CBSE Class 12 English My Mother at Sixty Six MCQs

Question. What does the poet notice in the outer world ?
(a) sprinting trees and running roads
(b) schools and roads
(c) other vehicles
(d) many people on the road

Answer: A

Question. In which languages has Kamla Das written stories and novels?
(a) English and Tamil
(b) English and Malayalam
(c) English and Hindi
(d) English and urdu

Answer: B

Question. What is the significance of the title My Mother at Sixty Six?
(a) Poets fear of losing her old mother
(b) poets fear of moving fast
(c) poets inability to express her feelings
(d) All these

Answer: A

Question. What does this narrative style of the poem signify?
(a) differing thoughts
(b) many thoughts
(c) a single thread of thought mixed with harsh realities
(d) contrasting thoughts

Answer: C

Question. What did the poet realize with the pain?
(a) her mother's appearance like a corpse with growing age
(b) she is helpless
(c) old age is painful
(d) she has duties

Answer: A

Question. Name the poetic devices used in the poem.
(a) metaphor
(b) similie
(c) alliteration
(d) all these

Answer: D

Question. What does 'ashen face ' signify?
(a) to show the poet's fears
(b) to tellaging is painful
(c) Pale and lifeless face of poet's mother
(d) to show old age

Answer: C

Question. Why does the poet feel parted,upset and sad?
(a) because of her fears
(b) because she was getting late
(c) fear of missing her flight
(d) because of her duty towards mother and her own needs

Answer: D

Question. Why are the trees described as sprinting?
(a) their running appearance and to show fast moving change of human life
(b) to show their running appearance
(c) to tell how trees look from a running car
(d) to show the speed of the car

Answer: A

Question. Why are the trees described as sprinting?
(a) their running appearance and to show fast moving change of human life
(b) to show their running appearance
(c) to tell how trees look from a running car
(d) to show the speed of the car

Answer: D

Question. What do the running trees signify?
(a) fast moving appearance
(b) speed of the moving car
(c) fast moving change of human life from childhood to old age
(d) none

Answer: C

Question. What question arises from the complexity of the situation in the poem?
(a) how to overcome fears
(b) how to do one's duties
(c) how to take care of the parents
(d) How to strike a balance between duties and responsibilities

Answer: D

Question. What do the parting words "See you soon Amma" signify?
(a) her helplessness
(b) Her optimistic farewell full of cheerfulness
(c) her hope
(d) her helplessness and cheerfulness

Answer: B

Question. What does the poet's smile signify in the poem?
(a) Her assurance to mother and helplessness inside
(b) she has a responsibility
(c) she has to do her duty first
(d) she is a loving daughter

Answer: A

Question. What is the kind of pain and ache that the poet feels?
(a) Losing her mother
(b) heart attack
(c) headache
(d) children screaming at her

Answer: A

Question. What do the running trees signify?
(a) fast moving appearance
(b) speed of the moving car
(c) fast moving change of human life from childhood to old age
(d) none

Answer: D

Question. Why does the poet feel scared?
(a) Because of her duties and commitments
(b) Because of her job
(c) Because of her mother's deteriorating health
(d) Bcause of her chidren

Answer: C

Question. What does 'ashen face ' signify?
(a) to show poet's fears
(b) to tellaging is painful
(c) Pale and lifeless face of poet's mother
(d) to show old age

Answer: D

Question. What does the poet notice in the outer world ?
(a) sprinting trees and running roads
(b) schools and roads
(c) other vehicles
(d) many people on the road

Answer: D

Question. Quote an example of an alliteration used in the poem.
(a) like ashen
(b) smile, smile and smile
(c) Friday morning
(d) None

Answer: D

Question. What is the familiar ache?
(a) her mother's weak health
(b) her childhood fear of losing her mother
(c) her duties
(d) her helplessness

Answer: B

Question. What do the parting words "See you soon Amma" signify?
(a) her helpless ness
(b) Her optimistic farewell full of cheerfulness
(c) her helplessness and cheerfulness
(d) her hope

