Mcq questions and answers from "To a Skylark" by P.B. Shelley.
Here are multiple-choice questions (MCQs) with answers based on P.B. Shelley's To a Skylark:
MCQs on To a Skylark
1. What does the skylark symbolize in the poem?
a) Physical beauty
b) Pure joy and spiritual transcendence
c) Earthly pleasures
d) Intellectual pursuits
Answer:
b) Pure joy and spiritual transcendence
2. What type of poem is To a Skylark?
a) Elegy
b) Ode
c) Ballad
d) Sonnet
Answer:
b) Ode
3. In the poem, how does Shelley describe the skylark’s song?
a) As monotonous and repetitive
b) As a flood of unpremeditated art
c) As a cry for help
d) As a hymn of mourning
Answer:
b) As a flood of unpremeditated art
4. What literary device is prominent in the line, “Hail to thee, blithe Spirit!”?
a) Simile
b) Metaphor
c) Apostrophe
d) Personification
Answer:
c) Apostrophe
5. Why does the speaker call the skylark a "blithe Spirit"?
a) Because it is happy and carefree
b) Because it represents physical beauty
c) Because it exists only in the poet’s imagination
d) Because it is a symbol of melancholy
Answer:
a) Because it is happy and carefree
6. Which of the following is NOT compared to the skylark’s song in the poem?
a) A poet’s song
b) A maiden’s song
c) A lover’s voice
d) A soldier’s cry
Answer:
d) A soldier’s cry
7. What does the skylark represent in contrast to human life?
a) The limitations of human joy
b) The physical beauty of nature
c) The inevitability of suffering
d) The struggle for freedom
Answer:
a) The limitations of human joy
**8. The phrase "scorner of the ground" refers to the skylark’s:
a) Indifference to earthly matters
b) Physical ability to fly
c) Superiority over other birds
d) Rejection of nature
Answer:
a) Indifference to earthly matters
9. What emotion does Shelley associate with the skylark’s song?
a) Regret
b) Sorrow
c) Pure joy and inspiration
d) Indifference
Answer:
c) Pure joy and inspiration
10. Which of these is one of the comparisons Shelley uses for the skylark’s song?
a) The chirping of crickets
b) A glow-worm shining in the night
c) A rushing river
d) The fluttering of leaves
Answer:
b) A glow-worm shining in the night
11. What does the skylark inspire the poet to seek?
a) Love and earthly beauty
b) Material success
c) Eternal happiness and creative inspiration
d) Revenge on his enemies
Answer:
c) Eternal happiness and creative inspiration
12. According to Shelley, what does the skylark know that humans cannot?
a) The secret to eternal life
b) Perfect happiness and divine understanding
c) The mysteries of death
d) How to live without fear
Answer:
b) Perfect happiness and divine understanding
13. In the poem, what does Shelley say about human laughter and sorrow?
a) They are pure and untainted.
b) They are always intertwined.
c) They are completely separate.
d) They have no connection to the skylark.
Answer:
b) They are always intertwined.
14. What kind of imagery dominates To a Skylark?
a) Visual and auditory
b) Tactile and gustatory
c) Olfactory and tactile
d) Auditory and kinesthetic
Answer:
a) Visual and auditory
15. Which literary device is used in the line “Like a high-born maiden in a palace tower”?
a) Simile
b) Hyperbole
c) Irony
d) Alliteration
Answer:
a) Simile
16. What request does the poet make to the skylark in the final stanza?
a) To reveal the secret of its joy
b) To stay on the ground
c) To guide him to eternal life
d) To stop singing
Answer:
a) To reveal the secret of its joy
17. The skylark’s song is described as:
a) An earthly melody
b) An ethereal hymn
c) A monotonous tune
d) A mournful dirge
Answer:
b) An ethereal hymn
18. What does Shelley compare the skylark to in terms of poetic creativity?
a) A dying ember
b) A poet hidden from society
c) A king on a throne
d) A warrior in battle
Answer:
