“Mutability” and “A Defence of Poetry” by Percy Bysshe Shelley — Quiz
Question 2 • British Literature and Composition
Read the second stanza from "Mutability.” Or like forgotten lyres, whose dissonant strings Give various response to each varying blast, To whose frail frame no second motion brings One mood or modulation like the last. What idea is conveyed through this comparison of humans to lyres?
Answer
A
Like a lyre that has a fragile structure, humans are too delicate to survive in a harsh and unforgiving universe.
B
Like a lyre that is capable of always playing new music, humans will be remembered for their intense creativity.
C
Like a lyre with strings that need to be tuned, humans will inevitably find reasons to disagree about things.
D
Like a lyre with strings that always make new sounds, humans respond uniquely to different experiences.
Explanation
The lyre’s dissonant strings produce different sounds in response to each changing gust, and its fragile frame cannot repeat exactly the same mood or tune. The comparison suggests that people, too, respond differently as their experiences and circumstances change. Choice D captures this idea; the stanza is not mainly about creativity or disagreement.
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