Answer: C

Question. How is the imagery of 'young trees and merry children a contrast to the mother?
(a) hope is a way of life
(b) Mother's health-hopelessness and trees and merry children- youthfulness and hope
(c) greenery and autumn
(d) spring and autumn

Answer: B

Question. What does poet's smile signify in the poem?
(a) Her assurance to mother and helplessness inside
(b) she has a responsibility
(c) she has to do her duty first
(d) she is a loving daughter

Answer: B

Question. Why did the poet look at her mother again?
(a) because of her love
(b) because of her care
(c) because of her duties
(d) because of fear and insecurity

Answer: A

Question. What is the main idea of the poem?
(a) eternal painful old age and its fears
(b) mother and daughter love
(c) helplessness of a daughter
(d) lack of strength

Answer: A

Question. Why has the poet used the imagery of merry children spilling out of their homes?
(a) to show hope
(b) to show happiness
(c) to show youthfulness of her age
(d) to show lost hope and happiness of youth

Answer: D

Question. Which Rhyming scheme used in the poem?
(a) couplet
(b) monorhyme
(c) sonnet style
(d) free verse

Answer: D

Question. Quote an example of a simile used in the poem.
(a) familiar ache
(b) like that of a corpse
(c) the merry children
(d) wan and pale

Answer: C

Question. Who is the poet of this poem?
(a) John Keats
(b) Rudyard Kipling
(c) William Wordsworth
(d) Kamladas

Answer: D

Question. What is her work known for?
(a) for their originality, versatility and flavour of the soil
(b) for theitr popularity
(c) for their style
(d) for the expressions used

Answer: A

Question. Quote an example of personification used in the poem.
(a) sprinting trees and running roads
(b) home to cochin
(c) airport's security check
(d) All these

Answer: D

Question. What is the tone of the poem towards the end?
(a) sad
(b) resignation with acceptance
(c) hopeless
(d) cheerful

Answer: B

Question. What is the universality of the theme of the poem?
(a) death is a truth
(b) Death is a reality
(c) everyone can feel the pain and loss associated with death
(d) All these

Answer: A

Question. What does the narrative single sentence style of the poem highlight?
(a) Poet's fearful mind
(b) Poet's insecurities
(c) poet's thoughts
(d) Conscience of the poet where one thought is leading to another

Answer: D

Question. Which poetic device is Trees sprinting ?
(a) metaphor
(b) simile
(c) alliteration
(d) Personification

Answer: D

Question. What does the poem revolve around?
(a) Theme of advancing age and fears associated with it
(b) poet's fears
(c) poet's love for her mother
(d) poet's journey

Answer: A

Question. Quote an example of a metaphor used in the poem.
(a) as a late winter's moon
(b) childhood's fears
(c) Driving from my parent’s home
(d) None

Answer: D

Question. What were the parting words of the poet
(a) Good Bye
(b) see you
(c) Adieu
(d) See you soon Amma

Answer: D

Question. What do the parting words, "See you soon Amma!‖ signify?
(a) Poet‘s carelessness
(b) Poet‘s hurry
(c) Poet‘s way of saying goodbye
(d) Poet‘s optimistic farewell

Answer: D

Question. Choose a poetic device that is not used in the poem
(a) simile
(b) metaphor
(c) imagery
(d) synecdoche

Answer: D

Question. The image of merry children is created to ________
(a) to show energy and exuberance of young children
(b) to show the way children play
(c) to compare herself with the children
(d) to show the pranks done by children

Answer: A

Question. Which figure of speech has been used in the line ―wan, pale as late winter‘s moon‖.
(a) simile
(b) metaphor
(c) alliteration
(d) personification

Answer: A

Question. Which word in the in the poem is similar in meaning to ―go like lightning speed‖?
(a) spilling
(b) merry
(c) sprinting
(d) away

Answer: C

Question. What is the theme of the poem ―My Mother at Sixty Six‖?
(a) love towards nature
(b) poet‘s fear of losing her mother
(c) Poet‘s love for her father
(d) All of the above

Answer: B

Question. How is the imagery of young trees and merry children a contrast to the mother?
(a) mother is old in comparison to the trees and children
(b) mother‘s health-hopelessness and trees and merry children –youthfulness and hope
(c) like spring and autumn season
(d) mother is like ash while trees are green and children are happy.

