ISC English Literature Previous Year Question Paper 2004 Solved for Class 12
Section – A
The Tempest—Shakespeare
Question 1.
Choose three of the passages (a) to (d) and answer as briefly as possible the questions that follow :
(a) Prospero :
[To Ferdinand] Come on; obey: Thy nerves are in their infancy again,
And have no vigour in them.
Ferdinand :
So they are :
My spirits, as in a dream, are all bound up.
My father’s loss, the weakness which I feel,
The wreck of cdl my friends, nor this man’s threats,
To whom I am subdued are but light to me,
Might I but through my prison once a day
Behold this maid. All corners else o ‘the ’ earth
Let liberty make use of space enough
Have 1 in such a prison.
(i) Where are Prospero and Ferdinand? Mention two commands given by Prospero that Ferdinand has to obey.
(ii) Explain : “Thy nerves are in their infancy again.”
(iii) What are “but light” to Ferdinand?
(iv) Who is ‘‘this maid” referred to? What had shocked the maid a little while ago?
(v) Where will Ferdinand find “space enough” to live in? What should “liberty” make use of?
(b) Antonio :
O!
If you but knew how you the purpose cherish
Whiles thus you mock it, how in stripping it
You more invest it, ebbing men, indeed,
Most often do so near the bottom run
By their own fear of sloth.
Sebastian :
Prithee, say on.
The setting of thine eye and cheek proclaim
A matter from thee, and a birth, indeed,
Which throes thee much to yield.
(i) Which ‘purpose” does Antonio refer lo? Where are Antonio and Sebastian at the present moment?
(ii) How had Antonio mocked the “purpose” he cherished? What is implied by “stripping il” and “invest it”?
(iii) What does Sebastian request Antonio to “say on”?
(iv) How does Sebastian conclude thai Antonio has much to convey?
(v) About whom does Antonio speak just after Sebastian ‘,s speech? What is his purpose in talking about him?
(C) Prospero :
lasidel Poor worm, thou art infected!
This visitation shows it.
Miranda :
You look wearily.
Ferdinand :
No. noble mistress, ‘ris fresh morning with inc
When you are by at nigh:. I do beseech you,—
Chiefly that I might set it in my prayers, —
What is your name?
Miranda :
Miranda —0 mv Jàrher,
have broke your hesi to say so!
Ferdinand:
Admir’d Miranda,
Indeed the top of admiration: worth
What ‘s dearest to the world! Full nwnv a 1dy
have eyed with best regard: and many a rime
The’ harmony of their tongues bath into bondage
Broughi mv too diligent ear.
(i) Who is the “poor worm” referred to? What has the “worm been “infected” with?
(ii) What makes Ferdinand “look wearily”? How does Ferdinand feel in Miranda s presence?
(iii) Wkv does Ferdinand wish to know Miranda ‘snaine? What compliments does he bestow upan Miranda?
(iv) E.plain: “Th harmony of their longues hath into bondage. Brought mv too diligent ear.”
(v) What are Prospero’s feelings on knowing about the couple ‘s feelings for each other?
(d) Alonso : Now all the blessings
Of a glad father compass thee about!
Arise, and say how thou cam’st here. ‘
Miranda :
O, Wonder!
How many goodly creatures are there here !
How beauteous mankind is! 0 brave new world.
That has such people in’t!
Prospero :
This new to thee
Alonso :
What is this maid with whom thou wast at play?
Your eld’st acquaintance cannot be three hours.
Is she the goddess that hath sever’d us,
And brought us thus together?
(i) Whom does Alonso ask to “arise ”? What is he glad “about”?
(ii) What is Miranda wonderstruck about?
(iii) Explain the terms, “eldest acquaintance” and “sever’d us”.
(iv) What information does Alonso receive in response to his question, “Is she the goddess that hath sever’d us. And brought us together”?
(v) Why is the world ‘new ’ to Miranda?
Answer:
(a) (i) Prospero and Ferdinand are on a lonely island where the latter is captivated by the former. The two commands given by Prospero that Ferdinand has to obey are :
(a) To carry and pile up the logs of wood.
(b) To be obedient always to his commands by following them.
(ii) Prospero treats Ferdinand cruelly, as he is under trial. Prospero thus speaks to him that all his muscles are limp and lifeless.
(iii) All the personal loss and threats of Prospero does not affect Ferdinand and he is ready to face it all.
(iv) Miranda is the “maid” referred to. She is shocked to find that her own father can be so cruel to someone.
(v) Ferdinand will enjoy enough space in a prison where he gets a single glance of Miranda each day. Though he will be in prison, liberty shall prevail in all comers of the earth.
(b)
(i) Here, the desire of Sebastian is referred to by Antonio who wants to be the King of Naples. Antonio and Sebastian are presently at another part of the island.
(ii) By pretending as if he was talking in sleep, Antonio mocked the “purpose” he cherished. The two phrases mean that the more you put it off, the greater the importance you give to it.
(iii) Sebastian requests Antonio to “say on” the desire he had in his heart.
(iv) By reading the expressions on Antonio’s face, Sebastian concludes that he has much to convey.
(v) After Sebastian’s speech, Antonio speaks about Francisco’s effort to convince Alonso that Ferdinand was dead fighting against the tempestuous waves.
The purpose in talking about the death of Ferdinand is that Sebastian should think seriously about becoming the King of Naples.
