Short & Long Questions: The Mirror | Short & Long Answer Questions for Class 10 PDF Download

Short Answer Type Questions

Q1: What does the woman search for in the mirror everyday ? (Board 2014, Set 8L1922Q, QUD9VQW)
Ans: Value Points:
The woman searches for her lost beauty in the lake and mirror-her lost young age. (CBS1 Marking Scheme, 2014)
Detailed Ans:
The woman stands in front of the mirror everyday and searches for her lost beauty in the lake and the mirror. She feels agitated of the loss of her young age as she’s not able to accept the reality of her lost youth.

Q2: Why has mirror been called cruel ? (Board Term-I 2013, Set 7PZ8)
Or
Why does the poet call the mirror ‘cruel’ ? (Board Term-I 2012, Set 24)
Ans: Mirror is honest and shows the true reflection. It does not reflect false images so people in their agitation call it cruel.

Q3: Why is mirror called a ‘four cornered God’ ? (Board Term-I 2012, Set 19)
Ans: The mirror is unbiased, and from all angles it looks at its subjects like God. He treats them without any preferences.

Q4: What do you think the ‘terrible fish’ in the poem, ‘Mirror’ symbolizes ? What is the poetic device used here ? (Board Term-I 2012, Set 50)
Ans: Terrible fish symbolizes wrinkled, old face of the woman which has lost its youth and beauty. She can’t come to terms with her change. Only mirror makes her realize that she is no more young and beautiful. She feels agitated and behaves like a terrible fish.

Q5: How has Sylvia Plath used the poetic device of ‘personification’ to describe the Mirror ? (Board Term-I 2012, Set 51)
Ans: Mirror describes itself as silver-coloured and exact. It has no preconceived notions and is not affected by love, hate or other emotions. It is objective and unbiased-woman, who bends over it can see what she really is as the mirror doesn’t lie or deceives like candles or moon. It indulges in human activities – ‘sees’, ‘swallows’, ‘mediates’ and ‘thinks’.

Q6: How has Sylvia Plath projected mirror ? (Board Term-I 2012, Set 53)
Ans: Sylvia Plath has projected mirror as unmisted and non-biased. Unprejudiced, with no preconceived ideology, it projects the crystal clear image of an object facing it. Having four comers, it reflects all that it captures realistically and is impartial.

Q7: What are the personal qualities the mirror claims to possess ? (Board Term-I 2012, Set 55)
Ans: Mirror is silver and exact. It has no preconceptions. It is unbiased and truthful. It is neither cruel nor indifferent.
It has four comers and has the eye of a little God.

Q8: Give evidence from the poem, ‘Mirror’ to prove that the mirror is exact and truthful. (Board Term-I 2012, Set 59)
Ans: The mirror is exact. It symbolizes truthfulness. It is free from all distortions. It shows things as they are. It doesn’t hesitate to show flaws, signs of old age or loss of beauty and youth. Objectivity is the main trait of the mirror, whatever it sees, it reflects faithfully.

Q9: What does the mirror do most of the time ? (Board Term-I 2011, Set 14)
Ans: The mirror spends most of its time watching and meditating on the opposite pink wall quietly. It keeps reflecting the opposite wall, so much that it has become a part of its heart.

Q10: What aspect of life has been discussed in the poem ‘Mirror’. Mention two poetic devices used in the poem. (Board Term-I 2011, Set 17)
Ans: The process of ageing has been discussed in this poem. The two poetic devices used in this poem are personification and metaphor.

Long Answer Type Questions (4 marks each)
Q11: As the central character of the poem The Mirror, write a letter to your best friend sharing your fear of ageing. (Board 2014, Set PRE2N18, QUD9VQW)
Ans: Letter writing (Value Points): ^
Content-2 marks
– what I look in the mirror-do not want to believe it
– I’m really scared of losing my beauty as I’m growing older
– Still want to look magnificent
– The thought of growing old is killing
– Do you also have the same fears
– Please help me come out of this situation
Detailed Ans:
463, ABC Street
London
14th May 20 xx
Dear Pam
You were the first one to enter my thought when I wanted to share with someone my fear of ageing. I shudder at my reflection in the mirror. I do not want to believe that I am growing old with each passing day. I am losing my beauty and moving towards old age and that scares me. I want to look magnificent and gorgeous as ever.
This ageing process is scaring the wits out of me. The thought of growing old is killing. I feel that I am losing my charm and brilliance which is not acceptable to me. I know that this is the reality of life and I should not be thinking this way but somehow I am unable to cope up with the thought. I feel dejected and frustrated. Is this dejection and frustration universal ? Do you also feel the same way ? Are you also scared of getting old ?
Please help me come out of this situation. I am concerned and don’t want to get affected in such a terrifying manner.
Yours sincerely Sylvia

Q12: Imagine you are the mirror. Make a diary entry on a day in your life. (Board Term-12011, Set 41)
Ans: 31 March, Friday 9 p.m.
Dear Diary
Today, I was just wondering how I spend my whole day. I realized that most of the time I meditate on the opposite wall. It is only the faces and darkness that separate us. Every morning a lady bends over me to know what she really is but when I reflect her image faithfully, she is upset and agitated. She feels so because she sees her exact image of an ageing woman. I am exact. I have no preconceptions. I reflect the image in an unbiased way as I am unmisted by love or dislike. That’s why the woman feels agitated. But I am happy with myself as I show people how and what they exactly are.

Q13: How does Sylvia Plath effectively use personification in her poem ‘The Mirror’ ? (Board Term-12011, Set 33)
Ans: ‘The Mirror’ is a perfect example of personification. The poet has successfully endowed human qualities to the mirror. The mirror tells about itself ‘I am exact’. It has no prejudices or preconceptions in its mind. It shows images as they are reflected in it. The whole day it meditates on the opposite wall which is pink and speckled. It is unmisted and when the lady looks into the mirror, she gets agitated and upset at seeing her ageing image. Thus, Sylvia Plath has effectively used personification in this poem.

Q14. What message does the poet wish to convey through the poem ‘Mirror’ ?
Ans: ‘Mirror’ is a reflective poem. The mirror reflects the life of human beings in all its reality. Its reflection is neither twisted nor distorted. It describes the true nature of things. It has no preconceptions and personal likes or dislikes and gives an exact image of what comes before it. It is not affected by any feelings of love or hatred. In this modem era, everyone is living under an illusion. Everyone feels like the woman who looks into the mirror which is a lake for her, feels like a fish out of water and is not prepared to accept the reality of advancing age. Old age or ugliness is a hard and cruel fact that can’t be escaped. Here the idea and the message of ageing is conveyed through the poem by the poet Sylvia Plath.