b) A poet hidden from society
19. How does Shelley view the skylark’s detachment from the material world?
a) As a symbol of ignorance
b) As a source of its purity and joy
c) As a sign of weakness
d) As a metaphor for human greed
Answer:
b) As a source of its purity and joy
20. The recurring mood of the poem can best be described as:
a) Melancholy and despairing
b) Joyful and celebratory
c) Bitter and regretful
d) Calm and indifferent
Answer:
b) Joyful and celebratory
21. What aspect of the skylark's existence does Shelley admire the most?
a) Its physical beauty
b) Its ability to inspire fear
c) Its unselfconscious happiness and freedom
d) Its capacity to mimic human emotions
Answer:
c) Its unselfconscious happiness and freedom
22. Which of the following is NOT one of the comparisons Shelley uses for the skylark in the poem?
a) A rose in bloom
b) A glow-worm shining in the dark
c) A high-born maiden in a tower
d) A poet hidden from the world
Answer:
a) A rose in bloom
23. How does the skylark differ from humans, according to the poem?
a) It is physically superior to humans.
b) It experiences unclouded joy, unlike humans.
c) It is unaffected by nature's beauty.
d) It suffers from the same sorrows as humans.
Answer:
b) It experiences unclouded joy, unlike humans.
24. In the poem, the skylark is described as “like a star of Heaven.” What quality of the skylark is highlighted by this comparison?
a) Its celestial brilliance and distance from earth
b) Its silence and solitude
c) Its anger and hostility
d) Its fleeting nature
Answer:
a) Its celestial brilliance and distance from earth
25. What emotion does the skylark’s song evoke in the poet?
a) Jealousy
b) Melancholy
c) Awe and wonder
d) Fear
Answer:
c) Awe and wonder
26. What does Shelley mean by the line, "Teach me half the gladness that thy brain must know"?
a) He wishes to understand the skylark’s joy to share it with others.
b) He wants to learn how to mimic the skylark’s song.
c) He desires to become a skylark.
d) He is asking for knowledge of the natural world.
Answer:
a) He wishes to understand the skylark’s joy to share it with others.
27. What is the primary message of the poem?
a) Human emotions are more powerful than nature’s beauty.
b) True happiness lies beyond earthly experiences.
c) The skylark represents the futility of life.
d) Nature is inferior to human creations.
Answer:
b) True happiness lies beyond earthly experiences.
28. Which poetic device is used in the line “Like a cloud of fire”?
a) Simile
b) Hyperbole
c) Allusion
d) Metaphor
Answer:
a) Simile
29. In Shelley’s view, how does the skylark create its song?
a) Through a divine connection to joy
b) By imitating other sounds in nature
c) By repeating the same melody endlessly
d) By copying human music
Answer:
a) Through a divine connection to joy
30. The skylark’s joy is compared to the happiness of which of the following?
a) A traveler returning home
b) A poet expressing his creativity
c) A spirit that scorns the material world
d) A child at play
Answer:
c) A spirit that scorns the material world
31. What effect does the skylark’s song have on nature in the poem?
a) It frightens other creatures.
b) It harmonizes with and elevates nature.
c) It causes storms to arise.
d) It drowns out all other sounds.
Answer:
b) It harmonizes with and elevates nature.
32. What does Shelley suggest about human songs and poems compared to the skylark’s song?
a) They are more profound and meaningful.
b) They are tainted by human sorrow and imperfection.
c) They are far superior in artistic quality.
d) They are completely unrelated to the skylark’s song.
Answer:
b) They are tainted by human sorrow and imperfection.
