ICSE Class 10 English Literature MCQ Quiz

What is the central theme of the poem 'Haunted Houses'?

Answer: The persistence of memory and the past

According to the poem, how do the 'harmless phantoms' move?

Answer: Silently, making no sound at all

What does the speaker mean by 'There are more guests at table, than the hosts invited'?

Answer: The presence of ghosts makes it feel like there are more people present

What does the line 'All that has been is visible and clear' suggest about the speaker's perception?

Answer: The speaker has a heightened awareness of the past

The phrase 'hold in mortmain still their old estates' implies that:

Answer: The dead continue to have a spiritual claim on their former properties.

What metaphor is used to describe the relationship between the spirit world and the physical world?

Answer: An atmosphere

The lines 'Our little lives are kept in equipoise by opposite attractions and desires' refer to the conflict between:

Answer: Instinct and aspiration

What is the 'undiscovered planet in our sky' that influences our earthly wants and aspirations?

Answer: The spirit world

What is the immediate impact on nature when 'great trees fall'?

Answer: Lions and elephants seek safety

What happens to 'small things' in the forest when great trees fall?

Answer: They retreat into silence

How does the air change when 'great souls die'?

Answer: It becomes light, rare, and sterile

What effect does the death of great souls have on our memory?

Answer: It becomes suddenly sharpened

What do our eyes see with after the passing of great souls?

Answer: A hurtful clarity

What happens to our reality when great souls die?

Answer: It takes leave of us

How are our souls affected by the loss of great souls?

Answer: They shrink and become wizened

What is the state of our minds after the passing of great souls?

Answer: They fall away and become ignorant

What is the primary theme explored in 'The Girl Who Can'?

Answer: All of the above

What is Nana's initial reaction to Adjoa's desire to continue her education?

Answer: Dismissive and discouraging

How does Adjoa's mother feel about her daughter's ambition?

Answer: She is worried about the societal implications

What is the significance of the setting of the story, a small village in Ghana?

Answer: It provides a specific cultural context for the story's themes

What does Adjoa's dream of becoming a doctor symbolize?

Answer: All of the above

What role does education play in the story?

Answer: All of the above

What is the significance of the title 'The Girl Who Can'?

Answer: All of the above

What is the main conflict in the story?

Answer: Adjoa's struggle against societal expectations

What does the photographer claim about the nature of photographs?

Answer: They are mere illusions and distortions of reality

How does the narrator feel as he looks at his proofs?

Answer: Disappointed and disillusioned with his appearance

What is the photographer's ultimate goal in his work?

Answer: To manipulate and control his subjects' perceptions

What literary device is predominantly used in the story to convey the narrator's internal conflict?

Answer: Stream of consciousness

What is the overall tone of the story?

Answer: Introspective and philosophical

What is the significance of the final line, 'I have been photographed before, and I know there is no escape'?

Answer: All of the above

Which of the following themes is explored in the story?

Answer: All of the above

How does the photographer react when the narrator requested for a photograph to be taken?

Answer: With enthusiasm

What is Martin's primary fear in the story?

Answer: Elevators

Why does Martin dislike the elevator in his new building?

Answer: It makes strange noises.

What unusual event happens the first time Martin takes the elevator alone?

Answer: It goes up to the thirteenth floor even though he pressed 10.

How does Martin feel after the first strange elevator incident?

Answer: Confused and scared

What does Martin notice about the elevator's behaviour the second time he's alone in it?

Answer: It takes him to the basement even though he pressed 10.

Who does Martin confide in about his elevator experiences?

Answer: No one

What happens when Martin tries to tell his parents about the elevator?

Answer: They dismiss his fears and tell him to stop being silly

What is the main theme explored in 'The Elevator'?

Answer: The fear of the unknown

What is the setting of the poem?

Answer: A royal court with a lion pit

What prompts the lady to drop her glove into the lion pit?

Answer: A desire to test her lover's courage

How does the Count de Lorge react to the lady's action?

Answer: He retrieves the glove and throws it back in her face.

What is King Francis's reaction to the Count's actions?

Answer: He is amused and praises the Count's bravery.

What is the main theme of the poem?

Answer: The dangers of pride and vanity

What literary device is used in the line 'gave blows like beams'?

Answer: Simile

What does the phrase 'the occasion is divine' suggest about the lady's perspective?

Answer: She sees this as an opportunity for personal gain.

What is the Count's motivation for throwing the glove back in the lady's face?

Answer: Anger at her reckless behavior

What is Mead’s main interest?

Answer: Walking in the streets

What affects the people in the short story 'The Pedestrian'?

Answer: Digital technology

How does Leonard Mead feel with the world around him?

Answer: Isolated

What does the police car symbolise?

Answer: Conformity

What does Mead witness while walking during the night?

Answer: People watching TV

What is the irony of the story?

Answer: Mead is arrested for a silly act

What does the police inquire about Mead?

Answer: Why was he walking out?

What is the primary theme of the story?

Answer: All of the above

What does the poet mistake the speck for?

Answer: A small insect

What is the initial perception of the poet about the speck?

Answer: Insignificant

How does the speaker describe the world around the speck?

Answer: Vast and Indifferent

How do the speaker's thoughts vary as the poem progresses?

Answer: Positive

What tone does the speaker use while addressing the speck?

Answer: Humorous

The speaker refers to the speck as a 'sort of dust mote'. What does this phrase refer to the speck's position in the outside world?

Answer: It is almost invisible

How does the phrase 'its universe of dust' exhibit the theme of the poem?

Answer: Interconnectedness

The speaker realises something at the end of the poem. What does he ultimately try to convey in the poem?

Answer: Find beauty in small things

What prompts the teacher to take the final lesson in the story?

Answer: Occupation of Alsace- Lorraine by Germany

Describe Franz's emotions on the day of the last lesson

Answer: Regret

Which subject does the teacher teach in the story?

Answer: French

How does the community react to the last lesson in the story?

Answer: They are sad

What does the school decide with the French language ultimately?

Answer: They ban it

What does the theme of loss signify in the story?

Answer: Loss of language

How does the author reveal the atmosphere of the classroom?

Answer: It is somber

What is the role of education according to the author?

Answer: It has to be preserved.

How does the poet describe the impact of music on emotions?

Answer: It brings joy

Which of the following is used to illustrate the power of music?

Answer: Imagery and metaphors

Which literary device is used predominantly in the poem?

Answer: Personification

What is the meaning of the word ‘languish’?

Answer: Suffer

1.blast of brutal violence, 2.The welkin weeps to hear his screech, and mighty mansions tumble. 3.The people, dazed, retire amazed although they know it’s well-meant. 4.stop your singing quickly!

Answer: 3, 4, 2, 1

What tone does Sukumar Ray adopt in the poem?

Answer: Joyful

What is the central theme of the poem?

Answer: Transformative effects of music

How does the noise end?

Answer: When the goat attacked