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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
The world is too much with us; late and soon, Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers; Little we see in Nature that is ours; We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!
powers
sordid
The poet means that humanity is overwhelmed by materialistic concerns and the demands of modern society. We are so busy with work and money that we have no time or mental space left to appreciate the spiritual beauty of the natural world.
He says this because we have become so disconnected from nature that we no longer feel a sense of belonging to it. Since we only value what we can buy, the free and spiritual beauty of nature seems alien or irrelevant to us.
The tone is one of critical disappointment and sadness. The poet is mourning the fact that humans have traded their emotional depth and connection to the Earth for the sake of temporary material gains, which he views as a shameful and dirty trade.
Extract Questions
Passage with linked answers
Extract 2
Reading SetPassage
This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon; The winds that will be howling at all hours, And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers, For this, for everything, we are out of tune;
sleeping
tune
The sea is personified as a woman 'baring her bosom to the moon.' This imagery suggests a sense of openness, beauty, and a deep, intimate relationship between different parts of nature, which humans are unfortunately failing to notice or appreciate anymore.
This simile suggests that nature has moments of both great power and gentle peace. Even when the winds are not howling, they possess a quiet beauty. It emphasizes that nature is a living thing that changes moods, just like a human.
Being 'out of tune' means we cannot experience the joy or spiritual nourishment that nature provides. We become emotionally numb and isolated, living in a world that feels empty and mechanical because we have lost the rhythm of the natural environment.
Extract Questions
Passage with linked answers
Extract 3
Reading SetPassage
It moves us not. -Great God! I'd rather be A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn; So might I, standing on this pleasant lea, Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;
Pagan
forlorn
This exclamation shows the poet's intense frustration and emotional outburst. He is shocked and saddened by how much humanity has changed. It highlights his desperate desire to escape the spiritual emptiness of the modern, industrial world he lives in.
It refers to ancient religious beliefs, specifically Paganism, which are now considered old-fashioned or dead. The poet suggests that even these 'outdated' beliefs are better than modern ones because they encouraged people to see and respect the divinity in nature.
The 'glimpses' represent moments of spiritual insight and connection with the divine. By seeing the beauty in nature, the poet would feel a sense of hope and wonder. These glimpses are the cure for the loneliness and sadness caused by materialism.
Extract Questions
Passage with linked answers
Extract 4
Reading SetPassage
Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea; Or hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn.
sea
wreathed
Proteus and Triton are mythological Greek sea-gods. Proteus is known for changing shapes, while Triton is a messenger of the sea who blows a shell. They symbolize a world where nature is filled with life, personality, and divine presence.
He wants to see them because it would prove that the world is not just a collection of resources, but a magical and spiritual place. Seeing them would replace his feelings of boredom and isolation with a sense of awe and connection.
The final message is that we need to regain our sense of imagination and wonder. By looking at the world through a more poetic and spiritual lens, we can find deeper meaning in life that money and material possessions can never provide.