Ozymandias Questions Answers Class 10 CBSE 2024-2025 provides a comprehensive guide for students studying the poem “Ozymandias” in the English Communicative (101) Class 10 CBSE syllabus. This resource includes detailed explanations and answers to key questions, helping Class 10 students understand and analyze the poem effectively. Perfect for the 2024-2025 academic year, it ensures thorough preparation for CBSE exams 2024-2025.
About the poet:
P.B. Shelley was born on August 4, 1792, in Horsham, England. He became a leading Romantic poet known for his radical and visionary ideas. Shelley’s life was tragically cut short when he died in a boating accident on July 8, 1822, at the age of 29. Despite his brief life, his works left a lasting impact on English literature. In “Ozymandias,” he reflects on the impermanence of human achievements and the inevitable decay of power. His poem serves as a timeless reminder of the fleeting nature of human glory.
About the Poem:
“Ozymandias” is a famous sonnet written by the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. The poem tells the story of a traveler who comes across the ruins of a once-great statue in the desert. The traveler describes the scene to the speaker of the poem.
The statue is broken and half-buried in the sand. All that remains are two huge stone legs and a shattered face, which still shows the arrogant expression of the king it once depicted. Near the ruins, there is an inscription that reads: “My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!”
Despite the grand words on the pedestal, the traveler observes that nothing else remains around the statue. The once-powerful empire of Ozymandias has crumbled into dust, leaving behind only the decaying statue as a reminder of his former glory.
Shelley’s poem highlights the inevitable decline of all human achievements and the transient nature of power and pride. No matter how great a ruler or empire may seem, time eventually erases their legacy, leaving behind only fragments and memories. The poem serves as a powerful reminder of the fleeting nature of human existence and the futility of seeking eternal fame and power.
Consult with the ‘A Textbook for English Course( Communicative) from the CBSE official Website (download) the poem
Ozymandias Questions Answers from Textbook
Questions Answers on Ozymandias from Textbook, Literature Reader (101) ” offers clear and concise solutions to the textbook exercises for a deeper understanding of the poem.
Ozymandias Questions Answers On Pages 108-109
4 Answer the following questions by selecting the correct options.
(a) The poem is set in…..
- (i) the wilderness
- (iii) a palace
- (ii) an ancient land
- (iv) a desert
Ans: (a) (iv) a desert
(b) Select the option that includes the set of qualities that the poet attributes to Ozymandias, in the given extract.
- (i) boastful, furious, manipulative
- (ii) ruthless, arrogant, desperate
- (iii) haughty, self-serving, contemptuous
- (iv) ambitious, aggressive, cruel
Ans: (b) (iii) haughty, self-serving, contemptuous
(c) In the line, “My name is Ozymandias, king of kings”, the poet makes an indirect reference to an ancient empire to remind readers that.
- (i) Time can be conquered
- (ii) humility is a great virtue
- (iii) the glory of the king is everlasting
- (iv) a monarch’s power is ephemeral
Ans: (c) (ii) humility is a great virtue
(d) The words ‘bare’ and ‘decay’ indicate that the mighty ruler has become
- (i) obscure
- (iii) dejected
- (ii) defenceless
- (iv) indestructible
Ans: (d) (ii) defenceless
(e) The tone of the poem is……..
- (i) mocking
- (i) nostalgic
- (iii) gloomy
- (iv) gloating
Ans: (e) (1) mocking
Ozymandias Questions Answers On Page 109
5 Answer the following questions briefy.
(a) “Look upon my works, ye Mighty, and despair!” Who is Ozymandias referring to when he speaks of ‘ye Mighty”? Why should they despair?
Ans: Ozymandias is referring to any warrior or king who thinks he is stronger than him when he speaks of ye Mighty. He thinks that they would become afraid of him when they see his might and his works because they cannot match him.
(b) Bring out the irony in the poem.
Ans: The irony in the poem lies in the statement which in engraved on the pedestal, “Look upon my works, ye Mighty, and despair!” At the same place now, there is nothing around except for vast stretches of sand and desert. Through these words, the king was trying to show his grandeur in the form of his statue, but now it stands broken in a place where time had blown away everything.
