MCQs – Thyrsis by Matthew Arnold

By: Prof. Dr. Fazal Rehman Shamil | Last updated: February 11, 2025

1. What is Thyrsis primarily about?

A) The loss of faith in modern society
B) The memory of Arnold’s friend, Arthur Hugh Clough
C) The beauty of nature and its power
D) The struggles of a wandering scholar

Answer: B) The memory of Arnold’s friend, Arthur Hugh Clough


2. Thyrsis is written as a tribute to which of Arnold’s friends?

A) William Wordsworth
B) Robert Browning
C) Arthur Hugh Clough
D) Alfred Lord Tennyson

Answer: C) Arthur Hugh Clough


3. What poetic form does Thyrsis follow?

A) Sonnet
B) Pastoral elegy
C) Lyric poem
D) Dramatic monologue

Answer: B) Pastoral elegy


4. What does the name “Thyrsis” symbolize in the poem?

A) A classical figure representing a poet or shepherd
B) A battle between two warriors
C) A reference to Arnold’s lost childhood
D) A personification of nature

Answer: A) A classical figure representing a poet or shepherd


5. What does Arnold contrast in the poem?

A) The changing world and the permanence of nature
B) Faith and science
C) The life of a scholar and that of a common man
D) The power of love and war

Answer: A) The changing world and the permanence of nature


6. Which famous poet’s work influenced Thyrsis?

A) John Milton
B) Edmund Spenser
C) Virgil
D) Percy Bysshe Shelley

Answer: C) Virgil


7. What recurring image represents Clough’s memory in Thyrsis?

A) The sea waves
B) The “signal elm” tree
C) The white cliffs of Dover
D) A mountain peak

Answer: B) The “signal elm” tree


8. How does Arnold portray Clough in the poem?

A) As a lost warrior
B) As a noble but wandering spirit
C) As a failed poet
D) As a revolutionary leader

Answer: B) As a noble but wandering spirit


9. What is the tone of the poem?

A) Joyful and celebratory
B) Nostalgic and melancholic
C) Sarcastic and critical
D) Optimistic and hopeful

Answer: B) Nostalgic and melancholic


10. What does Arnold ultimately reflect on in Thyrsis?

A) The value of education
B) The need for religious devotion
C) The loss of friendship and the enduring power of nature
D) The importance of political change

Answer: C) The loss of friendship and the enduring power of nature

MCQs from Some Famous Poems of Matthew Arnold

  1. MCQs Thyrsis by Matthew Arnold
  2. MCQs – Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold
  3. MCQs – The Scholar-Gipsy by Matthew Arnold
  4. MCQs – Empedocles on Etna by Matthew Arnold
  5. MCQs – The Forsaken Merman by Matthew Arnold

Summary of Some Famous poems of Matthew Arnold

  1. Summary – Dover Beach 
  2. Summary – The Scholar-Gipsy 
  3. Summary – Thyrsis 
  4. Summary – Empedocles on Etna 
  5. Summary – The Forsaken Merman 

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