For Anne Gregory Class 10: Summary, Themes and Devices
Updated 14 October 2026 · Fact-checked
For Anne Gregory is a short poem by W.B. Yeats in First Flight. A young man and a young woman argue about whether anyone can love her for herself and not for her beautiful yellow hair. The board sets poetry extract questions, 40-50 word short answers and 100-120 word long answers on it.
What For Anne Gregory is about
For Anne Gregory is a poem by William Butler Yeats in your First Flight textbook. It has three six-line stanzas written as a conversation between a young man and a young woman. In one line: it asks whether a person can ever be loved for their inner self alone, and not for their outward beauty.
In the board paper, this poem can appear in Section C. You may get a poetry extract (Q7, one of two) with MCQ, very short and 30-40 word questions. It can also come as a 40-50 word short answer worth 3 marks (Q8), or as a 100-120 word long answer worth 6 marks (Q10) that asks you to think beyond the poem, judge its message or apply it to life.
In real board papers: asked in 1 of the 21 board papers we hold (2023 to 2026), on average 0.2 marks per paper. See the questions
For Anne Gregory: explanation
In our own words, in the order of the text. Read the NCERT text itself too: the board quotes from it.
The NCERT note tells you the poem is a conversation between a young man and a young woman. The title suggests that the woman being addressed is Anne Gregory. The three stanzas move like a short argument: a claim, a reply, and a final answer.
Stanza 1: the young man's claim. The young man tells the woman that no young man will ever love her for herself alone. Her thick, golden hair falls around her ears like the walls of a fort, which he calls "honey-coloured / Ramparts". Young men who see it are "thrown into despair", that is, they are overwhelmed and fall hopelessly in love. He suggests that her beauty is so striking that it will always stand between her and a lover. Like a rampart, it guards her real self, and men will never get past it to know who she truly is.
Stanza 2: the young woman's reply. The woman answers cleverly and a little playfully. She says she can simply dye her hair brown, black or even carrot-colour. Then, she argues, young men will love her for herself and not for her yellow hair. She wants to be valued for her mind and nature, not her looks. Her answer shows she believes the problem is only the hair, and that removing it will solve everything.
Stanza 3: the young man's final answer. The young man replies that only last night he heard an old religious man declare that he had found a text to prove that only God could love her for herself alone and not her yellow hair. This ends the argument. His point is that changing the hair colour will not help, because human love is always drawn, at least partly, by outward appearance. Only God's love is pure enough to look past the body to the soul.
Central idea. The poem contrasts human love, which is attracted by physical beauty, with divine love, which is unconditional. We can infer that Yeats is not mocking the woman's wish; it is a natural and good wish to be loved for who we are. But the poem gently suggests that, among human beings, appearance and personality can never be fully separated. Beauty is outward and changeable, as the hair-dye idea shows, while the real self lies deeper. The repeated line about loving someone "for yourself alone" keeps this question at the heart of every stanza.
Themes and message
Outer beauty versus inner worth
The whole poem turns on the difference between how a person looks and who a person really is. The young man believes her golden hair is so attractive that lovers will never see beyond it. The woman wants to be valued for her inner qualities. The poem suggests that people are too easily attracted by the surface, and that true worth lies in character, mind and soul. You should show in answers that the poem raises this as a real problem, not just a joke about hair.
From the text: The refrain in every stanza contrasts the two: "for yourself alone" against "And not your yellow hair."
Human love versus divine love
The final stanza separates two kinds of love. Human love, the poem suggests, is conditional: it is drawn by appearance and may change if the appearance changes. God's love is unconditional and sees the person's true self. By bringing in the old religious man and his text, the young man makes this the poem's conclusion. We can infer that Yeats sees perfectly pure love as something only divine, which humans can aim for but rarely reach.
From the text: "That only God, my dear," could love her for herself alone, says the old religious man in the last stanza.
The wish to be loved for oneself
The young woman's reply shows a deep and natural human desire: to be loved for one's real self. She is ready to give up the very feature that makes her admired, which shows how much she values genuine love over admiration. This makes her the more idealistic voice in the poem. The theme connects to every reader, because everyone wants friends and family who value them for their nature, not for looks, marks or money.
From the text: She says young men "May love me for myself alone" once she dyes her hair.
Appearance is changeable and fleeting
The hair-dye idea quietly shows that outward beauty is not fixed. Hair colour can be changed in a moment to brown, black or carrot. If love depends only on such a feature, it rests on something temporary. This suggests that love based on looks is weak, since looks can change or fade. The poem therefore points us towards the lasting inner self as the right basis for love, even while admitting that humans rarely manage this.