(c) The poem re-emphasises the idea that political power is transient but art is eternal and it survives. Do you agree? Why/ Why not?
Ans: No, I do not think that the poet re-emphasises the idea that political power is transient but art is eternal and it survives. According to the poet, nothing can escape time. Even art forms such as the sculpture made by Ozymandias fails the test of time.
(d) Overarching ambition can lead to great leaders and their downfall. Substantiate your position in favour or in opposition to this statement, with two points each.
Ans: It is true to say that overarching ambition can lead to great leaders and their downfall. Ambition drives a man towards a goal. A man with an ambition would work hard with sincerity, dedication and perseverance to reach the goal and sustain it. It was Ozymandias ambition that made him such a powerful king that he could boast of something. However, over ambition often also leads to downfall. Ozymandias is an example of such overarching ambition. He felt that he as well as his fame would live through time such that he would be immortalised. But nothing of the sort happens. The statue he gets made is ruined and destroyed.
(e) ‘Nothing beside remains’. What does the narrator mean when he says these words?
Ans: When alive, Ozymandias hoped that his mighty works would be admired by the world. But now, there is nothing left to see except his shattered statue. The poet means that Ozymandias’ existence has passed into oblivion and no trace of his glory can be seen anywhere.
(f) What message is conveyed through this poem?
Ans: This poem conveys the important message that time is all powerful. No king or his power can defeat time. Nothing lives forever and all achievements are lost due to passage of time. So, having pride in your achievements and showcasing them are meaningless.
Ozymandias Questions Answers On Page 110
6 Identify and rewrite the lines from the poem spoken by the narrator, the traveller and Ozymandias. What impact do your think these three voices have on the reader?
Ans:
The Narrator
I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said
The narrator’s lines tell us that whatever he is going to tell is a
narrative he had heard.
The Traveller
Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert.
Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;
And on the pedestal these words appear:
The lines of the traveller seems to show a factual description of
the destroyed statue and a sense od admiration for the sculptor.
Ozymandias
My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look upon my works, ye Mighty, and despair!”
The lines on the pedestal seem to be spoken by Ozymandias. These lines show that Ozymandias was a proud, arrogant and a conceited king.
7 Shelley’s sonnet follows the traditional structure of the fourteen-line Italian sonnet, featuring an opening octave, or a set of eight lines, that presents a conflict or dilemma, followed by a sestet, or a set of six lines, that offers some resolution or commentary upon the proposition introduced in the octave. Read the poem carefully and complete the following table on the structure of the poem.
Ans:
| Rhyme Scheme | Theme | |
| Octave | abacaded | Description of the statue |
| Sestet | abacac | Power of Time, Mortality of everything |
Ozymandias Questions Answers On Page 111
8. Complete the table listing the poetic devices used by Shelley in Ozymandias.
| Poetic Device | Lines from the poem |
| Alliteration | …and sneer of cold command |
| Synecdoche (substitution of a part to stand for thewhole, or the whole tostand for a part) | the hand that mock’d them |
9 Imagine that Ozymandias comes back to life and as he sees the condition of his statue, realisation dawns on him and he pens his thoughts in a diary. As Ozymandias, make a diary entry in about 150 words. You could begin like this: I thought I was the mightiest of all but….
Ans:
Wednesday, 10th July, 20xx
10:00 PM
Dear Diary
I thought I was the mightiest of all. But today I was completely shaken to see my own statue shattered with my head rolling in the sand and the trunk missing. There was a time when ten men used to run to wipe even a speck of dust on my shoes. However, today my statue lay shattered with the head on the ground. No one was even bothered about it. It took me a while to understand that my world had disappeared and all that was left was barren land with sand everywhere.
My own words inscribed on the pedestal seemed to make fun of me. I had challenged the mighty to match my exploits and here my own words and works were ruined with time. Now I know it is ‘time’ which is the mightiest. All else decays with time. Nothing is immortal.