33. How does Shelley describe the skylark’s flight?
a) Spiraling down toward the earth
b) Ascending into the heavens
c) Gliding effortlessly through the air
d) Resting motionless in the sky
Answer:
b) Ascending into the heavens
34. What does the skylark represent in Shelley's Romantic ideology?
a) The conflict between reason and emotion
b) The ideal union of nature and spirit
c) The futility of seeking happiness
d) The destructive power of nature
Answer:
b) The ideal union of nature and spirit
35. Which literary device is dominant in To a Skylark?
a) Irony
b) Allegory
c) Imagery and symbolism
d) Paradox
Answer:
c) Imagery and symbolism
36. What does the skylark’s song reveal to the poet about human existence?
a) That humans can never experience true joy
b) That human emotions are deeper than nature’s joy
c) That humans are destined for eternal happiness
d) That human suffering is necessary for art
Answer:
a) That humans can never experience true joy
37. What is Shelley’s ultimate request to the skylark?
a) To share its knowledge of divine happiness
b) To teach him how to fly
c) To sing only for him
d) To remain visible in the sky
Answer:
a) To share its knowledge of divine happiness
38. The poem’s tone can best be described as:
a) Somber and regretful
b) Jubilant and reverent
c) Nostalgic and sentimental
d) Bitter and skeptical
Answer:
b) Jubilant and reverent
39. Which of the following comparisons suggests the skylark’s mysterious beauty?
a) “Like a glow-worm golden in a dell of dew”
b) “Like a soldier marching to war”
c) “Like a storm gathering on the horizon”
d) “Like a river flowing to the sea”
Answer:
a) “Like a glow-worm golden in a dell of dew”
40. How does To a Skylark reflect Shelley’s Romantic beliefs?
a) By emphasizing the importance of science and logic
b) By portraying the power of nature and imagination
c) By rejecting all human emotions
d) By critiquing the natural world
Answer:
b) By portraying the power of nature and imagination
41. What does the skylark represent as a "spirit of joy"?
a) Eternal happiness untouched by sorrow
b) The fleeting nature of beauty
c) The harshness of life
d) The indifference of nature
Answer:
a) Eternal happiness untouched by sorrow
42. What literary era does To a Skylark belong to?
a) Victorian
b) Romantic
c) Modernist
d) Enlightenment
Answer:
b) Romantic
43. How does Shelley characterize the skylark’s song compared to human art?
a) It is less creative than human art.
b) It surpasses human art in purity and spontaneity.
c) It is similar to human songs in complexity.
d) It is inferior to human poetry.
Answer:
b) It surpasses human art in purity and spontaneity.
44. Which of the following phrases captures the skylark’s transcendence?
a) “Higher still and higher”
b) “Bound by the chains of earth”
c) “Silent and withdrawn”
d) “Rooted in the ground”
Answer:
a) “Higher still and higher”
45. What is the skylark compared to when described as “Like a glow-worm golden”?
a) A creature hidden yet illuminating the darkness
b) A creature afraid of the light
c) A bird that has lost its ability to sing
d) A mythical being of the night
Answer:
a) A creature hidden yet illuminating the darkness
46. What is the skylark indifferent to, as highlighted in the poem?
a) Human suffering and material concerns
b) The beauty of the natural world
c) The limitations of its own existence
d) The joy of flight
Answer:
a) Human suffering and material concerns
47. Why does Shelley address the skylark directly in the poem?
a) To express his envy of its happiness
b) To form a connection between nature and humanity
c) To scold it for being distant from earth
d) To question its existence
Answer:
b) To form a connection between nature and humanity
48. In the poem, how is the skylark’s song compared to a poet’s work?
a) It is more spontaneous and free from human sorrow.
b) It is more structured and refined.
c) It is constrained by earthly limits.
d) It is dependent on the audience’s interpretation.
Answer:
a) It is more spontaneous and free from human sorrow.
49. What is significant about the skylark’s invisibility during its flight?
a) It represents the mysterious and unattainable aspects of beauty and joy.
b) It symbolizes the bird’s lack of importance.
c) It signifies its rejection of humanity.
d) It indicates the skylark’s weakness.
Answer:
a) It represents the mysterious and unattainable aspects of beauty and joy.
50. What does Shelley mean by “Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought”?
a) Human creativity is often born from sorrow.
b) Sadness is unnecessary for artistic expression.
c) Joy and sorrow are unrelated in art.
d) Happy thoughts lead to the best songs.
Answer:
a) Human creativity is often born from sorrow.
