Edexcel GCSE English Literature

She Walks in Beauty

Edexcel GCSE English Literature revision on She Walks in Beauty. Aligned to the Edexcel GCSE English Literature 1ET0 specification. This bank has 15 practice questions on this topic.

About this topic

She walks in beauty, like the night Of cloudless climes and starry skies; And all that's best of dark and bright Meet in her aspect and her eyes: Thus mellow'd to that tender light Which heaven to gaudy day denies. One shade the more, one ray the less, Had half impair'd the nameless grace Which waves in every raven tress, Or softly lightens o'er her face; Where thoughts serenely sweet express How pure, how dear their dwelling-place. And on that cheek, and o'er that brow, So soft, so calm, yet eloquent, The smiles that win, the tints that glow, But tell of days in goodness spent, A mind at peace with all below, A heart whose love is innocent!

Sample questions (3 of 15)

  1. Question 1

    Who is the speaker of the line: 'She walks in beauty, like the night'?

    • A) Lord Byron
    • B) The unnamed woman
    • C) A scorned lover
    • D) A cynical observer
    Show answer

    Answer: Lord Byron

    The poem is a lyric written by Lord George Gordon Byron. It reflects his personal admiration for his cousin by marriage, Anne Beatrix Wilmot, rather than a fictional character.

  2. Question 2

    What literary technique is used in: 'And all that’s best of dark and bright'?

    • A) Oxymoron
    • B) Antithesis
    • C) Hyperbole
    • D) Onomatopoeia
    Show answer

    Answer: Antithesis

    Antithesis involves the juxtaposition of contrasting ideas in a balanced phrase. Byron uses this to suggest that the woman's beauty is a perfect synthesis of extremes.

  3. Question 3

    What does the line 'A mind at peace with all below' reveal about the subject?

    • A) She is bored
    • B) She is morally pure and harmonious
    • C) She is hiding a secret
    • D) She is physically exhausted
    Show answer

    Answer: She is morally pure and harmonious

    Byron suggests that her outward beauty is a manifestation of her inner goodness and calm nature. It implies a sense of balance and virtue.

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12 more questions on She Walks in Beauty — plus mistakes tracking and spaced repetition across the whole English Literature spec.

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