For Anne Gregory — Practice

Question 1

What does Anne Gregory's 'yellow hair' symbolise?

Accepted Answer

✦ Answer: her physical or outward beauty.

Question 2

What does Anne say she can do so that men love her for herself?

Accepted Answer

✦ Answer: she can dye her hair a different colour — brown, black or carrot.

Question 3

According to the poem, who alone can love Anne for herself alone?

Accepted Answer

✦ Answer: only God.

Question 4

Why does the young man love Anne, according to the speaker?

Accepted Answer

Step 1 — The speaker says young men are drawn to Anne because of her beautiful 'yellow hair' — her outward beauty.

Step 2 — They love her appearance, not her true inner self.

✦ Answer: for her beautiful yellow hair (her physical beauty), not for herself.

Question 5

What is the central idea of 'For Anne Gregory'?

Accepted Answer

Step 1 — Human beings are naturally attracted to outward beauty and tend to love people for their appearance.

Step 2 — To love someone purely for their inner self, ignoring their beauty, is possible only for God — such unconditional love is divine.

✦ Answer: humans love outer beauty; only God can love a person for their true inner self alone.

Question 6

Why does Anne want to change her hair colour?

Accepted Answer

Step 1 — She is troubled that men love her only for her beautiful yellow hair (her looks).

Step 2 — By dyeing it a plainer colour, she hopes men will be forced to love her for herself — her inner qualities — rather than her beauty.

✦ Answer: so that men would love her for her true self, not for her beautiful hair.

Question 7

How does the poem contrast human love with divine love?

Accepted Answer

Step 1 — Human love, the poem says, is drawn to outward beauty (Anne's yellow hair) — people rarely see past appearance.

Step 2 — Even if Anne changed her hair, humans would still be swayed by looks.

Step 3 — Only God, according to the old religious man's text, can love a person 'for herself alone' — truly unconditionally.

✦ Answer: human love is attracted by appearance, while only God's love is selfless and for the inner self alone.

Question 8

'only God, my dear, / Could love you for yourself alone / And not your yellow hair.' Explain these lines.

Accepted Answer

Step 1 — The speaker reports the conclusion of an old religious man who found this truth in a scriptural text.

Step 2 — It means that ordinary human beings are drawn to outward beauty (the 'yellow hair'), so they cannot love a person purely for their inner self.

Step 3 — Only God is capable of such unconditional love — loving someone 'for herself alone', regardless of appearance.

✦ Answer: only divine love is truly selfless and for the inner self; human love is swayed by outward beauty.

Practice — For Anne Gregory

Sign in to save attempts to your dashboard and track your accuracy over time

Find a verified tutor

Join a live course

Browse coaching centres

About

Categories

Support

Documentation

Get Study Tips & Updates

Download Our App

Download for iOS

Download for Android

Popular Cities