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The Second Coming: WBCHSE Class 11 English MCQs
Get summaries, questions, answers, solutions, extra MCQs, PDF for W.B. Yeats’ The Second Coming: WBCHSE Class 11 English Literature textbook A Realm of English (B) Selection, which is part of the Semester I syllabus for students studying under WBBSE (West Bengal Board-Uccha Madhyamik). These solutions, however, should only be treated as references and can be modified/changed.
If you notice any errors in the notes, please mention them in the comments
Summary
The poet, William Butler Yeats, wrote this poem at a time of great trouble in the world, just after a major war. Many people felt that society was breaking apart, and this poem captures that feeling of fear and uncertainty.
The poem begins with an image of a falcon flying in a widening spiral, called a gyre. The poet had an idea that history moves in 2,000-year cycles, like spinning cones. As one cycle ends, its gyre widens and loses control. The falcon flying too far to hear the falconer is a picture of this loss of control. The poem says “Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold,” meaning that the systems and beliefs that keep society stable are failing. Disorder and violence, described as a “blood-dimmed tide,” are spreading everywhere. Old traditions that protected innocence are lost. In this chaos, good people have become quiet and doubtful, while the most terrible people are full of energy and purpose.
The speaker feels that a huge change is coming. He calls it the “Second Coming.” In Christian belief, the Second Coming is the return of Jesus Christ. But as the speaker says these words, he has a frightening vision. He sees an image from the “Spiritus Mundi,” which is a Latin phrase for “spirit of the world.” Yeats believed this was a shared memory of all humanity. The vision is of a creature in the desert with a lion’s body and a man’s head, like a great Sphinx. It has a blank, cruel stare and moves its heavy legs slowly. The desert birds fly around it in alarm, showing that nature itself is disturbed.
The vision fades, but it leaves the speaker with a new, terrible understanding. He realizes that the “twenty centuries of stony sleep” are over. This refers to the two thousand years of the Christian era, which he sees as a period when this beast was sleeping. He suggests that this long sleep was troubled into a nightmare by the “rocking cradle” in Bethlehem, where Jesus was born. The poem ends with a haunting question. It asks what this “rough beast” is, now that its time has finally arrived. The creature is slowly moving “towards Bethlehem to be born.” This suggests the beginning of a new age, one that will be the opposite of the Christian era. It will be an age of savagery and instinct, not of love and forgiveness.
Line-by-Line Solution
Turning and turning in the widening gyre / The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
The poem opens with an image of a falcon flying in an ever-expanding spiral, which the poet calls a “gyre” (a circular or spiral motion). In Yeats’s personal system of beliefs, history moves in 2,000-year cycles, or gyres. As this particular historical cycle widens and comes to an end, the falcon, which represents humanity or civilization, gets too far away to hear the commands of the falconer, who represents control, order, or even God. This shows a loss of connection and control; humanity is lost and can no longer be guided.
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
This line states the direct result of the falcon losing its way. The “centre” refers to the core of society—its government, traditions, and moral values—that keeps everything stable. Because this foundation is collapsing, the entire structure of civilization (“things”) is breaking apart. There is no longer a force holding society together.
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
With the center gone, complete chaos and disorder, which is what “anarchy” means, is set free. The word “loosed” makes it sound as if a destructive force has been unleashed, like a wild animal from a cage. It is spreading everywhere, affecting the entire world.
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere / The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The chaos is described as a “blood-dimmed tide,” a powerful image of a great wave of violence and war washing over the world. This violent flood destroys “the ceremony of innocence.” This phrase refers to the customs, traditions, and simple goodness that protect people and give life meaning and order. These positive aspects of life are being overwhelmed and destroyed (“drowned”) by the violence.
The best lack all conviction, while the worst / Are full of passionate intensity.
This line describes the moral paralysis of the time. The good people (“the best”) have lost their beliefs and confidence (“conviction”), so they are unable to act. At the same time, the evil people (“the worst”) are filled with a strong, energetic, and often hateful certainty (“passionate intensity”). This imbalance allows evil to thrive while good people stand by, helpless.
Surely some revelation is at hand; / Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
The speaker believes that such extreme chaos must be a sign that a great change or “revelation” is about to happen. He repeats the idea to show his certainty. He identifies this event with the “Second Coming,” a term from Christianity that refers to the prophesied return of Jesus Christ to judge the world. At this point, it seems he might be expecting a divine intervention.