From the text: "Brown, or black, or carrot," are the colours she says she can set in place of her yellow hair.
The speaker and the people in the poem
The young man
One speaker in the conversation; he speaks the first and third stanzas and argues that she cannot be loved for herself alone.
- Admiring: he is struck by her golden hair
- Realistic, even a little cynical, about human love
- Witty and persuasive in argument
- Has the last word, using religious authority
He praises her "great honey-coloured / Ramparts at your ear", says no young man will love her for herself alone, and ends by quoting an old religious man who proved that only God could do so.
The young woman (Anne Gregory, as the title suggests)
The person addressed; she speaks the second stanza and replies to the young man's claim.
- Beautiful, with striking yellow hair
- Idealistic: wants to be loved for her real self
- Quick-witted and confident
- Practical, offering a simple solution
She replies, "But I can get a hair-dye", and offers to change her hair to brown, black or carrot so that men love her "for myself alone".
The old religious man
Described, not heard directly; the young man reports what he said, which settles the argument.
- Associated with religious learning
- Speaks with authority
- Holds that only divine love is unconditional
The young man says he heard him "But yesternight declare" that he had found a text to prove that only God could love her for herself alone.
Poetic devices
| Device | Example | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Metaphor | "great honey-coloured / Ramparts at your ear" | Her thick hair is compared to the high walls of a fort. It shows how grand her hair is and suggests it guards her real self, so lovers cannot get past her beauty to know her. |
| Imagery (visual) | "honey-coloured" | Creates a rich, golden picture of her hair. The word also hints at sweetness, which helps us see why young men are so attracted. |
| Repetition (refrain) | "for yourself alone / And not your yellow hair" (with small changes, in all three stanzas) | Keeps the central question in front of the reader. Each speaker returns to it, which makes the poem feel like a tight, circling argument. |
| Alliteration | "Brown, or black" and "May love me for myself" | The repeated b and m sounds add music and a playful, light rhythm to the woman's reply. |
| Hyperbole | "Thrown into despair" | Exaggerates the effect of her beauty on young men, who are shown as hopelessly overwhelmed. It adds humour and stresses how powerful looks can be. |
| Rhyme scheme and dialogue form | In each stanza the 2nd, 4th and 6th lines rhyme or nearly rhyme (despair, ear, hair), roughly ABCBDB | The regular rhyme makes the poem musical and easy to remember. The three-stanza dialogue gives it a light, conversational and argumentative tone. |
Key quotations
Short lines worth knowing by heart: who says them, when, and why they matter.
Thrown into despair
The young man: Stanza 1, describing how young men feel on seeing her golden hair.
Shows how overpowering outward beauty is; it overwhelms lovers so that they fall for her looks.
Love you for yourself alone
The young man: Stanza 1, as he claims no young man will love her this way.
States the poem's key question: can anyone love a person for their inner self?
But I can get a hair-dye
The young woman: Opening line of her reply in stanza 2.
Shows her quick, practical answer and her wish to be valued beyond her looks; it also hints that beauty is changeable.
May love me for myself alone
The young woman: Stanza 2, explaining why she would dye her hair.
Reveals her idealistic longing to be loved for who she is.
I heard an old religious man
The young man: Start of stanza 3, as he brings in an authority to end the argument.
Introduces the religious view that settles the debate in his favour.
That only God, my dear,
The young man: Stanza 3, reporting the old religious man's proof.
Gives the central idea: only divine love is unconditional; "my dear" shows his affection for her.
For Anne Gregory in real life
Each concept, met in an everyday situation. Read the situation, answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.
Outer beauty versus inner worth
Suppose your class has to choose a compere for the school's annual day. Instead of holding a short speaking test, most classmates vote for a student only because she looks good on stage. A shy boy who speaks clearly and confidently is ignored.
How is the class's choice similar to the young man's claim in 'For Anne Gregory'? Was it a fair choice? Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Link: like the young men in the poem, the class judged by appearance.
- Point out what the job really needs: voice, confidence, quick thinking.
- Judge: choosing for looks alone values the 'yellow hair', not the person.
- Conclude: the fair choice is the best speaker.
Answer: Like the young man's claim, the class judged by appearance and ignored ability. A compere needs a clear voice, confidence and quick thinking. Choosing for looks alone values the 'yellow hair', not the person. The fair choice would have been the best speaker.
Memory hook: A stage needs a voice, not just a face: don't vote for the yellow hair.