Ozymandias
10 ‘Ozymandias’ and ‘Not Marble, nor the Gilded Monuments’ are on Time. Compare the two sonnets in terms of the way in which Time is treated by the poets. Write your answer in about 150 words.
Ans: The poems ‘Ozymandias’ by Shelley and ‘Not Marble, nor the Gilded Monuments‘ by Shakespeare are related to each other through some similarities and differences. The main similarity between the poems is that both the poems are on the subject of ‘time’. In both these poems, the poets convey the message that riches and wealth are not lasting and they perish with time.
In both the poems, the poets have treated Time as a destructive agent. They describe the ravages of time taking their toll on all materialistic things. The main difference between the two poems is that in ‘Not Marble, nor the Gilded Monuments’, Shakespeare treats love and poetry to be everlasting. In ‘Ozymandias’, Shelley does not talk about poetry or love. He shows that even the mightiest decays with time. He stresses that nothing is immortal.
11 ‘None are so empty as those who are full of themselves.” Compare and contrast the characters of Mrs. Packletide and Ozymandias in light of this statement.
Ans: It is true to say that ‘None are so empty as those who are full of themselves. We have two people in our curriculum that evidently prove this fact. The first one is Mrs. Packletide who wants to always be on the top of everything. She is so jealous of the fame her rival is receiving that she plans to do something (hunt a tiger) to outdo her. She even plans to throw a lunch to show off and give a tiger claw brooch to her rival.
However, in the end, she suffers monetary loss as to maintain the fame she has to hide the reality of the hunt. Much like Mrs. Packletide, there is Ozymandias. Ozymandias is so sure of his power and fame that he gets a statue made to present it. He even goes on to say that he is the king of kings. However, in the end even his arrogance is broken as the statue, that he believed would display his power, was completely destroyed and ruined.
12. Imagine the traveller of the poem writes a diary entry, narrating his personal impressions about the trunkless statue and feelings about being in the antique land. You
may begin like this…
The moment I saw the vast stretches of sand I couldn’t contain my excitement. In the midst of this sandy desert, I saw…
Ans: The moment I saw the vast stretches of sand I couldn’t contain my excitement. In the midst of this sandy desert, I saw two poles erected on a pedestal. I was shook. Why construct two poles on a pedestal? To seek my answer | decided to go near the poles. As I drew near, I realised that the poles were actually legs. It was a broken statue whose upper body is missing. Even the remaining part was on the verge of collapsing. I thought that if I look around I might some other part of the statue. And lo and Behold! I found the weird looking head. One look at it and you would know that the sculptor was skilled.
The expression on the statue was precise. It showed pride, anger and coldness. After inspecting the face of the statue, I returned to the pedestal. There was an inscription there. It said that it was the statue of Ozymandias, the king of kings. He asked the looker to look at his fame and glory but I could see none. What an arrogant man must he be to think that he would survive the test of time. As I had been reading the inscription, I realised that I had to return to continue my journey.
The Traveller
Extract-Based Ozymandias Questions Answers CBSE Class 10
Extract-Based Ozymandias Questions Answers CBSE Class 10 provides targeted answers and insights for passage-based questions to enhance comprehension and exam preparation.
Ozymandias Questions Answers Extract Based Set 1:
Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that follow.
1. I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
(a) Where was the traveller coming from?
(b) What had happened to the statue?
(c) What does the word ‘visage’ mean?
(d) Who does ‘T’ represent?
Ans: (a) The traveller was coming from an ancient land.
(b) Time had claimed the statue. It lay in ruins.
(c) The word ‘visage’ means face.
(d) ‘T’ represents the poet.
Ozymandias Questions Answers Extract Based Set 2:
Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that follow.
2. Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown, And
wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
(a) What lay near the trunkless legs of stone?
(b) Describe the expression on the face of the visage.
(e) What does ‘sneer of cold command’ mean?
(d) What do you mean by ‘shattered’?
Ans: (a) Near the trunkless legs of stone lay the partially buried broken face of the statue.