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out / When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi / Troubles my sight:
The moment the speaker thinks of the Second Coming, he is struck by a powerful vision. He says this vision comes from the “Spiritus Mundi,” a Latin phrase Yeats used to mean the “world soul” or the collective memory of all humanity. This vision is not comforting; it “troubles” him, suggesting it is frightening and disturbing.
somewhere in sands of the desert / A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
The vision is of a monstrous creature in the middle of a desert. It has the body of a lion, which suggests animal strength and ferocity, and the head of a man, which suggests intelligence. This creature is similar to the Great Sphinx of Giza in Egypt. The desert setting is a place of emptiness and death, far from life and civilization.
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
The creature’s expression is described in a chilling way. Its stare (“gaze”) is empty (“blank”) of any emotion and completely without mercy (“pitiless”). It is as harsh and uncaring as the desert sun, suggesting a cold and cruel nature. This is clearly not a kind or loving being.
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it / Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.
The beast is beginning to wake up and move. Its movement is slow but unstoppable. This awakening disturbs the natural world around it. The desert birds are upset and angry (“indignant”) and fly in confused circles (“reel”) around the creature, sensing that its arrival is a terrible and unnatural event.
The darkness drops again; but now I know
The vision suddenly ends, and the speaker is returned to his own reality (“the darkness drops again”). However, the vision was not just a dream; it has given him a new and terrible understanding of what is happening to the world.
That twenty centuries of stony sleep / Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
The speaker reinterprets the last 2,000 years of history (“twenty centuries”), which is the Christian era. He sees this period not as a time of enlightenment, but as a “stony sleep”—a long period of inactivity that was disturbed (“vexed”) and turned into a nightmare by the “rocking cradle” in which Jesus was born. This is a shocking reversal of the Christian story, suggesting that the birth of Christ started a cycle that is now ending in horror.
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last, / Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?
The poem ends with a terrifying question. The “rough beast” is the Sphinx-like monster from the vision. Its time to appear (“its hour come round at last”) has finally arrived. It “slouches”—moves heavily and menacingly—towards Bethlehem. Bethlehem is the birthplace of Jesus, the traditional center of the Christian world. The beast is going there to have its own “birth,” which will begin a new, frightening age that will replace Christianity. The question mark at the end leaves the reader with a feeling of dread and uncertainty about this monstrous new world order.