The wish to be loved for oneself
Imagine your cousin has topped her board exams. At every family function, relatives praise only her marks. One evening she quietly tells you, 'I wish they liked me, not just my result.'
Compare your cousin's feeling with the young woman's wish in the poem. Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Identify the parallel: marks play the role of the yellow hair.
- Neither marks nor hair is the whole person.
- Both want to be loved for themselves alone.
- Note that marks, like hair, can change, but character remains.
Answer: My cousin feels like the young woman in the poem. Relatives praise her marks, just as men admire the woman's yellow hair, but neither is the whole person. Both want to be loved for themselves alone. Marks, like hair, can change; her kindness and character remain.
Memory hook: Marks are her 'yellow hair': people see them first, but they are not her.
Appearance is changeable and fleeting
Suppose your friend Rohan plans to spend all his savings on an expensive new hairstyle and clothes before a classmate's birthday party. He says, 'Then everyone will finally like me.'
Using the young woman's hair-dye plan in the poem, advise Rohan in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Recall the woman's belief that changing her hair colour would change how she is loved.
- Show the flaw: a new look is only a new surface to admire.
- Remind him that real friends value qualities like humour and loyalty.
- Give clear advice: save the money and be himself.
Answer: Rohan, the young woman in the poem also thought changing her hair colour would change how people loved her. But a new look only gives people a new surface to admire. Real friends like you for your humour and loyalty, so save your money and simply be yourself.
Memory hook: A new haircut is just a new hair-dye: the surface changes, you don't.
Human love versus divine love
Imagine your aunt has just had a baby. She stays awake night after night caring for the newborn, who has not yet done anything to 'earn' her love.
Does this challenge the old religious man's claim that only God can love a person for themselves alone? Give reasons in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Take a balanced position: partly yes.
- A mother loves a newborn before there are looks, talent or achievements to admire.
- This comes close to loving someone for themselves alone.
- But the poem's view still fits most adult love, like the young men's, drawn by appearance.
Answer: Partly, yes. A mother loves her newborn before it has looks, talent or achievements to admire, which comes close to loving it 'for yourself alone'. Still, the poem's view holds for most adult love, such as the young men's, which is easily drawn by appearance.
Memory hook: A mother's midnight care is the nearest human love gets to the old man's 'only God'.
Topics in this chapter
- For Anne Gregory Summary and ExplanationComing soon
- For Anne Gregory Question AnswersComing soon
- For Anne Gregory Theme and Message
- For Anne Gregory Poetic DevicesComing soon
How the board asks For Anne Gregory
The question patterns to expect, and the method that works for each.
| Question type | How it is asked | Method |
|---|---|---|
| Poetry extract (Q7), 1-mark parts | A stanza is given with MCQs, fill in the blank, complete the sentence, or pick the device or meaning, for example what "ramparts" stand for or what God does not love a person for. | Read the full stanza and see who is speaking. Choose the option that matches the exact words. For completion items, write a short, complete answer that fits the blank grammatically. |
| Poetry extract (Q7), 2-mark analysis | In 30-40 words you explain the significance of an image like "yellow hair" or what a line reveals about the speaker's view of love. | Make two clear points: what the image or line means, and how it links to the theme of outer beauty versus inner self. Quote a word or two and stay within 40 words. |
| Short answer (Q8), 3 marks | 40-50 words on, say, why the young woman wants to dye her hair, or what the old religious man's text proves. | Give the fact from the poem, then the reason or meaning behind it. Content gets 2 marks and expression 1, so write correct, connected sentences. |
| Long answer (Q10), 6 marks: theme and evaluation | 100-120 words asking you to examine the poem's message about love and beauty, sometimes alongside another First Flight text, or to judge whether it is possible to love someone for themselves alone. | Open with the poem's idea, support it with stanza-by-stanza evidence, then give your reasoned view. If another text is named, compare only what each text actually says. Content 3, expression 2, accuracy 1. |
| Long answer (Q10), 6 marks: extrapolation | You may be asked to imagine a situation, such as a diary entry by the young woman or a judgement on whether looks matter in friendship today. | Stay true to the poem's speakers and ideas, then extend them to the new situation. Use a clear structure: point, evidence from the poem, link to life, conclusion. |
Tricks to remember For Anne Gregory
Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.
Man, Maiden, Man
Three stanzas, three moves: Man makes a Claim, Maiden offers a Counter-plan, Man gives the Clincher. Remember 'Claim, Counter, Clincher'.
Use it when: Use it to keep the order of the conversation right and to say who speaks in each stanza.
Hair, Dye, God
The whole poem in three words: Hair (men love only her hair), Dye (she will change its colour), God (only God loves the true self).