(c) (i) Miranda is referred to as the “poor worm”, and is infected with love for Ferdinand, the crown price.
(ii) Tiredness from hard physical labour makes Ferdinand look weary. But the very presence of Miranda refreshes him.
(iii) Ferdinand wishes to know Miranda’s name so that he could pray for her. “Admired Miranda—to of all admiration” is the compliment that he bestows upon her.
(iv) Ferdinand’s attention was drawn toward the melodious manner of women talking among themselves.
(v) Prospero is filled with fatherly love when he comes to know about the feelings of love that the couple has for each other, and he wishes that the grace of Almighty may rain “on that which breeds between them.”
(d) (i) Alonso asks his son Ferdinand to arise. Finding his son alive he is very glad.
(ii) So many “goodly creatures” are the cause of wonder for innocent Miranda.
(iii) Finding Ferdinand and Miranda close to each other, Alonso expresses his feeling that their acquaintance should be an old one and he thus calls it ‘eld’st’. Alonso takes Miranda as the goddess of the island who has ‘sever’d or separated them.
(iv) In response to his question Alonso comes to know from Ferdinand that Miranda is not a goddess but a mortal human being.
(v) Miranda had only seen two men in her life, who were Caliban and her father Prospero. So, the appearance of many human beings suddenly is a ‘new’ world to her.
Section-B
The Tempest – Shakespeare
Question 3.
Describe briefly but vividly the scene where Prospero reveals to Miranda, his brother’s secret plot to kill them and usurp his dukedom. What are your feelings for Prospero and Miranda’s fate at the hands of a cruel brother?
Answer:
Miranda is sorry to see the shipwreck and thinks that so many “Noble Creatures” have perished. She requests her father to stop the storm if he had raised it. Then Prospero, after removing his magical robe, addresses Miranda in the capacity of a father and tells her that twelve years since he was the duke of Milan, but was wrongly dethroned from his kingdom by his brother Antonio whom he loved and trusted blindly.
Prospero made Antonio the in charge of managing the kingdom’s affairs as he was busy in his secret study of magic. This made Antonio ambitious and his evil mind came to work. Prospero tells that he believed that he was indeed the duke; out of the substitution, and executing the outward face of royalty, with all prerogative. He tells that Antonio became an expert in whom to promote and whom to thrash for gaining hierarchy. He compares Antonio to an ‘ivy’ that had hidden his princely trunk and “suck’d his verdure out on”. Antonio considered Prospero to be no longer capable of managing state affairs and thereby joined hands with Alonso, the king of Naples, who was his relentless enemy. Alonso agreed to help Antonio on two conditions i.e., “to give him annual tribute, do him homage, subject his coronet to his crown, and bend the dukedom, yet unbowed”.
The opportunist King of Naples agreed to “extirpate” Prospero from Milan along with his three-year-old daughter, Miranda and “Confer fail Milan, with all honours” on Antonio. Thereby, in the darkness of the night Prospero and Miranda were carried on a ship with no sail or mast and were left in the sea. They were thus left in a miserable state to die.
Though a reader feels sympathy for both Prospero and Miranda who were deceived by a cruel brother and uncle, whom they trusted so much, but one may also feel that Prospero should have exercised his powers prudently and should not have left the affairs of the state to his treacherous brother.
Question 4.
Miranda’s appeal lies in her sweet innocence, gentle nature and pure selfless love for Ferdinand. Referring closely to the text bring out the truth of the statement.
Answer 4.
It is a true estimate of Miranda that her appeal lies in her sweet innocence, gentle nature and pure selfless love for Ferdinand. This is seen when Miranda believes that people have perished in the shipwreck and she says “O, I have suffered with those that I saw suffer.” She further states, “O the cry did knock against my very heart!” and wishes if “I had been any gou of power, I would have sunk the sea within the earth; or ere, it should the good ship so have swallowed and the fraughting souls within her.”
When Miranda meets Ferdinand for the first time, she says, “What is’t a spirit?” She says to her father “Believe me Sir, It carries a brave form; but tis a spirit”, as she had so far only seen her father and Caliban. She takes Ferdinand to be a spirit but Prospero tells her that he is a human being and she falls in love, i.e., love at first sight. She finds Ferdinand to be noble, but is shocked to see her father behave in a strange manner and requests him to be kind and gentle towards him.
Miranda is convinced that Ferdinand is one in whom “Nothing” can dwell in such a temple. When Prospero orders Ferdinand to be obedient to his commands, Miranda pleads for him to her father, “Dear father, Make not too rash a trial of him, for He’s gentle and not fearful.” On being rebuked by her father, she implores mercy on behalf of Ferdinand and says, “Sir, have piti,: I’ll be his surety”. It is an example of her innocence.
She tries to convince Ferdinand by saying, “my father’s of a better nature, sir, than he appears by speech.” When her father says that there are better-looking men in the world than Ferdinand, she says, “My affections are then most humble; I have no ambition to see a goodlier man!”
On seeing Ferdinand carrying logs of wood, against the orders of her father, she goes to meet him and is even willing to carry that for him. She finds the task so hard and laborious that she remorses by saying, “when this (logs) bums I will weep for having wearied you,” and then she asks him to take some rest.
Miranda is an example of innocence and straightforwardness. Her conversation with Ferdinand lacks cunningness and shrewdness. She is overjoyed when told that Ferdinand also loves her, and she considers herself to be very lucky to have his love as a great reward.