Unlock the key to success with important questions and answers for Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day in Class 12 WBCHSE 2024 and boost your confidence for the upcoming exams with our invaluable Class 12 WBCHSE 2024 Important Questions and Answers.
Sonnet No. 18: Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day MCQ Types
1. The eye of heaven’ in Shakespeare’s Sonnet No. 18 refers to (a) the sun (b) the moon (c) the poet (d) the clouds [ HS 2023,2015]
Ans: (a) the sun
2. “Thou art more lovely and more temperate.” -The word ‘thou’ refers to (a) the poet’s lady love (b) the poet’s mother (c) the poet’s friend (d) the poet himself
Ans: (c) the poet’s friend
HS English Suggestion 2024 with Answers Prose Poetry Drama pdf download
HS English Suggestion 2024 with Answers Prose Poetry Drama pdf download provides comprehensive exam preparation for Higher Secondary Class 12 students with 8 Years’ of Solved Answers. This last-minute HS English Suggestion 2024 covers Prose, Poetry, and Drama, including MCQs, Short Questions (SAQ), and Subjective/Descriptive formats for the best performance of the upcoming exams in 2024.
Class 12 English Writing Suggestion 2024 pdf Answer WBCHSEdownload
Higher Secondary English exams often require astute writing skills. The Class 12 English Writing Suggestion 2024 Answer WBCHSE aims to guide students through this demanding section, providing strategies and insights to excel in their examinations.
Higher Secondary English Textual Grammar Suggestion with Answers 2024pdf download
Access WBCHSE Class 12’s Higher Secondary English Textual Grammar Suggestion 2024 with Answers. Enhance preparation with the Last Eight Years H S English Textual Grammar Solved Questions, offering comprehensive study notes tailored for WBCHSE students aiming to excel in the upcoming H S Exams in 2024.
3. “But thy eternal summer shall not fade.”- The word opposite in meaning to ‘eternal’ is – (a) universal (b) temporal (c) decayed (d) momentary…
Ans: (b) temporal
4. “And summer’s lease hath all too short a date.”-The word ‘lease’ bears (a) medical metaphor (b) legal metaphor (c) political metaphor (d) sports metaphor
Ans: (b) legal metaphor
5. The phrase ‘eternal summer’ suggests- (a) the death of the poet’s friend (b) talent of the poet’s friend (c) the poet’s death (d) the youthfulness of the poet’s friend
Ans: (d) the youthfulness of the poet’s friend
6. The winds that blow in summer in Shake- speare’s ‘Sonnet No. 18’ are- (a) balmy (b) weak (c) hot (d) rough [2016]
7. The ‘darling buds’ are shaken by rough winds in- (a) March (b) April (c) May (d) June [ 22, 17]
Ans: (c) May
8. “So long lives this.”-Here ‘this’ means- (a) the poet’s friend (b) the poet’s sonnet (c) the poet’s pet (d) the poet’s maid [2017]
Ans: (b) the poet’s sonnet
9. Death has no control over- (a) the young person (b) the poet (c) the beauty of the poet’s friend (d) poetry
Ans: (c) the beauty of the poet’s friend
10. The poet states that summer- (a) is not eternal (b) is hot and humid (c) is eternal (d) is constant
Ans: (a) is not eterna
11. But thy eternal summer shall not fade’-here ‘thy’ refers to- (a) Shakespeare (b) the sun (c) Shakespeare’s friend (d) the season of summer [HS 2020]
13. “ …. His gold complexion dimmed.” Here ‘his’ refers to – (a) the sun (b) the sky (c) the poet’s friend (d) the poet himself [HS 2019]
Ans: (a) the sun
Sonnet No. 18: Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day Short Types Questions
1. What will make the beauty of the poet’s friend eternal?[HS 2015]
Ans: Shakespeare’s eternal verse will make the beauty of his friend eternal.
2. How long will the young man be remembered in Shakespeare’s Sonnet No. 18?
Ans: In Shakespeare’s ‘Sonnet No. 18: Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day, the young man will be remembered as long as men can breathe and eyes can see.
3. What does Shakespeare compare his friend to?
Ans: Shakespeare compares his friend to a beautiful summer day.
4. “But thy eternal summer shall not fade.”- What does the word ‘summer’ refer to here?
Ans: Here ‘summer’ refers to the youth and beauty of the poet’s friend.
5. “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?”- Does the speaker think the comparison is proper or worthy?
Ans: The poet thinks that his friend’s beauty is more lovely and more temperate compared to a summer’s day and hence the comparison is improper or unworthy.
6. “And often is his gold complexion dimmed” – Whose ‘complexion’ is referred to here?
Ans:The complexion of the sun is referred to here.