Use it when: Use it to write a quick summary or to open a long answer on the theme.
B-B-C colours
The woman's colour choices spell B-B-C: Brown, Black, Carrot.
Use it when: Use it for one-mark recall questions on stanza 2.
Yourself, myself, yourself
Follow the pronoun in the refrain: 'yourself' (man speaks), 'myself' (woman speaks), 'yourself' (man again). The pronoun tells you the speaker.
Use it when: Use it to identify the speaker of any extract and to discuss the refrain as a poetic device.
Yeats in four facts
Irish nationalist, schooled in London and Dublin, loved folklore and mythology, Nobel Prize 1923.
Use it when: Use it only if a question asks about the poet; do not add facts beyond these.
For Anne Gregory: extract-based questions
Read the extract, answer every part on paper, then open the answers.
Extract 1: Stanza 1: The young man's claim
“Never shall a young man,
Thrown into despair
By those great honey-coloured
Ramparts at your ear,
Love you for yourself alone
And not your yellow hair.”
(1) · 1 mark · MCQ
Choose the option that gives the meaning of 'Ramparts' as used in the extract.
(a) high, wide walls around a castle or fort
(b) golden ornaments worn in the ears
(c) long braids tied with ribbons
(d) narrow gates of a palace(2) · 1 mark · Very short answer
Which phrase from the extract shows how strongly young men are affected by the woman's hair?
(3) · 1 mark · MCQ
Identify the poetic device in 'great honey-coloured / Ramparts at your ear'.
(a) simile
(b) metaphor
(c) personification
(d) onomatopoeia(4) · 2 marks · Short answer
Why is the young man sure that no young man will love the woman 'for yourself alone'? Answer in 30-40 words.
Show the answersAnswers
- (a) high, wide walls around a castle or fort. Here the word is used for the woman's thick hair that frames her ears like fort walls.
- "Thrown into despair"
- (b) metaphor. The hair is called ramparts without using 'like' or 'as'.
- The young man thinks her honey-coloured hair is so dazzling that suitors are overwhelmed by it. Their love begins and ends with her looks, so they never look past the hair to know her real self and nature.
Extract 2: Stanza 2: The young woman's reply
“But I can get a hair-dye
And set such colour there,
Brown, or black, or carrot,
That young men in despair
May love me for myself alone
And not my yellow hair.”
(1) · 1 mark · Very short answer
Name the three colours the young woman says she could dye her hair.
(2) · 1 mark · MCQ
The tone of the young woman in this stanza is best described as:
(a) defiant and confident
(b) mournful and hopeless
(c) mocking towards God
(d) fearful and anxious(3) · 1 mark · Very short answer
Complete the sentence with a phrase from the extract: The young woman hopes that, after changing her hair colour, young men will love her for ________.
(4) · 2 marks · Short answer
What does the young woman's plan reveal about her idea of love, and is the plan likely to work? Answer in 30-40 words.
Show the answersAnswers
- Brown, black or carrot.
- (a) defiant and confident. She refuses to accept the young man's claim and offers a quick solution.
- myself alone (that is, her true self, not her looks)
- Her plan shows she wants to be valued for her inner self, not her looks. Yet it is naive: dyed hair is still appearance, so men would simply admire a new colour instead of her mind.
For Anne Gregory: board-level solved questions
Ordered from board level to HOTS. Cover the solution, write your own, then compare step by step.
Example 1: The young man's claim · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level
What does the young man claim in the first stanza of 'For Anne Gregory', and why does he make this claim? Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- States the claim: no young man will love her for herself alone.
- Gives the reason: her thick honey-coloured hair, called 'ramparts', dazzles admirers.
- Draws the point: their love stays on her beauty, not her character.
Answer: In the first stanza, the young man tells the woman that no young man will ever love her for herself alone. Her thick honey-coloured hair, compared to ramparts, so dazzles and overwhelms admirers that their love stays fixed on her beauty, not her character.
Example 2: Explaining the central metaphor · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level
Explain the metaphor 'great honey-coloured / Ramparts at your ear'. What does it suggest about the woman's hair? Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Identifies the comparison: hair compared to ramparts.
- Explains 'honey-coloured': rich golden shade and sweetness.
- Explains 'ramparts': high fort walls, so the hair is thick and grand.
- Interprets: it attracts men but also acts as a barrier hiding her real self.
Answer: The young man compares the woman's thick hair to honey-coloured ramparts. Honey suggests its rich golden shade and sweetness. Ramparts are the high walls of a fort, so the hair acts as a barrier: it attracts men but hides her real self from them.
