Extract Based Question
Q1. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow.
its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed.
(a)What do “lifeless things” refers to?
(b) How do we know that he was a good sculptor?
(c) How did the heart feed the passions?
Ans: (a) The ‘lifeless things’ refers to the broken pieces of the statue of Ozymandias.
(b) The sculptor read the emotions on the face of Ozymandias and clearly transferred them into stone.
(c) Using his skill the sculptor expressed the emotions of the cruel heart of the ruler on the face of his statue.
Short Answer Type Questions
Q2.What is ironic about the inscription on the pedestal of Ozymandias’ statue ?
Ans: The inscription on the pedestal of Ozymandias statue says I am Ozymandias, the king of kings, look on my works, ye mighty and despair. This suggests that the king was very boastful, vain and arrogant. He thought that his kingdom would remain forever. But his kingdom was no where to be seen and even his own statue was in a dilapidated state. He failed to realise that life is ephemeral.
Q3. Who does the ‘shattered visage’ in the poem, ‘Ozymandias’, belong to and why is it ‘half sunk’ ?
Ans: It belongs to the kind Ozymandias. It is in a shattered condition as it is ravaged by time. King Ozymandias had got the statue created as a symbol of his power and mightiness but the time destroyed it. Time is all powerful and can destroy everything.
Q4. Why does Ozymandias refer to himself as ‘king of kings’ ?
Ans: Ozymandias was a mighty king who had defeated many of the kings around his kingdom and had acquired those kingdoms. He was proud of his glory and power. He felt that he was the mightiest of all.
Q5. What is ironic about the fate of Ozymandias ?
Ans: Ozymandias, the king, had got written at the pedestal of the statue, I am the king of kings’. But the irony is that the king’s statue was lying in the dust. He got a statue built to immortalise his name but he forgot that nothing could stand against time and powerful elements of nature.
Q6. In the poem, ‘Ozymandias’, the poet says, ‘the hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed’. How does the hand ‘mock’ them?
Ans: The ‘hand’ here is the hand of the sculptor. The sculptor was really good at his job as he was able to read not only the face but also the heart of the king and portrayed the feelings of the king on the statue so clearly that even though the statue was destroyed, the feelings could be well-read.
Q7.What quality of King Ozymandias does the poem reflect?
Ans: The poem conveys that Ozymandias was a very powerful ruler. He had immense pride of his strength. Owing to his achievements he had become arrogant. He was indeed an authoritarian and a despot. His wishes were laws. He had desire of being remembered by the posterity as a very powerful ruler.
Q8. “The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed.” Whose hand and heart are referred to in this line? Why?
Ans: In this line the hand of the sculptor and the heart of Ozymandias are referred to. The hands of the sculptor made the statue of Ozymandias. The sculptor was so skilled that he expressed all the feelings of the heart of Ozymandias on his statue. The face of the statue was telling that the man was so cruel and heartless.
Q9. What did the traveller see in the desert?
Ans: The traveller intimated the narrator that he came across a queer scene in a desert while he was travelling to an ancient land. He beheld two vast and trunkless legs of stone standing in the desert. Near the trunkless legs a human face lay half buried in the sand. The sculptor of the statue very aptly carved the emotions of the despot whose statue it was.
Q10. What message does the poem, ‘Ozymandias’ convey?
Ans: The icy hands of time leave nothing in this world. All human emotions like arrogance,frown, sneer, haughtiness, etc. vanish into thin air in the course of time. Time is so powerful that even the statue made of stone could not resist it. Ozymandias realised the futility of his vices. People must take a lesson from his life.
Q11. What feelings does the partially destroyed statue of Ozymandias convey?
Ans: The partially destroyed statue of Ozymandias conveys the feelings that time is the most powerful thing in the world. It also expresses that the sculptor of the statue was a very skilled person. The ruler was full of scorn and hostility. He was drunk with power and authority. He threw a challenge to all the powerful persons of the contemporary world.
Q12. What words were written on the pedestal of the broken statue? What did they show?
Ans: The pedestal of the statue had a brief description of the ruler whose statue it was. The mighty and the most powerful ruler of his time claimed himself to be ‘the king of kings’. This despot was drunk with authority and power. He threw a challenge to all the contemporary rulers. His intention was to outshine them.
Q13. Describe the statue of Ozymandias in the desert.
