all
True or False
State whether the following statements are true or false
1. Sir Henry Wotton was a famous poet and diplomat.
2. The happy man serves another person’s will.
3. The happy man’s armour is his wealth and power.
4. A truly happy man’s soul is always prepared for death.
5. The happy man cares deeply about public fame.
6. According to the poem, deepest wounds are given with praise.
7. The happy man prays for more gifts than grace from God.
8. The happy man spends his day with a religious book or friend.
9. The happy man is a slave to hope and fear.
10. Though having nothing, the happy man has everything.
Answer
1. True
2. False (He does not serve another’s will)
3. False (His armour is his honest thought)
4. True
5. False (He is untied to the world with care of public fame)
6. True
7. False (He prays for more grace than gifts)
8. True
9.False (He is free from servile bonds of hope to rise or fear to fall)
10.True
Fill in the Blanks
1. The happy man’s armour is his ________ thought.
2. Simple ________ is the happy man’s utmost skill.
3. The happy man’s ________ are not his masters.
4. His soul is still prepared for ________.
5. He envies none whom ________ doth raise.
6. The deepest wounds are given with ________.
7. The happy man prays to God for His ________ rather than gifts.
8. He entertains the harmless day with a religious ________ or friend.
9. The happy man is lord of ________, though not of lands.
10. Having nothing, yet he hath ________.
Answers
1. honest
2. truth
3. passions
4. death
5. chance
6. praise
7. grace
8. book
9. himself
10. all
Extra Questions
Q1. What is the main theme of the poem “Character of a Happy Man’’?
Ans. The main theme is that true happiness comes from inner virtue, simplicity, and contentment rather than external achievements like wealth, fame, or power. The poem argues that a person who lives honestly, controls their passions, maintains spiritual faith, and remains free from worldly attachments is genuinely happy. It’s about finding freedom through self-mastery and moral living rather than through material possessions or social status.
Q2. Why does the poet say “how happy is he bom taught’’?
Ans. The poet is saying that some people are naturally born with these virtuous qualities, maybe it’s their temperament or upbringing, while others learn these qualities through experience and teaching. Either way works. Whether happiness comes naturally to you or you have to work to achieve it, what matters is that you develop these characteristics. The poet isn’t judgmental about how you get there; he’s just describing the destination.
Q3. What does “serveth not another’s will” mean?
Ans. This means not being enslaved to someone else’s desires or commands. A happy person isn’t constantly trying to please others or living according to what others expect. They’re not a servant to anyone’s whims. This doesn’t mean being selfish or rude, it means having independence and self-determination. You live according to your own values and conscience, not because someone else is pulling your strings.
Q4. Explain “Whose passions not his masters are.”
Ans. This line means that a happy person controls their emotions and desires instead of being controlled by them. Passions, like anger, lust, greed, jealousy, don’t rule over them. Most people are slaves to their emotions. They get angry and lash out, they want something and obsess over it, they feel jealous and become bitter. But the happy person has mastered these impulses. They feel emotions, sure, but they’re not puppets controlled by those feelings.
Q5. What is the significance of “Whose soul is still prepared for death”?
Ans. Someone who’s always prepared for death has lived so well and so consciously that they have no regrets or fears. They’re not afraid to die because they’ve lived with integrity. This doesn’t mean they want to die, it means they’ve made peace with mortality. They haven’t left important things unsaid or undone. They haven’t lived a life they’re ashamed of. When you live honestly and virtuously, death loses its terror because you know you’ve lived meaningfully.
Q6. Why is the happy man “untied unto the world with care of public fame or private breath”?
Ans. He’s not attached to the world through worries about his reputation (public fame) or gossip (private breath). He doesn’t lie awake at night wondering what people think of him or say about him. Public opinion doesn’t control his choices. Private gossip doesn’t wound him. He’s free from the anxiety that comes with caring too much about your image or reputation. This freedom from others’ judgments is a huge part of his happiness.
Q7. What does “How deepest wounds are given with praise” mean?
Ans. This is subtle. Praise can actually hurt people deeply because it can be used manipulatively. False praise makes you complacent or proud. Excessive praise sets you up for a fall. Praise can be a weapon disguised as a compliment, people use it to control you or make you drop your guard. But the happy man has “never understood” this because he’s too genuine. He doesn’t think in these manipulative ways, so he doesn’t recognize when others are using praise as a weapon.
Q8. Why does he follow “rules of good” rather than “rules of state”?
Ans. “Rules of state” means political rules, power games, laws that serve those in authority. “Rules of good” means moral principles, ethics, what’s genuinely right and wrong. The happy man cares about being morally good, not politically powerful. He’d rather do what’s right than what’s expedient. He follows his conscience instead of whatever helps him climb socially or politically. Integrity matters more than advantage.
Q9. What is the difference between asking for “grace” and asking for “gifts”?
Ans. Grace means spiritual blessings, wisdom, virtue, moral strength, divine favor, the ability to live well. Gifts means material things, money, possessions, health, success. The happy man prays for grace more than gifts. He wants to become a better person more than he wants to have more stuff. He’s asking God to improve his character rather than his circumstances. That’s the mark of spiritual maturity, valuing who you are over what you have.
Q10. Explain “Lord of himself, though not of lands.”
Ans. He rules himself, his thoughts, emotions, actions, even though he doesn’t rule any property or territory. He’s a master, but his kingdom is internal rather than external. Most people want to be lords of lands, to own and control things outside themselves. But they can’t even control their own minds and hearts. However, the happy man has achieved something more difficult and more valuable: self-mastery. He’s conquered himself, which is harder than conquering lands.