Example 3: How the argument ends · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level
How does the young man answer the woman's plan in the last stanza? What does his answer suggest about human love? Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- He reports what an old religious man declared the night before.
- The old man found a text proving only God can love her for herself alone.
- Inference: human love is always drawn to appearance and so is imperfect.
- Only divine love is pure and sees the true self.
Answer: He reports an old religious man's claim, found in a text, that only God can love her for herself alone. This suggests that human love always notices appearance and is therefore imperfect, while only divine love is pure and sees the true self.
Example 4: Theme: outer beauty versus inner worth · 6 marks · Long answerHarder board level
'For Anne Gregory' is an argument between outer beauty and inner worth. Discuss how the poem develops this conflict through its three stanzas. Answer in about 100-120 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Introduces the poem as a conversation that sets beauty against inner worth.
- Stanza 1: the young man's claim that the hair, 'Ramparts at your ear', throws men into despair and hides her real self.
- Stanza 2: the woman's counter-plan to dye her hair so men love her for herself.
- Her reply shows her longing to be valued for her mind and nature.
- Stanza 3: the young man quotes the old religious man: only God loves a person for themselves alone.
- Conclusion: human love is coloured by appearance; pure love is divine.
Answer: 'For Anne Gregory' is a conversation that sets outer beauty against inner worth. The young man begins by claiming that the woman's honey-coloured hair, described as 'Ramparts at your ear', throws young men into despair. Dazzled, they will love her looks and never her real self. The woman disagrees. She says she can dye her hair brown, black or carrot so that men love her 'for myself alone'. Her reply shows her longing to be valued for her mind and nature. However, the young man ends the argument by quoting an old religious man: only God can love a person for themselves alone. The poem suggests that human love is always coloured by appearance, while pure love is divine.
Example 5: Suppose she dyes her hair · 3 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency
Suppose the young woman really did dye her hair black. Would young men then love her for herself alone? Justify your answer with reference to the poem. Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Takes a clear position: probably not.
- Reason: dyeing only replaces one colour with another; men still see looks.
- Evaluates the plan: a surface fix for a deeper problem.
- Links to the poem's ending: human eyes rarely see past appearance.
Answer: Probably not. Dyeing only swaps one colour for another; men would still be drawn by her looks, now black instead of yellow. Her plan treats a deep problem with a surface change. As the poem's ending suggests, human eyes rarely see past appearance to the person.
Example 6: Filters, likes and being loved for yourself · 6 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
Today many people judge themselves and others by filtered photos and the number of likes they get online. Using the ideas of 'For Anne Gregory', discuss whether it is possible to be loved 'for yourself alone'. Answer in about 100-120 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Recalls the poem: admirers love the yellow hair, not the self; only God loves a person for themselves alone.
- Connects to today: filters and likes measure surface appeal.
- Compares a filter to the woman's hair-dye: both change only the surface.
- Gives a personal view with examples: a mother's care, a loyal friend.
- Value-based conclusion: judge by kindness and character.
Answer: In 'For Anne Gregory', the young man insists that admirers love the woman's yellow hair, not her true self, and the poem ends by saying only God can love a person for themselves alone. This idea feels real today, when people post filtered photos and count likes as a measure of their worth. Like the woman's hair-dye, a filter only changes the surface; it cannot make anyone see who we are. Yet I believe human love can move closer to the ideal. A mother caring for a sick child, or a friend who stays when we fail, values the person, not the looks. Such love grows with time and honesty. So we should judge others by kindness and character.
Where the marks are
How a typical answer is marked: the value points the examiner looks for and the marks each earns.
Why does the young woman want to dye her hair, and what does the young man's reply suggest about human love? (3 marks, 40-50 words) (3 marks)
| Step | Marks |
|---|---|
| Content: states her plan (hair-dye; brown, black or carrot) and her reason (to be loved for herself alone, not her yellow hair) | 1 |
| Content: explains the reply (old religious man's text: only God can love her for herself) and its suggestion (human love is drawn to appearance) | 1 |
| Expression: clear, connected answer within 40-50 words (up to 1 mark may be deducted for spelling or grammar errors) | 1 |
'Only God can love a person for themselves alone.' Do you agree with the conclusion of 'For Anne Gregory'? Give reasons with reference to the poem and life. (6 marks, 100-120 words) (6 marks)
| Step | Marks |
|---|---|
| Content: explains the poem's argument (young man's claim, woman's hair-dye plan, the old religious man's text) | 1 |
| Content: interprets the conclusion (human love is coloured by appearance; divine love is pure) | 1 |
| Content: gives a clear personal view with an example from life (e.g. a parent's or friend's love) | 1 |
| Expression: well-organised answer with introduction, development and conclusion; fluent linking | 2 |
| Accuracy: correct spelling, grammar and punctuation within about 100-120 words | 1 |
Where students lose marks in For Anne Gregory
The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.
