CLASS 12 · KALIEDOSCOPE · CHAPTER 11
Original, accessible answers for Yeats's poem and its rhyme-scheme activity.
5 worked answers · short steps first, explanations when you need them
Textbook pages
Question Understanding the Poem 1
Connect the autumn setting with the speaker's age and memories.
The late autumn scene reflects the speaker's ageing and the years that have passed.
Question Understanding the Poem 2
Match each phrase to the swans' sound or the speaker's feeling.
'Light tread' is the soft beat of the swans' wings; 'sore heart' is the speaker's sadness about ageing and change.
Question Understanding the Poem 3
Contrast the swans' continuing energy with human ageing.
The swans seem unchanged and energetic, while human beings age and feel the effects of time.
Question Understanding the Poem 4
Mention their graceful movement, natural setting, and freedom to leave.
Their grace and setting create beauty; their freedom and unknown destination create mystery.
Question Language Study: Rhyme Scheme
Mark repeated end sounds, then note where the pattern changes.
Stanzas 2–4 are ABCBDD; stanza 1 is ABCBDE as printed, and stanza 5 varies to ABCDEE.