Past board exam questions
CBSE 2026 board paper · 5 marks
Read the given extract and answer the questions given below :
Some say the world will end in fire some say in ice.
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favour fire.
(Stanza 1)
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.
(Fire and Ice)
I. Complete the following suitably : (1)
According to Robert Frost, fire refers to _______.
II. Why does the poet believe both fire and ice can destroy the world equally ? (2)
III. Fill the blank with one word : (1)
In the line “But if it has to perish twice”, ‘it’ refers to the _______.
IV. Select the option with same rhyme scheme as lines in Stanza 1 : (1)
(A) They are all gone away,
The House is shut and still,
There is nothing more to say.
(B) Tell me not, in mournful numbers,
Life is but an empty dream!
For the soul is dead that slumbers.
(C) The dog chased the ball down the lane,
He ran with such incredible speed,
His tail was a blur, a joyful glee.
(D) The Sun is high,
The clouds drift past,
In the blue sky which is so vast.
Show answer
I. (Any one) desire – violent passions, greed, lust, jealousy, fury.
II. Fire represents desire, avarice and passion, which can turn destructive and consume everything if unchecked. Ice represents hatred and indifference (cold-heartedness), which slowly but surely damages personal bonds, families, friendships and societies. So both are equally capable of destroying the world.
III. world
IV. (D) The Sun is high, / The clouds drift past, / In the blue sky which is so vast.
CBSE 2026 board paper · 3 marks
In ‘Fire and Ice’, how does the poet use extreme symbols to warn against self-destructive emotions ?
(Answer in about 40-50 words.)
Show answer
(Content 2 – any two points; Expression 1)
Robert Frost uses two extremes: ‘fire’ symbolises uncontrolled desire, greed and lust, while ‘ice’ stands for hatred, coldness and indifference. He says either would be enough to destroy the world. Through these symbols he warns that our own inner emotions can cause outer ruin, and urges us to control them and keep a balance to avoid destruction.
CBSE 2026 board paper · 3 marks
In the poem, ‘Fire and Ice’, the poet links fire and ice to human emotions. What are these emotions ?
(Answer in about 40-50 words.)
Show answer
(Content 2 – at least two value points; Expression 1)
In the poem, fire stands for desire – greed, lust and passion – which spreads quickly and consumes everything. Ice stands for hatred – coldness, indifference and cold, calculated reasoning – which hardens hearts slowly but is equally destructive. The poet suggests that either of these emotions is enough to destroy the world.
CBSE 2026 board paper · 3 marks
In what ways do the symbols of ‘Fire’ and ‘Ice’ in the poem ‘Fire and Ice’ serve as metaphors for opposing human impulses ? How do they contribute to the exploration of destructive capabilities of human beings ?
(Answer in about 40-50 words.)
Show answer
(Content 2 – at least two value points; Expression 1)
Fire and ice are opposites, and so are the impulses they stand for. Fire symbolises desire, which leads to greed, lust and fury; if uncontrolled, these passions consume everything. Ice symbolises hatred, which leads to indifference, coldness and rigidity, detaching people from one another. Through these two symbols the poet shows that unchecked human emotions, whether hot or cold, are capable of destroying the world.
CBSE 2026 board paper · 3 marks
The tone of Robert Frost in the poem ‘Fire and Ice’ reflects his attitude towards the end of the world and human behaviour. Elaborate.
(Answer in about 40-50 words.)
Show answer
(Content 2 – at least two value points; Expression 1)
Frost’s tone is contemplative and reflective: he discusses the end of the world calmly, in simple language, weighing what ‘some say’. It is also ironic and philosophical, since fire stands for desire and ice for hatred, showing that human emotions themselves can destroy the world. His tone is balanced, as he grants that either would suffice, though he favours fire from his own experience of desire.
CBSE 2026 board paper · 3 marks
Why does the poet say that the world will perish twice in the poem Fire and Ice ?
(Fire and Ice)
(Answer in about 40-50 words.)
Show answer
(Content 2 – any two points; Expression 1)
‘Fire’ symbolises uncontrolled desire and greed, while ‘ice’ symbolises hatred, coldness and indifference. The poet says the world could end in either way because both extreme emotions are equally destructive: desire would destroy it quickly, and hatred is ‘also great’ and ‘would suffice’. So it is human vices, not natural forces, that can destroy the world – it could ‘perish twice’.
CBSE 2026 board paper · 3 marks
The poet says “From what I’ve tasted of desire, I hold with those who favour fire.” What do the words “tasted” and “hold with” tell us about the poet’s feelings ?
(Fire and Ice)
(Answer in about 40-50 words.)
Show answer
(Content 2 – at least two value points; Expression 1)
The word “tasted” shows that the poet knows from his own experience the destructive power of fire, that is, desire. The phrase “hold with” shows that he agrees or sides with those who believe the world will end in fire; he feels that uncontrolled desire and greed are strong enough to destroy the world.
CBSE 2026 board paper · 3 marks
In the poem ‘Fire and Ice’, how does the intense human emotion symbolised by fire, lead to the destruction of the world ?
(Answer in about 40-50 words.)
Show answer
(Content 2 – at least two value points; Expression 1)
In ‘Fire and Ice’, fire symbolises desire. Uncontrolled desire leads to greed, avarice, lust, conflict and fury. When people let these intense passions rule them, they turn against one another, and such instincts can consume everything; thus desire, if not controlled, may be the cause of the end of the world.
