Fill in the Blanks
Answer the following questions by choosing the correct option.Each question carries 1 score.
Question 1. The Wild Swans at Coole was written by __________. (1)
(W. B. Yeats / T. S. Eliot / W. H. Auden)
Question 2. Coole Park is situated near __________ in Ireland. (1)
(Dublin / Galway / Belfast)
Question 3. The poet visits Coole Park during the season of __________. (1)
(spring / autumn / winter)
Question 4. The water mirrors a __________ sky. (1)
(cloudy / still / stormy)
Question 5. The poet sees __________ swans on the lake. (1)
(fifty-eight / fifty-nine / sixty-nine)
Question 6. The poet first counted the swans __________ autumns earlier. (1)
(nine / nineteen / twenty-nine)
Question 7. The word __________ in the poem means “noisy”. (1)
(clamorous / mysterious / companionable)
Question 8. The poet says that his heart is __________. (1)
(glad / sore / calm)
Question 9. The swans move __________ by lover. (1)
(friend / lover / bird)
Question 10. The poet fears that the swans may have __________ away. (1)
(drifted / flown / climbed)
Four-Score Questions
Answer the following questions in about 60 words.Each question carries 4 scores.
Question 1. Describe the autumn scene presented in the opening stanza of The Wild Swans at Coole. (4)
Question 2. How does the sudden flight of the swans contrast with the stillness of the opening scene? (4)
Question 3. Explain the significance of the nineteen autumns mentioned in the poem. (4)
Question 4. How does the poet contrast his present condition with his youthful past? (4)
Question 5. How does the final stanza contribute to the themes of uncertainty and loss? (4)
Five-Score Questions
Answer the following questions in about 80 words.Each question carries 5 scores.
Question 1. Describe the poet’s reflections at the sight of the swans. (5)
Question 2. How does Yeats portray the beauty, energy and vitality of the swans? (5)
Question 3. Explain how the poem presents the contrast between human ageing and the apparent permanence of nature. (5)
Question 4. Discuss the role of memory in The Wild Swans at Coole. (5)
Question 5. How does the poet combine natural beauty with personal sorrow? (5)
Five-Score Questions
Answer the following questions in about 100 words.Each question carries 6 scores. Use the hints given below.
Question 1. How does the autumn landscape reflect the poet’s state of mind? (6)
(Autumn beauty – dry woodland paths – October twilight – still sky – ageing – sadness – reflective mood.)
Question 2. Explain the symbolic significance of the wild swans. (6)
(Beauty – youth – grace – love – companionship – freedom – passion – permanence – contrast with the ageing poet.)
Question 3. Describe the emotional development of the poet throughout the poem. (6)
(Peaceful observation – admiration – memory of youth – sorrow – awareness of ageing – anxiety – fear of loss.)
Question 4. How does Yeats present love and companionship through the swans? (6)
(“Lover by lover” – moving in pairs – companionable streams – passion – youthful hearts – harmony – emotional fulfilment.)
Question 5. Explain the use of visual and auditory imagery in the poem. (6)
(Autumn trees – dry paths – October twilight – brimming water – wheeling swans – clamorous wings – bell-beat – effect on mood.)
Essay Questions
Each question carries 8 scores. Use the hints given below.
Question 1. The Wild Swans at Coole is a meditation on ageing, change and the loss of youth. Discuss. (8)
(Autumn setting – nineteen years – first visit – lighter tread – sore heart – youthful swans – contrast – fear of loss.)
Question 2. Analyse how W. B. Yeats uses the autumn landscape and the swans to express his concerns about old age. (8)
(Autumn beauty – dry paths – twilight – still water – swans as symbols of youth – memory – ageing – possible departure.)
Question 3. “The poem is both a celebration of beauty and a lament for lost youth.” Discuss. (8)
(Beauty of Coole Park – brilliant creatures – graceful movement – admiration – nineteen autumns – lighter tread – sorrow – lost youth.)
Question 4. Discuss the major themes, imagery and symbols in The Wild Swans at Coole. (8)
(Ageing – time – memory – beauty – love – companionship – change and permanence – visual and auditory imagery – symbolism.)
Question 5. Compare the attitudes of W. B. Yeats and D. H. Lawrence towards old age in The Wild Swans at Coole and Beautiful Old Age. (8)
(Yeats’s sorrow – lost youth – unwearied swans – fear of loss – Lawrence’s acceptance – maturity – fulfilment – optimism – contrasting tones.)