Mistake: Naming the wrong speaker for the last stanza
Students think the old religious man speaks directly to the woman, but his words are only reported.
Wrong working
The old religious man tells Anne that only God can love her for herself.
Right working
The young man reports what he heard an old religious man declare: only God could love her for herself alone.
Do this: Remember the poem has just two speakers; the old man is quoted, never present.
Usually costs: Up to 1 mark of content
Mistake: Taking 'ramparts' literally
The word is unusual, so students guess it means earrings or walls in the scene.
Wrong working
Ramparts are the golden earrings she wears at her ear.
Right working
'Ramparts' is a metaphor: her thick honey-coloured hair frames her ears like the high walls of a fort.
Do this: Use the glossary meaning (walls around a fort) and then explain the comparison.
Usually costs: 1-2 marks in a 2-mark or 3-mark answer
Mistake: Retelling the poem instead of answering the question
For a theme or evaluation question, students summarise the three stanzas and never state the idea.
Wrong working
First the man talks about her hair, then she says she will dye it, then he talks about an old man.
Right working
Each stanza tests one view of love; the ending suggests human love is coloured by looks, while only divine love sees the true self.
Do this: Begin with the idea the question asks for, then use the stanzas as evidence.
Usually costs: 1-2 marks of content in a long answer
Mistake: Missing the flaw in the hair-dye plan
Students accept the woman's plan as a solution and miss the poem's point.
Wrong working
By dyeing her hair she solves the problem and men will love her for herself.
Right working
A new colour is still appearance, so the plan cannot make men see her real self; the last stanza shows this.
Do this: Always ask whether a character's solution actually works, and say why.
Usually costs: 1 mark of content
Mistake: Misquoting the refrain
Students quote from memory and change the words, for example 'golden hair' or 'for herself only'.
Wrong working
The refrain says men should love her 'for herself only and not her golden hair'.
Right working
The refrain is 'Love you for yourself alone / And not your yellow hair.'
Do this: Learn the refrain word for word, or paraphrase without quotation marks if unsure.
Usually costs: Up to 1 mark for accuracy
Mistake: Going over the word limit in the 2-mark extract part
Students write a full paragraph when only 30-40 words are needed.
Wrong working
A 70-word answer that retells the stanza before reaching the point.
Right working
A 35-word answer that gives the point and one piece of evidence from the extract.
Do this: Write two sentences: the point, then the reason from the lines.
Usually costs: Can cost the expression part of the marks
For Anne Gregory: previous year questions
- Asked in 1 of the 21 board papers we hold (2023 to 2026), on average 0.2 marks per paper; 1 questions in all, counting OR alternatives. In 1 of 4 sample papers.
Counted from the real papers on our previous year papers page, not estimated. Average marks are over every board paper we hold, with an OR pair counted once. Chapter tags are ours.
Solved board questions from For Anne Gregory
Real questions from recent papers. Try each one first, then open our step-by-step solution with marks per step.
2025, set 2/1/1, Q7(a) · 5 marks · Reading comprehensionCompetency-based
Read the following extract and answer the questions:
“I heard an old religious man
But yesternight declare
That he had found a text to prove
That only God, my dear,
Could love you for yourself alone
And not your yellow hair.”
(For Anne Gregory)
- (i)1 mark
Complete the sentence appropriately:
The speaker addresses the person he is speaking to as “my dear” because ___________. - (ii)2 marks
The poet mentions “yellow hair”. What is its significance in the context of the statement? Answer in about 40 words.
- (iii)1 mark
Fill in the blank with the correct word from the brackets.
The poet suggests that God’s love in comparison to that of a human being is ____________ (selfish/selfless). - (iv)1 mark
As per the above extract, what attributes does God not love a person for? Select the correct option.
1. Wealth 2. Physical appearance 3. Intelligence 4. Inner qualities 5. Youth
(A) 1 and 4
(B) 3, 4, and 5
(C) 2 and 4
(D) Only 4- (A)1 and 4
- (B)3, 4, and 5
- (C)2 and 4
- (D)Only 4
Try it first, then show our solutionSolution
- 1 mark
(i) The speaker addresses her as "my dear" because it is a term of endearment, showing affection and closeness between him and Anne.