7. How is the “gold complexion” of the sun dimmed? 2016
Ans: The ‘gold complexion’ of the sun is dimmed whenever it is covered by clouds.
8. “And summer’s lease hath all too short a date.”-What is meant by ‘summer’s lease?’2016
Ans:The expression ‘summer lease’ means the span of summer.
9. What does the eye of heaven’ refer to? [2017]
Ans: The eye of heaven’ refers to the sun.
10. “So long lives this?”-What is referred to by the word ‘this’?
Ans: “This’ refers to the sonnet written by the poet himself.
11. What gives life to the poet’s friend in Shakespeare’s Sonnet No. 18? [2018]
Ans: This poem (i.e. Sonnet No. 18) gives life to the poet’s friend.
12. What does the line ‘And every fair from fair sometimes decline’ mean? [HS 2020]
Ans: This line means every beautiful object loses its beauty either by chance or by changing the course of nature.
13. In which month can the darling buds’ be seen? [HS 2020]
Ans: Darling buds can be seen in the month of May.
14. What shall death not brag about in Shakespeare’s poem? [HS 2022,2019,2015]
Ans: In Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18, Death shall not brag about taking away the beauty and immortality of the poet’s friend, as the poet immortalizes his friend through the verses of the sonnet.
15. What kind of a poem is “Shall I compare thee to a Summer’s Day”? [ HS 2022,2019]
Ans: “Shall I compare thee to a Summer’s Day” is a sonnet.
16. How long will the young men be remembered in Shakespearean Sonnet No 18? [HS 2022, 2018]
Ans: So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, the young men will be remembered in Shakespearean Sonnet No. 18.
17. What does the ‘eye of heaven’ refer to? [ HS 2022]
Ans: The ‘eye of heaven’ refers to the Sun.
18. What do the rough winds do? [HS 2023]
Ans: In Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18, the rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, symbolizing the transient nature of beauty and emphasizing the speaker’s desire to immortalize it through the enduring power of poetry.
19. What does the poet compare his friend to? [HS 2023]
Ans: In Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18, the poet compares his friend to a summer’s day, highlighting the friend’s eternal beauty and surpassing the fleeting nature of the seasons.
20. What does the line “And every fair from fair sometimes decline” mean? [HS 2020]
Ans: The line “And every fair from fair sometimes declines” from Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 means that the beauty of everything that is considered fair or beautiful can diminish or decline over time.
Sonnet No. 18: Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day Subjective/Descriptive Types Questions
1. What do the rough winds do? What does the poet mean by ‘summer’s lease’? How is the friend’s beauty superior to the summer’s day? [HS 2020] 1+1+4
Ans: In “Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day,” William Shakespeare explores the enduring nature of love. The rough winds symbolize life’s challenges and adversities, suggesting that love can withstand and even triumph over difficulties. “Summer’s lease” refers to the temporary nature of the season, contrasting with the timeless beauty of the friend. The poet contends that the friend’s beauty surpasses that of a summer day because it is eternal, unaffected by the inevitable decline of nature. By immortalizing the friend in verse, Shakespeare suggests that love, once expressed in poetry, transcends the fleeting and transient aspects of the physical world.
2. Write a substance of the sonnet ‘Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day’ by Shakespeare.
Ans: “Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day,” one of Shakespeare’s most celebrated sonnets, explores the enduring power of poetry and love. The speaker debates whether to liken the beloved to a summer day, acknowledging the season’s fleeting nature. Ultimately, the poet decides against the comparison, asserting that the friend’s beauty surpasses the transience of summer. The sonnet becomes a testament to the timeless quality of true love, preserved in the lines of the poem. It suggests that the beauty of the beloved, once captured in verse, defies the ravages of time, ensuring a lasting legacy that transcends the limitations of mortal existence.
3. “… and this gives life to thee.”-What does ‘this’ refer to? Who is referred to by ‘thee’? How does ‘this’ give life?/What does the poet want to convey here? 1+1+4
Ans: In the line “and this gives life to thee” from Shakespeare’s sonnet “Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day,” ‘this’ refers to the act of immortalizing the beloved through poetry. ‘Thee’ refers to the beloved or the person being addressed in the sonnet. The poet suggests that by capturing the beauty and essence of the beloved in verse, the act of writing itself breathes life into the subject, preserving their qualities for eternity. It conveys the idea that the enduring power of the written word can transcend time, ensuring that the beloved’s essence lives on through the lines of the poem.
4. How does Shakespeare immortalize his friend’s beauty in the ‘Sonnet No. 18’?
Or, Describe how the theme of Sonnet No. 18 shifts from mutability to eternity.
