Chapter 10: For Anne Gregory

Important questions — the ones the board asked most (5)

1. Q1Short answer5 marksAsked: 2025

   Read the following extracts and answer the questions for any one of the given two, (a) or (b) : (a) "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) Complete the sentence appropriately : The speaker addresses the person he is speaking to as "my dear" because ________. (ii) The poet mentions "yellow hair". What is its significance in the context of the statement ? Answer in about 40 words. (iii) 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) 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 OR (b) He stalks in his vivid stripes The few steps of his cage, On pads of velvet quiet, In his quiet rage. He should be lurking in shadow, Sliding through long grass (A Tiger in the Zoo) (i) Identify and name any one figure of speech in the above extract. (ii) Fill in the blank with one word. The tiger's stalking on 'pads of velvet' suggests a movement that is ________. (iii) Based on the given lines from the poem, which words would best describe the feelings of the tiger ? (A) Calm and content (B) Both subdued and angry (C) Both frustrated and happy (D) Both angry and famished (iv) Select the option that applies the same rhyme scheme as the first four lines of the given extract. (A) The people along the sand All turn and look one way They turn their back on the land They look at the sea all day (B) Along the sand, the people All turn and look one way They turn back on the sand They look at the sea all day (C) The people along the sand Look one way and all turn Their backs on the land They look at the sea all day (D) The people along the sand They turn their back on the land They look one way At the sea all day.

   

   Medha Ma’am

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   Model answer · For Anne Gregory extract

   1. 1.(a) (i) The speaker addresses the person he is speaking to as "my dear" because it is a term of endearment or affection. It shows a close relationship or familiarity between the speaker and the young woman he is talking to.1 mark
   2. 2.(ii) The "yellow hair" stands for physical beauty or attractiveness. Young men love the young woman because of her beautiful yellow hair, and youth sees this beauty as a reason for loving someone. The old religious man, however, says that outer beauty is not the basis of God's love, because only God can love her "for yourself alone".2 marks
   3. 3.(iii) The poet suggests that God's love in comparison to that of a human being is selfless.1 mark
   4. 4.(iv) According to the extract, God does not love a person for physical appearance, that is, for "yellow hair" (2). None of the given options contains physical appearance alone, so the correct answer is physical appearance (2).1 mark

   • In (i), write the words "term of endearment or affection" and mention the close relationship.
   • In (ii), give two points: yellow hair means physical beauty, and the old religious man says it is not the basis of God's love.
   • In (iii), write only the one word "selfless".

   Marks split as in the board’s published marking scheme

2. Q2Short answer3 marksAsked: 2026

   How does the tone of the poet in the poem ‘For Anne Gregory’ highlight the distinction between external beauty and inner worth?

   

   Medha Ma’am

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   Model answer · Tone and theme, For Anne Gregory

   1. 1.The poet's tone is light, conversational and gently ironic, yet reflective. Through a playful talk between a young man and a young woman, he questions superficial attraction. The young man says her external beauty (golden hair) attracts admirers and throws them "into despair". She replies that she will dye her hair so that she is loved "for myself alone". He ironically answers that only God could love her that way. This shows that human nature is often drawn to outward appearance, while true love should value inner qualities. So the poem highlights the contrast between inner worth and outer beauty.3 marks

   • Name the tone clearly, for example "light, conversational and gently ironic, yet reflective".
   • Write that external beauty (golden hair) attracts admirers, while true love should value inner qualities.

   Marks split as in the board’s published marking scheme

3. Q3Short answer3 marksAsked: 2024

   Explain, why the speaker mentions God in the poem “For Anne Gregory”.

   

   Medha Ma’am

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   Model answer · God and inner beauty

   1. 1.The speaker mentions God because human beings are not able to see a person's inner beauty. In the poem, the young man tells Anne Gregory that no young man will ever love her "for yourself alone / And not your yellow hair". Young men are attracted by her outward looks, her "great honey-coloured / Ramparts at your ear". Even if she dyes her hair brown, black or carrot, people will still judge her by some outer quality. So the speaker recalls an old religious man who found a text to prove that "only God, my dear, / Could love you for yourself alone". Only God sees beyond external beauty and loves a person for her true self, her goodness and her soul. Human love, by contrast, always depends on physical appearance.3 marks

   • Write clearly that human beings cannot see a person's inner beauty.
   • Quote the line "only God, my dear, / Could love you for yourself alone" and explain that only God sees beyond external beauty.

   Marks split as in the board’s published marking scheme

4. Q4Short answer3 marksAsked: 2024

   Do you think you can love a person for his/her inner beauty alone and not care about the physical appearance ? Justify with reference to the theme of the poem ‘For Anne Gregory’.

   How the model answer begins

   1. Yes, I think we can love a person for his or her inner beauty alone. In 'For Anne Gregory', Anne believes that external appearance is temporary. She says she can get a hair-dye and change her yellow hair to brown, black…

   The full answer from Medha Ma’am →
5. Q5Short answer3 marksAsked: 2023

   What is the colour of the woman's hair ? Why will she change the colour of her hair ?

   How the model answer begins

   1. The colour of the young woman's hair is yellow. The young man describes it as "great honey-coloured Ramparts" at her ear.

   The full answer from Medha Ma’am →

Questions parents and students ask

How many marks does "For Anne Gregory" carry in CBSE Class 10 English?

In the CBSE papers of 2023–2026, this chapter carried about 1 marks and about 0 questions a year; by marks it ranks 28 in English.

Which are the most important (VVI) questions of "For Anne Gregory"?

The 5 questions above are from the board’s real papers, each with the years it was asked; the most-asked come first with their full model answers. All 5 written questions of this chapter, with answers, are in the Ask Medha app.

Do the answers follow the board’s marking scheme?

Yes. CBSE publishes its marking schemes; every model answer here is written point by point to the marks the board’s own scheme gives, and checked by a second, independent model.