Important Questions for CBSE Class 11 English Woven Poem Chapter 11 - Ode to a Nightingale

A. Very Short Answer Questions  (1 Mark)

1. What is the Central Emotion of the Poem? 

Ans: The poem's fundamental feeling is about the idea of life's conflicting character, and it aims for negative capability.

2. What Do You Understand by the Title? 

Ans: The title alludes to a nightingale who goes through a sort of death and conveys its sentiments through lyrical poetry.

3. What Happens to the Youth? 

Ans: The youth becomes pale and specter-like before dying. It refers to the loss of someone you care about due to death.

4. What Do You Mean by Leaden-Eyed? 

Ans: It refers to the heavy eyes that are filled with deep sadness and grief that are unable to be articulated via words.

5. What Do You Understand by ‘blushful Hippocrene’? 

Ans: It relates to Hippocrene's poetry fountain, which is filled to the brim, and is compared to a glass of wine poured to the brim, which promotes lyrical skill.

B. Short Answer Questions (2 Marks)

6. Word – Meaning from the Given Chapter.

i. Hemlock 

Ans: Drink prepared from a poisonous herb

ii. Opiate 

Ans: Drug that contains opium causing sleep

iii. Draught

Ans: Cold burst of wind

iv. Fret

Ans: To worry about something

7. Give the Opposites of the Given Terms from Chapter.

i. Drowsy 

Ans: Alert

ii. Numbness 

Ans: Sensation

iii. Groan 

Ans: Giggle

iv. Despair 

Ans: Cheerful

8. What Does the Nightingale Symbolize? 

Ans: In the poem, the nightingale represents poetic inspiration and satisfaction, as well as assisting the poet in relaxing his mind.

9. What do you understand by ‘Provencal song’? 

Ans: The term "provencal song" refers to music from the Provence region of France, which is famed for its bards and grapevines.

10. What Caused Numbness and Why? 

Ans: Hemlock is a deadly herb-based drink that causes numbness in the limbs and other regions of the body, as well as stopping sensations in the body.

C. Short Answer Question (3 Marks)

11. Give the Synonyms of the Words from the Given Chapter.

i. Mirth

Ans: Gladness

ii. Brim 

Ans: Borderline

iii. Weariness 

Ans: Disablement

iv. Palsy 

Ans: Amicable

v. Lustrous 

Ans: Polished

vi. Perilous 

Ans: Hazardous

12. How the Poet Feels in the Poem? 

Ans: The author wrote this poem in a single day after being inspired by the nightingale. He started the poem in a melancholy and sorrowful tone, expressing how his heart would sink if he was poisoned, but later on, the bird's song brightened his mood, and he was pleased because the bird was joyful.

13. What Was the Beauty of the Bird? 

Ans: The song of the bird was its most beautiful feature. Its song let the poet forget all of his melancholy and misery, as well as his sorrows and unpleasantness. Its music transported the poet far from reality in his dreams, making him cheerful, pleasant, relaxed, and serene.

14. What is Highlighted in This Poem? 

Ans: In the poem, the poet has highlighted the distinguishing love and pure bliss. True happiness does not exist in the physical world since it has already been contaminated by life's complexity and sufferings. True happiness is found in a mind that is peaceful and composed, free of concerns and unhappiness.

15. In Which Season the Bird Sang? Explain. 

Ans: The bird sang during the peak of the summer season in the poem. Because the bird used to sit all day on the branches and sing summer melodies, it connotes the summer season. It also sat on the beach trees, singing sweetly.

D. Long Answer Questions (5 Marks)

16. What Did the Poet Want to Drink and Why? 

Ans: The poet desired a glass of wine that would allow him to slip away from the world unnoticed and fade into the dark woodland with the nightingale. He also wanted to drink for the same reason that most people do: to forget about his troubles, problems, and unhappiness for a bit and to be in a pleasant, calm, and carefree frame of mind. He desired to leave the world, just as the nightingale desired to leave the world.

17. What is the Beauty of the Poem? 

Ans: The poem is about the beauty of nature and the peace that comes from appreciating it. The poet realizes the ultimate truth of death in this poetry. He sees the beauty of nature in the form of a bird and rejoices in it with joy and zeal. He had a transformation from mortal to immortal. Hearing the song, he became ecstatic and realized that there are differences between what we hear and what we see in reality. His death was postponed due to the beauty. True beauty and enjoyment can only be found in spiritual nature, not in the worldly world.

18. What Was the Role of the Bird in the Poet’s Life? 

Ans: The poet was enamored with the bird and its beauty. He dubbed the bird immortal because of its inexhaustible buzzing. He wishes to live and die with the bird since it exists outside of the physical world. He lived with the world's evergreen beauty, postponing his own death and continuing to live with the immortality of the bird, albeit for a short time, but at least he could be happy for a while with the bird. It caused him to journey to the immortal realm without thinking, where he remained for a period of time in a liberated state of mind.

19. Justify the Title of the Poem. 

Ans: The poet has given his poem a very apt title. It alludes to a lyrical reality that a nightingale recognizes and helps the poet realize through song. The nightingale's song let the poet forget about his past issues and misery, and he traveled far in his dreams, away from the real world, to a place of nature and tranquillity, free of concerns and worries. The poet was taught by the nightingale how to find true happiness within one's own thoughts.

20. How This Poem Differentiates the Elusive Nature of the Bird With the Humans? 

Ans: The poet has had a significant impact on the poem's theme. The emperors and clowns of ancient times heard an ageless humming in reference to the bird since it is ageless and without bounds, whereas people have an age and are not eternal. Humans cause issues, concerns, unhappiness, and jealousy among themselves, whereas the bird sings to bring happiness and smiles to people's faces. True happiness is found in people's minds, not in the worldly world.