Ch 12 · Flamingo Poetry · John Keats

A Thing of
Beauty

20 MCQs NCERT Class 12 Updated May 2026
Start Practice Test Open Quick Reference
Chapter Overview

Excerpted from Keats's Endymion (Book I), this Romantic meditation argues that beauty is the one constant joy in human life. Sun, moon, trees, daffodils, clear rills, musk-roses, and the noble deeds of the mighty dead — all become a source of immortal drink that lifts the pall from our dark spirits. Beauty is, in Keats's vision, an 'endless fountain' from heaven's brink.

Key Themes
Key Concepts
Opening
'A thing of beauty is a joy forever' — central thesis
Catalogue
Sun, moon, trees, sheep, daffodils, clear rills, musk-roses
'Pall'
Beauty lifts the dark covering from our spirits
Mighty dead
The grandeur of imagined dooms of dead heroes
Endless fountain
Beauty pours unto us from the brink of heaven
Sample MCQs
Q1. What does Keats call 'a joy forever'?
A. A noble warrior
B. A thing of beauty
C. A great victory
D. A wealthy companion
The poem opens with 'A thing of beauty is a joy forever' — its central thesis.
Q2. What does the 'pall' refer to in the poem?
A. A funeral cloth used in burial
B. The dark covering of despondence on the human spirit
C. A famous painting
D. A traditional shawl worn by mourners
Keats writes that beauty 'lifts the pall from our dark spirits' — the dark covering of melancholy.