An elementary classroom in a slum class 12 MCQs CBSE term 1 exam

AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CLASSROOM IN A SLUM

Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow. 

(A) It would be an exotic moment

without rush, without engines,

we would all be together

in a sudden strangeness.

Fishermen in the cold sea

would not harm whales

(i) What does the expression — exotic moment — suggest?

(a) leisure time 

(b) quiet and still

(c) moment of joy 

(d) splendid time

(ii) The phrase ‘sudden strangeness’ symbolizes

(a) strange faces. 

(b) strange behaviour.

(c) sudden calmness. 

(d) extremely strange.

(iii) The expression, ‘we would be all together’ is an example of

(a) parody. 

(b) tragedy. 

(c) epithet. 

(d) imagery.

(iv) In the extract, ‘would not harm whales’ suggests that the

(a) even the whales in the sea would not be hurt.

(b) whales would not harm anyone.

(c) harm can be done to whales also.

(d) nobody should hurt whales.

(B) The tall girl with her weighed-down head. The paper—

seeming boy, with rat’s eyes. The stunted, unlucky heir

Of twisted bones, reciting a father’s gnarled disease,

His lesson, from his desk. At back of the dim class

One unnoted, sweet and young. His eyes live in a dream,

Of squirrel’s game, in tree room, other than this.

(i) What does the expression — twisted bones — refer to?

(a) bones not straight

(b) thin, hungry and weak

(c) flexible and can be twisted easily

(d) become shapeless due to hard work

(ii) The phrase ‘slag heap’ symbolizes

(a) head was put down to concentrate on the work.

(b) involvement of work and put down the head.

(c) head had weight on it.

(d) burden, depression and exhaustion of life.

(iii) The expression ‘unlucky heir’ is an example of

(a) irony of life. (b) tragedy of life.

(c) image of despair. (d) visual imagery.

(iv) In the extract, ‘his eyes live in a dream’ suggests that the

(a) sleepless nights made it so.

(b) eyes had a lot of dreams in them.

(c) late night working kills all dreams

(d) unfulfilled dreams in the eyes are too many

(C) The stunted, unlucky heir

Of twisted bones, reciting a father’s gnarled disease,

His lesson, from his desk. At back of the dim class

One unnoted, sweet and young. His eyes live in a dream,

Of squirrel’s game, in tree room, other than this.

(i) What does the expression ‘stunted, unlucky heir’ suggest?

(a) The shabby, unkempt hair of children

(b) Short malnourished children

(c) A child who is the only heir of someone

(d) A child who has been unfortunate with his inheritance

(ii) The ‘gnarled disease’ of the boy symbolises

(a) a disease that is inherited.

(b) a disease he has inherited from his father.

(c) a disease that is very rare to find.

(d) a disease he had read about.

(iii) The expression, ‘unlucky heir’ is an example of

(a) sympathy. 

(b) irony. 

(c) disappointment. 

(d) happiness.

(iv) In the extract, ‘A squirrel’s game in a tree room, other than this’, the phrase other than this suggests that the

(a) boy wanted to play with the squirrel as he has no friends.

(b) boy wanted to make a room in the tree and play with the squirrel rather than with his classmates.

(c) boy wanted to live like the squirrel does rather than sitting in the classroom.

(d) wished to play like the squirrel rather than sitting in the class.

(D) Surely, Shakespeare is wicked, the map a bad example,

With ships and sun and love tempting them to steal—

For lives that slyly turn in their cramped holes

From fog to endless night? On their slag heap, these children

Wear skins peeped through by bones and spectacles of steel

With mended glass, like bottle bits on stones.

All of their time and space are foggy slum.

So blot their maps with slums as big as doom.

(i) What does the expression — endless night — suggest?

(a) Their nights are long.

(b) Struggles and darkness are endless in their life.

(c) People feel tired and sleep too much.

(d) Nights can’t be counted for which they work hard.

(ii) The ‘slag heap’ symbolizes

(a) a heap of the waste material of slum. 

(b) a heap of clothes.

(c) a heap of nearby garbage. 

(d) an extremely filthy and stingy heap.

(iii) The expression, ‘skins peeped through by bones’ is an example of

(a) irony. 

(b) tragedy. 

(c) imagery. 

(d) epithet.

(iv) In the extract, ‘the map a bad example’ suggests that the

(a) map doesn’t match with the syllabus of the children.

(b) wonderful world is out of reach for slum children.

(c) map can’t be represented systematically.

(d) map doesn’t reflect the beauty of nature.

(E) Unless, governor, inspector, visitor,

This map becomes their window and these windows

That shut upon their lives like catacombs,

Break O break open till they break the town

And show the children to green fields, and make their world

Run azure on gold sands, and let their tongues

Run naked into books the white and green Ieaves open

History theirs whose language is the sun.

(i) The expression,’ This map becomes their window...’ signifies that

(a) The poet wants the children to explore all the places on the map.

(b) The poet wants the children to draw a map.

(c) The poet wants the children to learn about all the places in the world.

(d) None of the above

(ii) ‘That shut upon their lives like catacombs.’ The word ‘catacombs’ refers to

(a) beautiful gardens in Austria.

(b) cemeteries near Rome.

(c) open fields near South America.

(d) playgrounds made for children in their schools.

(iii) Name the poetic device used by the poet in the following line:

‘Break O break open till they break the town’

(a) Pun 

(b) Refrain 

(c) Repetition 

(d) Simile

(iv) What does the poet wish to say through the following line? ‘and let their tongues Run naked into books the 

white and green leaves open’

(a) He wants the children to get white books.

(b) He wants the children to get an opportunity to read and get educated.

(c) He wants the children to run on the books.

(d) He wants the children to learn a new language.