Ans: The statue was in broken state. There were two vast and trunkless legs of stone. The head of the statue was lying on the ground, half buried in the sands of the solitary and vast desert. The broken parts of the statue were conveying that they were the parts of the statue of a very powerful but cruel and arrogant despot. The powerful strokes of time had dwindled the statue of stone to nothingness.
Q14. What message did the poet convey in the poem, ‘Ozymandias’?
Ans: The icy hands of time leave nothing in this world. All human emotions like arrogance,frown, sneer, haughtiness, etc. vanish into thin air in the course of time. Time is so powerful that even the statue made of stone could not resist it. Ozymandias realised the futility of his vices. People must take a lesson from his life.
Q15. Which sight was seen by the traveller in the desert?
Ans: The traveller intimated the narrator that he came across a queer scene in a desert while he was travelling to an ancient land. He beheld two vast and trunkless legs of stone standing in the desert. Near the trunkless legs a human face lay half buried in the sand. The sculptor of the statue very aptly carved the emotions of the despot whose statue it was.
Q16. Bring out the irony in the poem, “Ozymandias”.
Ans: Ozymandias was a despot of an ancient Kingdom. He had desire of being called asking of kings. He was drunk with pelf, power and authority. For others he had only sneers of cold command. He tried to attain immortality but no trace of him and his works can be seen in the world. The miserable state of his statue mock at his claim of being king of kings.
Q17. What message is conveyed through the poem, ‘Ozymandias’?
Ans: The icy hands of time leave nothing in this world. All human emotions like arrogance,frown, sneer, haughtiness, etc. vanish into thin air in the course of time. Time is so powerful that even the statue made of stone could not resist it. Ozymandias realised the futility of his vices. People must take a lesson from his life.
Long Answer Type Question
Q18. Bring out the irony in the words, “My name is Ozymandias, king of kings, Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!” as inscribed on the pedestal of the statue. What lesson does this irony teach us?
Ans: Ozymandias, a powerful king of Egypt, was proud of his glory and achievements. He got a statue built in his name and tried to get himself immortalised. But the statue couldn’t withstand the powerful influence of time and with the passage of time it was destroyed. The statue lay broken in the lonely sands symbolising that time is all powerful, Everything in this life is ephemeral and transient. Nothing stays forever. Everything in this world decays with time. The poem highlights the vanity of human glory and power.
Q19. Describe how Shelley brings out the futility of power and riches in the poem, ‘Ozymandias’.
Ans: The icy hands of time leave none. Nothing is more powerful than time. Our glory, grandeur and power are only a nine days’ wonder. Ozymandias was ruthless and he had hatred and cold command. He demonstrated pride and sneer. The great sculptor of his time also carved out the emotions of Ozymandias on the face of his statue. ‘The wrinkled lip’ and ‘sneer of cold command’ say that he was drunk with pelf, power and authority. In the course of time all the pelf and power dwindled to nothingness.
The statue of Ozymandias was spilled all around the desert in a very bad state. The sands symbolising death and extinction had engulfed it. All the power and riches had become futile. Time had swallowed them fully. Whatsoever he got carved on the pedestal of his statue could not stand against perpetually powerful swords of time. Ozymandias displays his lamentation and regret.
Q20. What message does the poem, ‘Ozymandias’ convey?
Ans: The icy hands of time leave none. Nothing is more powerful than time. Our glory, grandeur and power are only a nine days’ wonder. Ozymandias was ruthless and he had hatred and cold command. He demonstrated pride and sneer. The great sculptor of his time also carved out the emotions of Ozymandias on the face of his statue. ‘The wrinkled lip’ and ‘sneer of cold command’ say that he was drunk with pelf, power and authority. In the course of time all the pelf and power dwindled to nothingness.
The statue of Ozymandias was spilled all around the desert in a very bad state. The sands symbolising death and extinction had engulfed it. All the power and riches had become futile. Time had swallowed them fully. Whatsoever he got carved on the pedestal of his statue could not stand against perpetually powerful swords of time. Ozymandias displays his lamentation and regret.
Q21. What was written on the pedestal of the statue? What does it indicate?
Ans: In his endeavour to immortalise himself, Ozymandias got his vast statue of stone built. On its pedestal he got carved: ‘My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings : Look upon my works, Ye mighty, and despair’.These words indicate that he wanted to convey the people a bitter truth of human life. The icy hands of time dwindled his pelf, power, arrogance, brutality, etc. to nothingness.