51. Which quality of the skylark does Shelley repeatedly emphasize?
a) Its physical strength
b) Its independence from earthly limitations
c) Its reliance on nature for inspiration
d) Its isolation from other creatures
Answer:
b) Its independence from earthly limitations
52. The skylark’s song is associated with which of the following qualities?
a) Melancholy and sorrow
b) Purity and divine inspiration
c) Chaos and destruction
d) Silence and peace
Answer:
b) Purity and divine inspiration
53. What is Shelley’s view of human life as expressed in the poem?
a) Human life is inherently joyful and free.
b) Human life is burdened by sorrow and limitations.
c) Human life is superior to nature.
d) Human life is entirely disconnected from nature.
Answer:
b) Human life is burdened by sorrow and limitations.
54. How does Shelley describe the skylark’s flight?
a) It soars tirelessly upward, beyond human reach.
b) It glides gently without effort.
c) It struggles to stay in the air.
d) It flies in circles around the earth.
Answer:
a) It soars tirelessly upward, beyond human reach.
55. What lesson does Shelley wish to learn from the skylark?
a) How to sing beautifully
b) How to live a life free from pain and full of joy
c) How to rise above the earth physically
d) How to inspire fear in others
Answer:
b) How to live a life free from pain and full of joy
56. What does Shelley contrast with the skylark’s joy in the poem?
a) The silence of the earth
b) The suffering and limitations of human life
c) The beauty of the setting sun
d) The sorrow of other birds
Answer:
b) The suffering and limitations of human life
57. Which of the following is a central idea of the poem?
a) The skylark’s joy is greater because it is unattainable to humans.
b) Human creativity is superior to natural beauty.
c) Nature is meaningless without human interpretation.
d) The skylark is unaware of its own song.
Answer:
a) The skylark’s joy is greater because it is unattainable to humans.
58. Why does Shelley call the skylark “blithe Spirit”?
a) Because it embodies unspoiled happiness and freedom
b) Because it is playful and mischievous
c) Because it represents human melancholy
d) Because it symbolizes silence
Answer:
a) Because it embodies unspoiled happiness and freedom
59. How does Shelley suggest humans should learn from the skylark?
a) By embracing material wealth
b) By finding joy in simplicity and freedom
c) By rejecting creativity
d) By mimicking its flight patterns
Answer:
b) By finding joy in simplicity and freedom
60. What does the skylark’s song ultimately reveal about life?
a) That pure joy is possible only outside human experience.
b) That humans can surpass the beauty of nature.
c) That life is entirely sorrowful.
d) That nature is dependent on humans for meaning.
Answer:
a) That pure joy is possible only outside human experience.
61. The skylark’s song is described as being:
a) Artificial and rehearsed
b) Spontaneous and natural
c) Low and monotonous
d) Controlled and limited
Answer:
b) Spontaneous and natural
62. What does Shelley compare the skylark to in its ability to inspire?
a) A warrior leading an army
b) A flower blooming in spring
c) A poet hidden from the world
d) A dying ember in the dark
Answer:
c) A poet hidden from the world
63. Which of the following is a recurring theme in To a Skylark?
a) The destructive power of nature
b) The quest for unattainable happiness
c) The silence of the natural world
d) The emptiness of human imagination
Answer:
b) The quest for unattainable happiness
64. How does Shelley contrast the skylark’s joy with human emotions?
a) Human emotions are more profound and meaningful.
b) The skylark’s joy is untainted, while human emotions are tied to sorrow.
c) Human emotions are less complex than the skylark’s.
d) The skylark’s joy is shallow compared to human emotions.
Answer:
b) The skylark’s joy is untainted, while human emotions are tied to sorrow.
65. What does the line “In profuse strains of unpremeditated art” imply about the skylark’s song?
a) It is carefully planned and deliberate.
b) It is spontaneous and flows naturally.
c) It is repetitive and mechanical.
d) It lacks creativity or beauty.
Answer:
b) It is spontaneous and flows naturally.
66. What does Shelley imply about human knowledge compared to the skylark’s understanding?
a) Humans possess a greater capacity for wisdom.
b) The skylark has a divine understanding of joy unknown to humans.
c) The skylark is ignorant of deeper truths.
d) Human knowledge surpasses the skylark’s simplicity.
