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CBSE | Class 11 | English
Explore 4 extract-based question sets designed to build reading comprehension and exam confidence.
Extract Questions
Passage with linked answers
Extract 1
Reading SetPassage
Let me not to the marriage of true minds Admit impediments. Love is not love Which alters when it alteration finds, Or bends with the remover to remove.
true minds
impediments
This phrase describes a person whose feelings change or disappear when their partner leaves or changes. Shakespeare argues that true love is steady; it doesn't 'bend' or stop existing just because the other person moves away or withdraws their affection from the relationship.
The poet believes that constancy is the defining feature of love. If a feeling changes based on circumstances or physical appearance, it was merely an attraction or a whim. Real love is permanent, so anything that 'alters' simply doesn't qualify for the name.
Shakespeare is referring to a spiritual and intellectual 'marriage' rather than just a legal contract. It is a deep, honest connection between two souls who are compatible and loyal. This kind of bond is based on truth and shared inner strength and values.
Extract Questions
Passage with linked answers
Extract 2
Reading SetPassage
O no, it is an ever-fixed mark That looks on tempests and is never shaken; It is the star to every wandering bark, Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
ever-fixed
North Star
In this extract, love is portrayed as a lighthouse that faces violent storms but is 'never shaken.' This means that when a couple faces huge difficulties or life crises, their love remains firm and provides a steady sense of security and emotional support.
A 'wandering bark' represents a human soul that is lost or searching for meaning in the vast, often confusing ocean of life. Love acts as the fixed star that helps this 'ship' find its way and stay on the right path.
The 'height' of love refers to things we can see and measure, like a star's position. However, the 'worth' is its true spiritual value, which is infinite and impossible to fully understand. It tells us that love's essence is a beautiful, deep mystery.
Extract Questions
Passage with linked answers
Extract 3
Reading SetPassage
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks Within his bending sickle's compass come; Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
bending sickle
doom
These symbolize physical beauty and youth. Shakespeare uses them to show that while Time can easily destroy our outward appearance as we grow older, it cannot touch the love that exists between two people. Beauty is temporary, but true love is permanent.
He mentions them to show how short human life and physical attraction are compared to the eternity of love. Time moves quickly in 'hours and weeks,' but love is so strong that it completely ignores these small measurements and lasts forever.
'Bears it out' means to endure, survive, or carry on. The poet is saying that love has the strength to survive all the challenges of time and keep going until the very end of the world, showing its incredible power of endurance.
Extract Questions
Passage with linked answers
Extract 4
Reading SetPassage
If this be error, and upon me proved, I never writ, nor no man ever loved.
error
loved
The poet is confident because he believes his definition of love is a universal truth. By linking his own writing and the entire history of human love to these words, he shows that he is absolutely certain about the constancy of true love.
The tone is bold, authoritative, and challenging. It acts as a final seal on the poem, moving from the poetic imagery of stars and ships to a direct, logical argument. It leaves the reader with no doubt about the poet's strong conviction.
If he was wrong, it would mean that his entire body of work ('I never writ') is meaningless and that humanity has never experienced real love. This highlights that for Shakespeare, the eternal nature of love is the most important truth.