(b) On the face of the visage, the traveller could see the expression of a frown, wrinkled lip and a sneer of cold command.
(c) The phrase ‘Sneer of cold command’ refers to the facial expression of scorn or contempt in which the upper lip may be raised.
(d) The word ‘shattered’ means ‘to be broken into pieces’.
Ozymandias Questions Answers Extract Based Set 3:
Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that follow.
3. Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand, Half sunk,
a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read Which yet
survive, stamped on these lifeless things.
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed; CBSE 2013
(a) Who is the person described here?
(b) What does the face express?
(c) What does the word ‘visage’ means in the above lines?
(d) What is the poetic device employed here?
Ans:
(a) Ozymandias is described here.
(b) The face expresses pride and contempt.
(c) It means ‘face’.
(d) The poetic device employed here is ‘synecdoche’.
Ozymandias Questions Answers Extract Based Set 4:
Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that follow.
4. And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;
(a) What do ‘lifeless things’ mean?
(b) How do we know that he was a good sculptor?
(c) How did the heart feed the passions?
(d) What does the word ‘sculptor’ mean? CBSE 2014
Ans: (a) The expression ‘lifeless things’ refers to the scattered fragments of the broken statue of Ozymandias, especially the shattered face.
(b) The sculptor was good as he had managed to finely and precisely carve the king’s expressions on the statue’s face.
(c) The passions which were depicted on the statue’s face were those of vanity and self-importance. These were the emotions bom and produced in the king’s heart.
(d) The word ‘sculptor’ means mason.
Extract Based Questions Answers Set 5:
Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that follow.
5. Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;
(a) What is it that ‘yet survives’?
(b) Which is the hand that mocked them? CBSE 2012
(c) What does the word, ‘stamped’ in this context mean?
(d) What do the words ‘hand’ and ‘heart’ refer to?
Ans: (a) The facial expressions of vanity and self-importance have survived on the sculpted face of the statue.
(b) The sculptor’s hand mocked them.
(c) The word ‘stamped’ means ‘carved’.
(d) ‘Hand’ refers to the expert hand of the sculptor who made Ozymandias’ statue. The heart is that of Ozymandias.
Extract Based Questions Answers Set 6:
Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that follow.
6. The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;
And on the pedestal these words appear:
“My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look upon my works, ye Mighty, and despair!“
(a) What do the words written on the pedestal depict?
(b) What does the word ‘pedestal’ in the extract mean?
(c) Ozymandias wants other kings to recognise his
(d) What is meant by ‘king of kings’?
Ans: (a) The words written on the pedestal depict king Ozymandias’ pride and haughtiness.
(b) The word ‘pedestal’ means ‘a column where a statue stands’.
(c) achievements and exploits
(d) It means a king who rules over other kings or the most powerful king.
Extract Based Questions Answers Set 7:
Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that follow.
7. Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.
(a) What does ‘colossal wreck’ refer to?
(b) What does the last line suggest?
(c) Synonym of ‘boundless’ is
(d) Why did nothing remain?
Ans: (a) The phrase ‘colossal wreck’ refers to the huge statue of King Ozymandias which lies in ruins.
(b) The last line suggests that time is a leveller and destroyer. It broke the king’s arrogance by destroying his status. Now. only sand remains all around.
(c) ‘limitless’
(d) Nothing remains as time has destroyed everything in the region.
Extract Based Questions Answers Set 8:
Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that follow.
8. … Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch for away.
(a) What does the word ‘sands’ refer to?
(b) What does the expression ‘Round the decay’ mean?
(c) What lesson do you learn from the life of Ozymandias?
(d) Write the rhyme scheme of these lines.
Ans: (a) The word ‘sands’ refers to desert.
(b) It means the destruction caused with the passage of time due to natural causes.
(c) One should not be boastful and should show respect for others.
(d) The rhyme scheme is aba.
Short Answer Type Questions ( SAQs)
Answer the following questions in 30-40 words.