Answer:
b) The skylark has a divine understanding of joy unknown to humans.
67. What role does the skylark’s invisibility play in the poem?
a) It symbolizes the bird’s weakness.
b) It adds to its mystique and ethereal quality.
c) It signifies its rejection of humanity.
d) It limits the bird’s importance in nature.
Answer:
b) It adds to its mystique and ethereal quality.
68. Why does Shelley call the skylark a "cloud of fire"?
a) To emphasize its brightness and energy in the sky
b) To compare it to a destructive force
c) To highlight its connection to the earth
d) To suggest it is invisible
Answer:
a) To emphasize its brightness and energy in the sky
69. In To a Skylark, what is contrasted with the skylark’s happiness?
a) The beauty of nature
b) The struggles and sorrows of human life
c) The limitations of other birds
d) The silence of the heavens
Answer:
b) The struggles and sorrows of human life
70. What does the skylark’s song symbolize for Shelley?
a) A divine and eternal joy
b) The complexity of human emotions
c) The inevitability of death
d) A warning to humanity
Answer:
a) A divine and eternal joy
71. What does Shelley ask the skylark to teach him?
a) The secret to its song
b) The meaning of sorrow
c) The art of human suffering
d) The path to eternal life
Answer:
a) The secret to its song
72. Why is the skylark compared to a star of Heaven?
a) To emphasize its brightness and distance
b) To portray it as unreachable and silent
c) To connect it with the darkness of night
d) To suggest its dependence on human observation
Answer:
a) To emphasize its brightness and distance
73. Which lines highlight the skylark’s connection to freedom?
a) “Hail to thee, blithe Spirit!”
b) “Higher still and higher / From the earth thou springest”
c) “Like a glow-worm golden”
d) “We look before and after”
Answer:
b) “Higher still and higher / From the earth thou springest”
74. What effect does the skylark’s song have on the speaker?
a) It inspires longing and admiration.
b) It causes fear and hesitation.
c) It fills the speaker with sorrow.
d) It leaves the speaker indifferent.
Answer:
a) It inspires longing and admiration.
75. What does the phrase “unbodied joy” imply about the skylark’s song?
a) It is tied to physical beauty.
b) It transcends the material world.
c) It has no real impact on the poet.
d) It is meaningless without human interpretation.
Answer:
b) It transcends the material world.
76. What is the skylark compared to in the lines “Like a poet hidden / In the light of thought”?
a) A creator of spiritual and intellectual beauty
b) A bird trapped in its own mind
c) A philosopher searching for answers
d) A creature lost in darkness
Answer:
a) A creator of spiritual and intellectual beauty
77. What literary device is most prominent in To a Skylark?
a) Alliteration
b) Imagery and simile
c) Personification and irony
d) Paradox
Answer:
b) Imagery and simile
78. What does Shelley suggest about human songs in comparison to the skylark’s?
a) They are burdened by the weight of human experience.
b) They are more creative and meaningful.
c) They are equal in beauty and power.
d) They are detached from emotions.
Answer:
a) They are burdened by the weight of human experience.
79. Which of the following best summarizes the poem’s central theme?
a) The tension between human creativity and natural beauty
b) The superiority of human emotions over nature
c) The fleeting nature of joy
d) The unachievable nature of divine happiness
Answer:
d) The unachievable nature of divine happiness
80. How does Shelley portray the skylark in To a Skylark?
a) As a symbol of unattainable purity and joy
b) As a reflection of human struggle
c) As an inferior creature dependent on nature
d) As a rival to human creativity
Answer:
a) As a symbol of unattainable purity and joy
Teach me, half the gladness
The poet wants to take inspiration partly. Because he was an inhabitant of the corrupted mundane world. His mind was also full of corruption, dissatisfaction, sorrows and sufferings of the materialistic world. And the skylark is an inhabitant of imaginary world,full of peace and satisfaction. That's why, the poet had not had the power of taking the full inspiration from the 'blithe spirit', skylark. So the poet said, "Teach me, half the gladness."
