Sonnet 106 by William Shakespeare, Exam Based Questions

William Shakespeare’s

Sonnet 106

1. In Sonnet 106, what does “the chronicle of wasted time” refer to? (UPSC, PGTRB, TNPSC, DSSSB, CUET)

A) a) Stories of ancient war

B) b) Old poetic records describing beauty

C) c) Libraries full of lost books

D) d) Letters of unrequited love

Ans: Answer: b) Old poetic records describing beauty

2. What is the central theme of Sonnet 106? (UPSC, PGTRB, TNPSC, DSSSB, CUET)

A) a) The transience of life

B) b) How past writers failed to capture true beauty

C) c) The power of memory

D) d) The fear of aging

Ans: Answer: b) How past writers failed to capture true beauty

3. Who is the poem implicitly celebrating in Sonnet 106? (PGTRB, TNPSC, UPSC, DSSSB, CUET)

A) a) A mythological hero

B) b) The Fair Youth (young man)

C) c) The Dark Lady

D) d) Queen Elizabeth

Ans: Answer: b) The Fair Youth (young man)

4. What does “beauty making beautiful old rhyme” suggest? (UPSC, PGTRB, TNPSC, NET, CUET)

A) a) Old poems praise nature

B) b) The present beloved outshines past descriptions

C) c) Rhyme enhances beauty

D) d) Beauty ruins poetry

Ans: Answer: b) The present beloved outshines past descriptions

5. Which literary device is used in “beauty making beautiful old rhyme”? (UPSC, PGTRB, NET, DSSSB, CUET)

A) a) Alliteration

B) b) Metaphor

C) c) Personification

D) d) Irony

Ans: Answer: a) Alliteration

6. In this sonnet, “the chronicle” refers to: (UPSC, PGTRB, TNPSC)

A) a) Biblical history

B) b) Biographies of kings

C) c) Records of poets’ past praises

D) d) Annals of military conquests

Ans: Answer: c) Records of poets’ past praises

7. The tone of Sonnet 106 is best described as: (PGTRB, TNPSC, DSSSB, CUET)

A) a) Arrogant

B) b) Nostalgic yet admiring

C) c) Angry and bitter

D) d) Joyful and exuberant

Ans: Answer: b) Nostalgic yet admiring

8. What does the poet feel about the “wasted time”? (UPSC, PGTRB, TNPSC, DSSSB, CUET)

A) a) It was ill-spent

B) b) It recorded beauty inadequately

C) c) It preserved beauty perfectly

D) d) It is meaningless

Ans: Answer: b) It recorded beauty inadequately

9. The phrase “our fresh thoughts” in Sonnet 106 refers to: (UPSC, PGTRB, TNPSC, NET)

A) a) Modern ideas about nature

B) b) Present perceptions of the beloved’s beauty

C) c) New poetic styles

D) d) Political ideologies

Ans: Answer: b) Present perceptions of the beloved’s beauty

10. What poetic form is Sonnet 106? (UPSC, PGTRB, TNPSC, NET, CUET)

A) a) Petrarchan sonnet

B) b) Shakespearean sonnet

C) c) Spenserian sonnet

D) d) Free verse

Ans: Answer: b) Shakespearean sonnet

11. How many lines are there in Sonnet 106? (UPSC, PGTRB, TNPSC, NET, DSSSB)

A) a) 12

B) b) 14

C) c) 16

D) d) 18

Ans: Answer: b) 14

12. What rhyme scheme does Sonnet 106 follow? (UPSC, PGTRB, TNPSC, NET, CUET)

A) a) ABBA ABBA CDE CDE

B) b) ABAB CDCD EFEF GG

C) c) AABB CCDD EEFF GG

D) d) ABBA CDDC EFFE GG

Ans: Answer: b) ABAB CDCD EFEF GG

13. Sonnet 106 reminds us that poets of the past lacked: (UPSC, PGTRB, TNPSC, DSSSB)

A) a) Education

B) b) Rich language

C) c) A model of true beauty to describe

D) d) Inspiration from nature

Ans: Answer: c) A model of true beauty to describe

14. What effect does the present beloved have on “old rhyme”? (UPSC, PGTRB, TNPSC, DSSSB, CUET)

A) a) Makes past verses seem outdated

B) b) Enhances their value

C) c) Makes them tragic

D) d) Makes them irrelevant to history

Ans: Answer: a) Makes past verses seem outdated

15. Which Shakespearean theme is central to Sonnet 106? (UPSC, PGTRB, TNPSC, NET, CUET)

A) a) Mortality

B) b) Immortality via verse

C) c) Betrayal

D) d) Political power

Ans: Answer: b) Immortality via verse