Ans: In Sonnet 18, often known as “Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day,” Shakespeare immortalizes his friend’s beauty through the art of poetry. The sonnet itself becomes a timeless vessel, preserving and transcending the ephemeral nature of the friend’s physical allure. Shakespeare rejects the idea of comparing the friend to a summer day, which is temporary, opting instead to create a lasting tribute in verse. By capturing the essence of the friend’s beauty in the lines of the poem, Shakespeare believes he can defy the ravages of time, ensuring that the friend’s loveliness will endure as long as people read and appreciate the sonnet.
5. Discuss the time versus love conflict as presented by Shakespeare in his poem, ‘Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day.
Or, “When in eternal lines to time thou grow’sť” -What are ‘eternal lines’? Who is referred to by ‘thou’? How will ‘thou grow’st’ in eternal lines? 1+1+4
Ans: In the line “When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st” from Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18, “eternal lines” refer to the enduring words of the sonnet itself. ‘Thou’ in this context refers to the poet’s beloved or the person being addressed. The phrase “thou grow’st” conveys the idea that the beauty and essence of the beloved will flourish and endure over time within the eternal lines of the poem. By immortalizing the beloved in verse, the poet suggests that the subject’s qualities will grow and thrive through the timeless nature of the written words, defying the inevitable decay that time imposes on physical existence.
6. “And every fair from fair sometime declines.” From which poem is the line quoted? Who is the poet? Briefly explain the meaning of the quoted line. How does the poet promise to immortalize his friend’s beauty? [HS 2018, 2022] 1+1+2+2
Ans: The line “And every fair from fair sometime declines” is from Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18. William Shakespeare is the poet. The line expresses the idea that beauty fades over time; everything beautiful eventually experiences a decline or deterioration. The poet promises to immortalize his friend’s beauty by capturing it in verse. In the lines that follow, he asserts that as long as people read his sonnet, the friend’s beauty will live on, defying the natural decay of physical beauty. The act of poetic creation becomes a means to preserve and immortalize the enduring qualities of the beloved.
7. What type of poem is ‘Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Who is the poet? Whom does the poet speak of? What does the poet say about the person spoken of? 1+1+1+3 [ HS 2023]
Ans:“Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day?” is a Shakespearean or Elizabethan sonnet. The poet is William Shakespeare. In the poem, the speaker addresses a beloved friend, contemplating whether to compare them to a summer day. The poet highlights the shortcomings of summer’s transience, suggesting that the friend’s beauty surpasses the fleeting nature of the season. The friend’s qualities, according to the poet, are more enduring and immune to the ravages of time. The sonnet celebrates the timeless nature of the friend’s beauty and the poet’s ability to immortalize it through the art of verse.
8. How does Shakespeare compare the beauty of summer to that of his friend in his ‘Sonnet-18’? [HS 2016]
Ans: In Sonnet 18, Shakespeare compares the beauty of summer to that of his friend by contemplating whether he should liken the friend to a summer’s day. He initially explores the shortcomings of summer, highlighting its transience and variability. Summer’s beauty, he argues, is subject to decline and imperfection. However, the friend’s beauty is portrayed as more enduring and superior, as it is not marred by the changing seasons or the passage of time. The poet ultimately decides against the comparison, asserting that the friend’s beauty is so exceptional that it transcends the limitations of nature, immortalizing it in the eternal lines of the sonnet.
9. “But thy eternal summer shall not fade.-Who is the poet? What is meant by ‘thy eternal summer’? How does the poet suggest that ‘thy eternal’ shall never end? [HS 2015] 1+1+4
Ans: The line “But thy eternal summer shall not fade” is from William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18. In this context, “thy eternal summer” refers to the enduring beauty and vitality of the person addressed in the poem. The poet suggests that the friend’s eternal summer, symbolic of their everlasting loveliness, will never fade. The assurance lies in the act of immortalizing the friend through the poet’s words. As long as people read and appreciate the sonnet, the friend’s timeless beauty will persist, ensuring that the eternal summer described in the poem remains immune to the natural fading and decay associated with the passing of time.
10. “But thy eternal summer shall not fade.-Who is being referred to as ‘thy’? What is meant by ‘thy eternal summer’? How does the poet suggest that ‘thy eternal’ shall never end/ fade? [HS 2019] 1+1+4
Ans: In the line “But thy eternal summer shall not fade” from Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18, ‘thy’ refers to the person the poet is addressing, the beloved or friend. “Thy eternal summer” symbolizes the timeless beauty and vitality of the person being praised. The poet suggests that this eternal quality will not fade because he is immortalizing the friend in the lines of the poem. By capturing the friend’s essence in verse, the poet assures that the eternal summer, representing the enduring charm and attractiveness, will persist as long as people read and appreciate the sonnet, defying the natural decay associated with the passage of time.