Textbook MCQ solutions
1. What is the symbol of the “rough beast” as mentioned in the poem?
a) A monster
b) A saviour
c) A revolution
d) An apocalypse
Answer: d) An apocalypse
2. “Things fall apart”… This suggests
a) All things are centralized
b) Everything is defused
c) All things are bound together
d) All things are shattered on the ground
Answer: d) All things are shattered on the ground
Additional MCQs
1. Who is the author of the poem “The Second Coming”?
A. T.S. Eliot
B. William Butler Yeats
C. W.H. Auden
D. Ezra Pound
Answer: B. William Butler Yeats
2. In the opening stanza, what can the falcon no longer hear?
A. The call of its prey
B. The turning of the gyre
C. The falconer
D. The desert birds
Answer: C. The falconer
3. According to the poem, what is “loosed upon the world”?
A. Mere anarchy
B. A revelation
C. A rocking cradle
D. Passionate intensity
Answer: A. Mere anarchy
4. Who are described as being “full of passionate intensity”?
A. The best
B. The falconer
C. The innocent
D. The worst
Answer: D. The worst
5. The “vast image” that troubles the speaker’s sight comes from where?
A. A nightmare
B. The desert
C. A rocking cradle
D. Spiritus Mundi
Answer: D. Spiritus Mundi
6. The shape seen in the desert has a lion’s body and what kind of head?
A. The head of a man
B. The head of a falcon
C. The head of a beast
D. The head of a god
Answer: A. The head of a man
7. Towards which city does the “rough beast” slouch to be born?
A. Jerusalem
B. Babylon
C. Bethlehem
D. Rome
Answer: C. Bethlehem
8. What has happened to “The ceremony of innocence”?
A. It is forgotten
B. It is drowned
C. It is restored
D. It is celebrated
Answer: B. It is drowned
9. The phrase “Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold” suggests a state of what?
A. Centralized control
B. Order and stability
C. Widespread chaos and collapse
D. Gradual improvement
Answer: C. Widespread chaos and collapse
10. The “rough beast” is a symbol of what?
A. A saviour
B. A revolution
C. A monster
D. An apocalypse
Answer: D. An apocalypse
11. The gaze of the beast in the desert is described as being “blank and pitiless as the…”?
A. Moon
B. Sun
C. Sea
D. Desert
Answer: B. Sun
12. How many centuries of “stony sleep” were disturbed by a “rocking cradle”?
A. Twenty
B. Ten
C. Two
D. Twelve
Answer: A. Twenty
13. Which of the following statements about the speaker’s experience is NOT true?
A. The speaker feels that some great revelation is imminent.
B. The speaker is untroubled by the vision of the beast.
C. The image troubling the speaker’s sight comes from the Spiritus Mundi.
D. The speaker realizes that twenty centuries of sleep have been disturbed.
Answer: B. The speaker is untroubled by the vision of the beast.
14. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of the “rough beast”?
A. It has the body of a lion.
B. It possesses a man’s head.
C. Its gaze is described as compassionate and kind.
D. It is seen moving through the desert sands.
Answer: C. Its gaze is described as compassionate and kind.
15. All of the following are mentioned as being “loosed” or “drowned” EXCEPT:
A. Mere anarchy
B. The blood-dimmed tide
C. The ceremony of innocence
D. Passionate intensity
Answer: D. Passionate intensity
16. Which of the following statements is NOT true about the vision from the Spiritus Mundi?
A. It appears in the sands of a desert.
B. It features a creature with a lion’s body and a man’s head.
C. The desert birds are shown joyfully circling the creature.
D. The creature’s gaze is described as blank and pitiless.
Answer: C. The desert birds are shown joyfully circling the creature.
17. The phrase “The centre cannot hold” suggests a loss of __________.
A. gravity
B. faith
C. control and order
D. memory
Answer: C. control and order
18. The speaker states that “The best lack all conviction, while the worst / Are full of __________.”
A. doubt and fear
B. passionate intensity
C. quiet dignity
D. hope for the future
Answer: B. passionate intensity
19. The “vast image” that troubles the speaker’s sight is said to come from the __________.
A. Spiritus Mundi
B. Holy Bible
C. desert sands
D. falconer’s mind
Answer: A. Spiritus Mundi
20. The creature described in the vision has a lion body and the head of a __________.
A. falcon
B. god
C. beast
D. man
Answer: D. man
21. The phrase “The ceremony of innocence is drowned” implies that __________ has been lost.
A. tradition
B. purity and order
C. childhood
D. religious faith
Answer: B. purity and order
22. The “twenty centuries of stony sleep” most likely refers to the era of __________.
A. Roman rule
B. Greek philosophy
C. Christianity
D. Egyptian pharaohs
Answer: C. Christianity
23. The final question suggests a “rough beast” is slouching towards __________ to be born.
A. Jerusalem
B. Egypt
C. Babylon
D. Bethlehem
Answer: D. Bethlehem
24. In the opening lines, the falcon cannot hear the __________.
A. falconer
B. prey
C. call of the wild
D. other birds
Answer: A. falconer
25. (I) The falcon cannot hear the falconer.
(II) Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold.
A. I is the cause of II.
B. I is an example of II.
C. II is a contradiction of I.
D. I and II are independent statements.
Answer: B. I is an example of II.
26. (I) Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.
(II) The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity.
A. I is an example of II.
B. I is a contradiction of II.
C. II is the cause of I.
D. I and II are independent statements.
Answer: C. II is the cause of I.
27. (I) A vast image troubles the speaker’s sight.
(II) The speaker utters the words “The Second Coming!”.
A. I is the result of II.
B. II is an example of I.
C. I is a contradiction of II.
D. I is independent of II.
Answer: A. I is the result of II.
28. (I) A rough beast’s hour has come round at last.
(II) The beast slouches towards Bethlehem to be born.
A. I is a contradiction of II.
B. I is an example of II.
C. I is independent of II.
D. I is the cause for II.
Answer: D. I is the cause for II.
29. Statement 1: The beast has a lion body and the head of a man.
Statement 2: The beast is an image out of Spiritus Mundi.
A. Both the statements are true.
B. Both the statements are false.
C. Statement 1 is true, and Statement 2 is false.
D. Statement 1 is false, and Statement 2 is true.
Answer: A. Both the statements are true.
30. (I) The ceremony of innocence is drowned.
(II) A blood-dimmed tide is loosed.
A. I is the cause for II.
B. I is the result of II.
C. I is independent of II.
D. I is a contradiction of II.
Answer: B. I is the result of II.