- 2 marks
(ii) The "yellow hair" stands for physical beauty and outward attractiveness. Young men love a girl for such looks, but the old religious man says only God can love a person for herself, not for appearance.
- 1 mark
(iii) selfless
- 1 mark
(iv) The extract says God does not love a person for physical appearance (yellow hair) or for youth, and the attributes listed in the options do not give this combination. The scheme treats the options as lacking a correct answer, so the mark is given to all attempts.
Answer: (i) a term of endearment showing affection; (ii) yellow hair = physical beauty; (iii) selfless; (iv) no option is correct, so full credit is given
Where the marks are
- Term of endearment or closeness (1 mark)
- Yellow hair as symbol of physical beauty, with the contrast to God's love (2 marks)
- Selfless (1 mark)
- Question (iv): the options do not contain the correct answer, so 1 mark is awarded to all who attempt it (1 mark)
Every For Anne Gregory question, by year
- 2025
Set 2/1/1: Q7(a) (5 marks, solved)
Sample paper 2024-25: Q10(II) (6 marks, solved)
Practice questions on For Anne Gregory
Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.
Q1 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level
In 'For Anne Gregory', who is said to have found a text proving that only God could love the woman for herself alone?
(a) the young man
(b) the young woman
(c) an old religious man
(d) the woman's fatherHint
Look at who the young man says he heard 'yesternight'.
Answer
(c) an old religious man. The young man reports what he heard this man declare.
Q2 · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level
What does the young woman say she can do about her hair, and why? Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
Name the three colours, then give her reason.
Answer
Value points: she can get a hair-dye; colours brown, black or carrot; she wants men to love her for herself, not her looks.
Model answer: The young woman says she can buy a hair-dye and change her yellow hair to brown, black or carrot. She wants to remove the feature that dazzles men, hoping that suitors will then love her for her own self and not her looks.
Q3 · 1 mark · Assertion-reasonHarder board level
Read the statements and choose the correct option.
Assertion (A): The young man believes that human love is mostly based on outward beauty.
Reason (R): He says that only God could love the woman for herself alone and not her yellow hair.
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
(b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
(c) A is true but R is false.
(d) A is false but R is true.Hint
If only God can love her for herself, what does that say about humans?
Answer
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A. Saying only God can love her purely implies that human love depends on appearance.
Q4 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level
Comment on the structure of the poem and the use of a refrain. How do they support its meaning? Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
Count the stanzas and notice how each one ends.
Answer
Value points: three six-line stanzas; dialogue form (man, woman, man); each stanza ends with a refrain about being loved for oneself and not the yellow hair; the repetition keeps the central idea before the reader.
Model answer: The poem has three six-line stanzas in dialogue form: the young man speaks, the woman replies, and he answers. Each stanza ends with a refrain on being loved for oneself alone and not the yellow hair, which keeps the central idea before the reader.
Q5 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level
Contrast the young woman's view of love with the young man's view. Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
One of them believes a change will solve the problem; the other does not.
Answer
Value points: woman is hopeful, thinks changing what men see will free them to love her real self; man is realistic or cynical, believes human love stays tied to looks; only God loves purely.
Model answer: The young woman is hopeful: she believes love depends on what men see, so changing her hair will free them to love her real self. The young man is realistic, even cynical: he feels human love will always be tied to looks, and only God loves purely.
Q6 · 6 marks · Long answerHarder board level
Draw a character sketch of the young woman in 'For Anne Gregory'. Answer in about 100-120 words.
Hint
Think of her beauty, her self-respect, how quickly she answers, and the weakness in her plan.
Answer
Value points: beautiful, with honey-coloured hair compared to ramparts; wants to be loved for her real self (self-respect); spirited and practical, answers with the hair-dye plan; confident, perhaps humorous ('carrot'); slightly innocent, as a new colour is still appearance; stands for anyone wanting to be valued for inner worth.
Model answer: The young woman, whom the title suggests is Anne Gregory, is beautiful, with honey-coloured hair that the young man compares to ramparts. Yet she is not vain. She does not want admirers to value only her looks, which shows self-respect and a wish to be loved for her real self. She is also spirited and practical. Instead of accepting the young man's gloomy claim, she answers that she can get a hair-dye and change the colour to brown, black or carrot. This reply shows confidence and, we can infer, a touch of humour. However, she is also a little innocent, because a new colour would still be appearance. She represents anyone wanting to be valued for inner worth.
