Question Answers Class 10 Chapter 4.1 Kumarbharati English Maharashtra Board

A Thing of Beauty is a Joy For Ever

ENGLISH WORKSHOP

1. Read the poem and fill in the table.

Explanation:

Expressions of Beauty (joy):

• “A thing of beauty” (line 1) – The central theme of the poem.
• “Loveliness” (line 2) – Refers to the enduring charm of beauty.
• “Bower quiet” (line 4) – A peaceful, shady retreat provided by beauty.
• “Sweet dreams” (line 5) – The restful sleep beauty offers.
• “Flowery band” (line 7) – The natural connection to earth through flowers.
• “Sun, moon, trees, daffodils, rills” (lines 13-21) – Specific natural elements that embody beauty.

Expressions of Sorrow:

• “Despondence” (line 9) – A state of despair mentioned as something to overcome.
• “Inhuman dearth” (line 9) – The lack of noble qualities, causing pain.
• “Gloomy days” (line 10) – Days filled with sadness.
• “Unhealthy and o’er-darkened ways” (line 11) – Difficult and oppressive paths in life.
• “Pall from our dark spirits” (line 12) – The covering of sorrow over the soul.
• “Growing glooms of night” (line 8, from the earlier stanza) – The increasing darkness and sorrow.

2. Answer in your own words.

(a) What is the impact of a beautiful thing on us?

• A beautiful thing uplifts our mood and spirit. It removes sadness and fills us with joy, peace, and hope, making life feel more meaningful and connected to nature.

(b) What does a thing of beauty keep in store, for us?

• A thing of beauty keeps a quiet resting place (bower), sweet dreams, good health, and calm breathing in store for us. It stays with us forever, offering comfort and happiness.

(c) Who are the mighty dead? Why are they attributed with ‘grandeur’?

• The mighty dead are great people from history, like heroes or legends, who have passed away. They are attributed with grandeur because their inspiring stories and noble deeds live on, making them majestic even in death.

(d) How does the memory of a beautiful visual scene become a joy forever?

• The memory of a beautiful scene stays in our mind and heart, bringing happiness whenever we recall it. It acts like a lasting source of comfort and inspiration, never fading away.

3. Pick out and rewrite 5 lines that contain Imagery.

(a) “We are wreathing a flowery band to bind us to the earth”

(b) “Some shape of beauty moves away the pall from our dark spirits”

(c) “Trees old, and young, sprouting a shady boon”

(d) “Daffodils with the green world they live in”

(e) “An endless fountain of immortal drink pouring unto us from the heaven’s brink”

4. Choose the correct Figure of Speech that occurs in the following lines. Justify your choice.

(a) “But still we keep a bower quiet for us”

• Correct Answer: (iii) Metaphor
• Justification: The “bower quiet” is compared to a peaceful retreat without using “like” or “as,” making it a metaphor for calm and rest.

(b) “Some shape of beauty moves away the pall”

• Correct Answer: (i) Personification
• Justification: Beauty is given the human ability to “move” the pall (a cover), as if it has life and action.

(c) “A thing of beauty is a joy for ever”

• Correct Answer: (i) Epigram
• Justification: This is a short, memorable statement that expresses a deep truth about beauty and joy.

(d) “Trees old and young, sprouting a shady boon”

• Correct Answer: (iii) Antithesis
• Justification: “Old and young” are opposites, contrasting the age of trees while showing they both provide a gift (boon).

5. From the poem pick out words that we do not use often in modern times. They should match the meanings given below.

(a) Gift – boon

(b) The next day – morrow

(c) A protective spot (for animals) – covert

(d) A cool shady spot under tall trees – bower

(e) Ferns – brake

(f) Edge – brink

(g) Depression – despondence

(h) Cover for the dead – pall

(i) Streams – rills

(j) Poetry – poesy

6. Copy the first 8 lines and mark the stressed syllables using a coloured pen.

A THING of BEAU-ty IS a JOY for E-ver:

Its LOVE-li-ness in-CREAS-es;  it will NE-ver 

Pass IN-to NO-thing-ness;  but STILL will KEEP

A BOW-er QUI-et FOR us, and a SLEEP

Full OF sweet DREAMS, and HEALTH and QUI-et BREATH-ing.

There-FORE, on EV-ery MOR-row, ARE we WREATH-ing

A FLOW-ery BAND to BIND us TO the EARTH,

Spite OF de-SPON-dence, OF the IN-hu-man DEARTH

7. Read the poem and write-

(a) The rhyme scheme of the following lines.

• Lines 1 to 8: a b a b b c c b
• Last stanza: a b b a c c

(b) (i) The number of stressed syllables (Rhythm) in the line: “A thing of beauty is a joy forever.”

Number of stressed syllables: 5 (A, BEAU-ty, IS, JOY, E-ver)

(ii) Does the poem retain a steady rhythm throughout?

Yes, the poem mostly follows a steady iambic rhythm (unstressed-stressed pattern), though it varies slightly for poetic effect.

(c) Give four examples of each. Pick the lines from the poem.

(i) Consonance:

(1) “Its loveliness increases” (s-s-s)

(2) “Pass into nothingness” (n-n-n)

(3) “Full of sweet dreams” (t-t)

(4) “Sprouting a shady boon” (d-d)

(ii) Assonance: 

(1) “A thing of beauty is” (i-i)

(2) “Its loveliness increases” (e-e)

(3) “Quiet breathing” (ea-ea)

(4) “Trees old and young” (ee-ou)

8. Go through the poem again and write in your notebook an appreciation of the poem in the paragraph format.

(Sample appreciation for Class 10th level) “A Thing of Beauty is a Joy Forever” by John Keats is a beautiful poem that celebrates the everlasting joy brought by nature’s wonders. Taken from his longer work Endymion, this poem uses rich imagery, such as “daffodils with the green world they live in” and “an endless fountain of immortal drink,” to show how beauty in nature-like the sun, moon, trees, and streams-lifts our spirits. The theme highlights that beauty is eternal and provides comfort against life’s sorrows, like despair and gloomy days. Keats employs a steady rhyme scheme (e.g., a b a b b c c b) and figures of speech like metaphors and personification to make the poem musical and meaningful. The tone is hopeful, reminding us that beauty binds us to life and stays with us forever, making it a timeless piece of poetry.