The Oval Portrait's complete exercise class 11 - PREMSTHA

The Oval Portrait's complete exercise class 11

Understanding the text
  1. Where did the narrator and his servant make forcible entrance?
    Ans: The narrator and his servant made a forcible entrance into a "chateau," a large, grand house, which was located in the Appennines mountains.
  2. Which special picture did the narrator notice in the room?
    Ans: The narrator noticed an oval portrait of a young girl, previously hidden in shadow.
  3. Describe the portrait that the narrator saw in the room.
    Ans: The portrait that the narrator saw in the room was an oval vignette-style painting of a young woman's head and shoulders. The image was faded into a shadowy background, with the frame being oval-shaped and richly gilded.
  4. What is the relationship between the portrait painter and its subject?
    Ans: The relationship between the portrait painter and its subject is husband and wife respectively. The painter was passionate, studious in his art while his wife only hates the art
Reference to the context
  1. What is the central theme of the story? Who is the woman depicted in the oval portrait?
    Ans: The central theme of the story is the destructive power of obsession, particularly an obession with art. The woman depicted in the portrait is the painter's wife, who sacrifices her life and spirit to become immortalized in his art.
  2. "The Oval Portrait" is a short horror story by Edgar Allan Poe involving the disturbing circumstances surrounding a portrait in a chateau. Elaborate.
    Ans:
  3. "The Oval Portrait" suggests that the woman's beauty condemns her to death. Discuss.
    Ans: The story presents a twisted relationship between beauty and death. The woman's beauty becomes a source of her downfall, as her husband, the artist, becomes consumed by his desire to capture it forever on canvas. The process of creation, fueled by his obsession, slowly drains her life force, leaving her lifeless when he finally completes the work.
  4. Discuss the story as a frame narrative (a story within a story).
    Ans: "The Oval Portrait" is assuredly one of those classical frame narratives; the story starts with an account of how the portrait comes into the view of the narrator in a chateau, then goes on to develop that story inside the framework. In the process, it discovers more about the inscription accompanying the portrait, which finally tells the tragic tale of the painter and his subject. This layering of stories maintains a mystery and intrigue that draws a reader deeper into the text.
  5. The story is told in a descriptive style, with plenty of imagery and symbolism. Which images and symbols do you find in the story?
    Ans: The story is rich with imagery and symbolism. Key images include the "chateau" itself, a symbol of isolation and decay; the "oval portrait" representing both beauty and death; the "turrent chamber", a confined and claustrophobic space reflecting the woman's fading life; and the "light" which both symbolizes the portrait and withers the woman's spirit.

    Symbolically, the story contrasts light and darkness, life and death, beauty and decay. The narrator's journey through the chateau mirrors the artist's descent into obsession and the woman's fading life.
  6. What does the expression "She was dead!" mean?
    Ans: The expression, "She was dead!", means not only the physical death of the wife of the painter but also the realisation of the artist's self-vicious obsession and tragic outcomes of his decides in the name of art over human life. It shows that it is a stark and horrifying realization, highlighting the centrality of the story's themes of art's destructive potential and the ultimate cost of artistic perfection.
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