"Chorus hymeneal" and "triumphal chaunt"
"Chorus hymeneal" is a type of song which is sung in marriage ceremony in chorus by the young girls and boys. 'Hymeneal'is an adjective formed from Hymen, the God of Marriage in classical mythology. Marriage song is usually known as Epithalamiums.
"Triumphal chaunt" is another type of song which is sung in chorus to welcome Victor or celebrate his victory. These songs are known as Epinician odes. These songs were mostly written by the poet Pindar.
These two kinds of songs are the most celebrating and charming songs of this mundane world. But according to our poet, compared with the spontaneous song of the skylark, which is nothing but the divine rapture, the marriage song and the song of victory are an empty , vain boast because there odes lack divine inspiration. The song of the skylark is full of joy and satisfaction but these songs are "the expression of a vast unfulfilment". By this comparison, the superiority of the skylark's song is emphasised.
How does Shelley compare skylark to a poet in To A Skylark.
Imagery or the use of images is one of the most significant parts of lyrical poem. Imagery is the compact collection of images. An image is generally a mental picture or speaking picture. According to Cecil Day Lewis,"An image is a picture, made out of words." In this present poem, "To A Skylark", Shelley uses some images in the point that the creator is always remaining invisible or unknown while the product or creation of the creator is getting enough exposure and admiration for its worth and beauty.
Shelley compared the skylark to a poet. The skylark is hidden from our view by the glorious light of the sun and the poet is also hidden from us in a world created by his own thought, imagination which weave impenetrable waves around him. The poet, like the bird seems to be lost in poetic thoughts and these thoughts create a dazzling halo - a circle of light behind which he remains. In this point of view, Shelley compares the 'blithe spirit' skylark to a poet.
"Hail to the blithe spirit"
Here 'blithe' suggests joyful or full of happiness and 'spirit' indicates without any bodily existence. In this poem, the phrase "blithe spirit" is used by Shelley to address the divine spirit, skylark.
Actually Shelley is the rebellion poet of the Romantic period. He does not like the mundane anguish and pain, and that's why he always wants to escape from this materialistic world and arrive in an imaginary world, made by himself, where these is no sign of sorrow, sufferings and depression. Though skylark is a famous song bird of England, but Shelley here imagines this birdnot as a mere bird of flesh and blood, but as a 'blithe spirit', an emblem of 'unbodied joy', who soars higher and higher and pours a rain of perfect melody upon the earth. To describe the bird as a divine one, the poet uses this phrase.
The scorner of the ground -
Actually the poet, Shelley was a revolutionary poet. He always hated this mundane materialistic world and wanted to arrive in a new world full of joy and happiness. In this poem, the poet makes a difference between these two worlds. The poet shows the skylark as ' the blithe spirit' and 'unbodied joy', in whose mind there is no sign of dissatisfaction and restlessness. This is because where the skylark lives is full of peace. And put mundane world is a world of sorrows and sufferings. So the skylark, the inhabitant of the peaceful world hates this mundane world. Here 'ground' refers to mundane world.
What is the secret of the melodious madness of the skylark?
How does Shelley differentiate the song of the skylark from the earthly songs?
He says that the skylark is a 'blithe spirit' and "an unbodied joy" who pours his "strains of unpremidiated art". The skylark's song is spontaneous and there is no stress of sorrow and trobles, because it is a dweller of the imaginary world and it does absolutely not know the tribul actions of this mundane world because it lives in "heaven, or near it."
But the human beings are the inhabitant of this sorrowful mundane world. They are always busy in thinking about their sorrows, sufferings, frustration and so on. It is said that the "chorus hymeneal" and "triumphant chaunt" are the most beautiful songs of the human world. But according to our poet, compared with the spontaneous song of the skylark, which is nothing but the divine rapture these songs are 'empty vaunt.' Because these odes lack divine inspiration. And these songs are 'the expression of a vast unfulfilment.' The human beings always seem to be haunted by a desire of achieving excessive physical happiness. So, the poet says that " Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought" And defines the song of the skylark as the "rain of melody."