Q7 · 3 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency
Suppose a talented young singer with a famous face says, 'I wish people listened to my voice instead of watching my looks.' How is her wish similar to the young woman's in the poem? Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
What plays the role of the 'yellow hair' for the singer?
Answer
Value points: both want to be valued for something deeper than appearance; the famous face works like the yellow hair, distracting admirers; the poem suggests people rarely separate a person from looks; she must keep proving her talent.
Model answer: Like the young woman, the singer wants to be valued for something deeper than appearance. Her famous face, like the yellow hair, distracts admirers. The poem suggests that people rarely separate a person from her looks, so she must keep proving her talent patiently.
Q8 · 6 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
Your younger sister feels low because classmates tease her about her looks. Using the ideas of 'For Anne Gregory', write what you would tell her about appearance and inner worth. Answer in about 100-120 words.
Hint
Use the hair-dye idea to show that looks can change, then give your advice.
Answer
Value points: the woman says a dye could change her hair, so looks are a changeable surface; looks are not the real person; kindness, honesty and talent last; the poem admits humans are dazzled by appearance; do not hide yourself to please others; build inner worth.
Model answer: In 'For Anne Gregory', the young woman knows her hair can change; she says a dye could make it brown, black or carrot. This suggests looks are only a surface that can be altered, not the real person. I would share this idea with my younger sister if classmates teased her about her looks. I would tell her that a face or hairstyle can change in a day, but kindness, honesty and talent stay and grow. True friends notice those qualities. The poem admits that humans are dazzled by appearance, so some teasing may happen. She should not dye or hide herself to please others. She should build her inner worth, because that is what lasting love values.
Test your recall
Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.
1.Who are the two speakers in the poem?Show answer
A young man and a young woman (Anne Gregory, as the title suggests).
2.What does the young man call the woman's hair?Show answer
"Great honey-coloured / Ramparts at your ear".
3.What happens to young men who see her hair?Show answer
They are thrown into despair.
4.What is the woman's solution?Show answer
She can get a hair-dye and change the colour to brown, black or carrot.
5.Why does she want to change her hair?Show answer
So that young men may love her for herself alone and not her yellow hair.
6.Whom does the young man quote in the last stanza?Show answer
An old religious man he heard "But yesternight".
7.What did the old religious man claim to prove?Show answer
That only God could love her for herself alone and not her yellow hair.
8.Which two lines repeat, with small changes, as a refrain?Show answer
The last two lines of each stanza, about being loved for oneself alone and not the yellow hair.
Quick revision checklist
The night before the exam: can you do each of these without looking?
- Can you say, in one line each, what happens in stanza 1, stanza 2 and stanza 3?
- Can you explain the metaphor 'honey-coloured ramparts' and give the meaning of 'ramparts'?
- Can you name the three colours the woman offers and explain why her plan cannot really work?
- Can you say who the old religious man is and why he is only reported, not present?
- Can you explain how the pronoun changes in the refrain (yourself, myself, yourself) show the speaker?
- Can you write a 40-50 word answer on human love versus divine love?
- Can you link the poem's idea to one example from your own life in a 6-mark answer?
- Can you state the four poet facts from the NCERT note: Irish nationalist, London and Dublin, folklore and mythology, Nobel Prize 1923?
For Anne Gregory: frequently asked questions
Who are the speakers in For Anne Gregory?
The NCERT note says the poem is a conversation between a young man and a young woman. The young man speaks the first and third stanzas, and the young woman, whom the title suggests is Anne Gregory, speaks the second.
What does "honey-coloured ramparts at your ear" mean?
It is a metaphor for her thick golden hair falling around her ears. Ramparts are the high walls of a fort, so the hair is shown as grand and also as a wall that hides her real self from lovers.
Why does the young woman want to dye her hair?
She wants young men to love her for herself alone, not for her yellow hair. She thinks that if she changes the colour to brown, black or carrot, her beauty will no longer distract them.
What is the message of For Anne Gregory?
The poem suggests that human love is usually drawn by outward beauty, while only God's love sees the true self. It asks us to value people for their inner qualities, even while admitting this is hard.
What is the rhyme scheme of the poem?
Each stanza follows roughly ABCBDB, with the second, fourth and sixth lines rhyming or nearly rhyming, such as despair, ear and hair. This gives the poem a musical, conversational flow.
Who wins the argument in the poem?
The young man has the last word. He quotes an old religious man who proved that only God could love her for herself alone, which suggests that dyeing her hair will not change how humans love.
Based on: CBSE English Language and Literature syllabus 2026-27; NCERT First Flight (Reprint 2026-27), For Anne Gregory