1. What expressions of Ozymandias have been captured by the sculptor?
Or, Describe the passions that were stamped on the lifeless stone of the broken statue of Ozymandias. CBSE 2012
Or, Describe the facial expressions of the broken statue of Ozymandias. CBSE 2012
Or, What do the expressions on Ozymandias’ face reveal about him? CBSE 2017
Ans: The sculptor has carved Ozymandias’ arrogance on the face of the statue. The statue had the expressions of a treer and a frown. The grim, arrogant expression on his lace reveals the excessive pride of the king.
2. What impression do you form about the sculptor through his work?
Or, How can we say that the sculptor was a master artist? CBSE 2017
Ans: The colossal statue of Ozymandias gives a clear indation that the sculptor was a master artist. He had very beautifully carved every detail of the king’s face. Even when the statue was lying in ruins, one could easily fake out the arrogant expression on it.
3. “The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed.” – Whose hand and heart has the poet referred to in this line? CBSE 2015
Ans: The hand is that of the sculptor who made the statue and captured the king’s feelings very well. The heart is that of the king who fed on the passion of his subjects.
4. What is ironic about the inscription on the pedestal of Ozymandias’ statue? CBSE 2016
Ans: The inscription on the pedestal of Ozymandias’ statue is ironic because the once great king is no more. Moreover, his empire, his rule and his people are all gone and have disappeared with the passage of time. Even his statue is wrecked and lost in the sands of a far away desert.
5. What quality of King Ozymandias does the poem reflect? CBSE 2015
Ans: King Ozymandias appears to be an arrogant and a very conceited ruler. He seems to have no concern for his fellow beings. He is proud of his power, position and glory, and boasts of being the greatest of all kings. King Ozymandias looked down upon the other kings. His irrational approach to immortalise himself by getting a colossal statue carved of himself shows his arrogance.
6. What moral is Shelley teaching through Ozymandias? CBSE 2012
Or, What does the partially destroyed statue of Ozymandias symbolize? CBSE 2012
Ans: Shelley, through the example of a vain king, tries to teach us that nothing is permanent in this world. Ozymandias tried to make a failed attempt at eternal glory and lost. However, the sculptor’s talent still survives, which means that only art and beauty, and not pride, is eternal.
Long Answers Type Questions( LAQs)
Answer the following questions in 150 words.
1. Bring out the central thought of the poem in your own words.
or Bring out the theme of Shelley’s poem, ‘Ozymandias’. CBSE 2012
or What is the central idea of the poem, ‘Ozymandias’? CBSE 2014
Ans: A traveller from an ancient land told the poet about the broken state of the statue of King Ozymandias. The statue, which once might have been great, had lost all its sheen and glory. Now, it lay in ruins. The trunk of the statue was nowhere to be seen. Its two vast legs remained on the pedestal and beside them, on the sand, was the king’s shattered face. It was not the magnificence Ozymandias hoped for. He wanted to be remembered as a great king. But all his works are lost. Only the arrogance on his face survives. In an attempt to immortalise himself as the king of kings, Ozymandias has made a mockery of himself. He appears to be rather foolish for his short-sightedness and pretentious behaviour. Shelley has pointed out in this poem the transience of human life and its pretensions to fame and fortune.
2. Time humbles even the greatest of the great. One should cultivate the quality of humility. Describe how time has reduced the mighty Ozymandias to nothing. CBSE 2018
Ans: It is true to say that time humbles even the greatest of the great and that one should cultivate the quality of humility, The truth of the statement is evident in the poem ‘Ozymandias’ in which a traveller from an ancient land saw was that the statue of the king Ozymandias. The statue was broken and lying in the desert with its trunk missing and sand surrounding it. The shattered face of the statue was lying some distance away from the legs, which were on a pedestal.
The statue in ruins bears witness to the face that nothing lasts forever. This is the true destiny of man, however powerful or famous he may be as long as he lives. Thus, the passage of time had reduced the memory of a mighty king to only a broken statue. The king’s power, pride and everything else had faded away with the passage of time. Time spares nobody and proves to be a great leveller. man is insignificant before the power of time and everything is reduced to nothing with its passage.
