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How is the transient nature… (Class 12 English 2026, Q12B)

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EnglishCBSE Class 12 · Board exam 2026, set 301/1/1 · 5 marks · Long answer

CBSE Class 12 English 2026: question 12(B)

Set in the CBSE Class 12 board exam of 2026, paper 301/1/1, section C, question 12(B), for 5 marks. Try it first; the hints and our step-by-step solution are below.

Q12(B) · 5 marks · Long answerMy Mother at Sixty-six

How is the transient nature of beauty and life portrayed in the poems 'My Mother at Sixty Six' and 'A Thing of Beauty' ?

Source: official question paper from cbse.gov.in (PDF). See it in the full 2026 board paper, set 301/1/1.

Hints

Open one hint at a time and try again before the next.

Hint 1

Recall the mother's face in the car.

Hint 2

Recall Keats's claim that a thing of beauty is a joy forever.

Hint 3

Contrast fear of loss with consolation.

Step-by-step solution

Each step shows the marks it earns, as an examiner would award them. Checked by an independent re-solve from the question paper.

Verified: two independent solves agreeChecked 2026-11-01

  1. Introduction: Both poems deal with transience, but with opposite attitudes: one with fear, the other with hope.

    1 mark

  2. In 'My Mother at Sixty-Six', the mother's pale, corpse-like face, her sleeping posture and the old, ashen look show life fading with age. The poet fears losing her.

    1 mark

  3. The images of young trees sprinting and happy children outside contrast with the mother's ageing, showing that life moves on while the old fade.

    1 mark

  4. 'A Thing of Beauty' admits that human life has pain, gloom and 'dark days', yet beauty endures. A beautiful thing 'will never pass into nothingness' and keeps giving joy forever.

    1 mark

  5. Conclusion: The first poem mourns the transience of life, while the second finds consolation in lasting beauty.

    1 mark

Answer: Model answer of 120-150 words on transience in the two poems.

Where the marks are

  • Introduction (1 mark)
  • Transience in My Mother at Sixty-Six (1 mark)
  • Imagery contrast (1 mark)
  • Beauty versus transience in A Thing of Beauty (1 mark)
  • Conclusion and language (1 mark)

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