Answer: B

Question. Choose an example of simile as used in the poem.
(a) familiar ache
(b) like that of a corpse
(c) wan and pale
(d) the merry children

Answer: B

Question. The poet, Kamala Das, uses her elongated smile to:
(a) make herself happy
(b) make her mother feel sad
(c) to hide her pain
(d) to comfort her mother

Answer: C

Question. The thought that made the poet painful was:
(a) her mother‘s frail health
(b) her mother was going to die
(c) she was leaving her mother
(d) she would never see her mother again.

Answer: D

Question. What did the poet notice about her mother on her way to the airport?
(a) She has grown old
(b) She was sleeping with her mouth open
(c) Her face looked like that of a corpse
(d) All of the above

Answer: D

Question. The poet uses the simile "as late winter‘s moon‖ to signify:
(a) shine and strength
(b) energy and vigour
(c) dull and decay
(d) dark and cloudy

Answer: C

Question. Why does the poet display a fake smile.
(a) to make herself happy
(b) to make her mother happy
(c) to make others happy
(d) to hide her pain

Answer: D

Question. The poet, who was with her mother, looks out of the car:
(a) to enjoy the sprinting trees
(b) as she was feeling bored
(c) to see the merry children
(d) in attempt to distract herself

Answer: D

Question. Name the poetic device used in "Trees sprinting‖?
(a) Repetition
(b) Simile
(c) Alliteration
(d) Personification

Answer: D

Question. What do merry children symbolise?
(a) vigour and vitality
(b) confidence and energy
(c) anxiety and despair
(d) excitement and ecstasy

Answer: A

Question. Out of the options given choose the distinctive feature of this poem
(a) Its simile
(b) the metaphors used
(c) alliteration and imagery
(d) narrative style using a single sentence in a set of 14 lines

Answer: D

Question. Why was the mother‘s face looking like that of a corpse?
(a) It was dull and dark
(b) It was pale, lifeless and colourless
(c) It was tiresome and sombre
(d) It was wrinkled

Answer: B

Question. Pick out a word from the poem which can be the antonym of ―miserable‖
(a) merry
(b) sprinting
(c) spilling
(d) corpse

Answer: A

Question. What worried the poet when she looked at her mother?
(a) her face
(b) her loving face
(c) her loving words
(d) her declining poor health

Answer: B

Question. What is the distinctive feature of the poem?
(a) its metaphors
(b) simile used
(c) alliteration used
(d) narrative style using a single sentence in a set of 14 lines

Answer: D

Extract Based MCQs :

1. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.
that she was as old as she
looked but soon
put that thought away, and
looked out at Young
Trees sprinting, the merry children spilling
out of their homes,

Question. What is the significance of the title My Mother at Sixty Six?
(a) Poet’s fear of losing her old mother
(b) Poet’s fear of moving fast
(c) Poet’s inability to express her feelings
(d) All of these

Answer: A

Question. Why are the trees described as sprinting?
(a) their running appearance and to show fast moving change of human life
(b) to show their running appearance
(c) to tell how trees look from a running car
(d) to show the speed of the car

Answer: D

Question. What do the running trees signify?
(a) fast moving appearance
(b) speed of the moving car
(c) fast moving change in human life from childhood to old age
(d) none

Answer: A

Question. Which poetic device is used here ‘she was as old as she looked’
(a) Metaphor
(b) Simile
(c) Alliteration
(d) Repetition

Answer: B

Extract based questions:

1. "….. I looked again at her
Wan,pale as late winter‘s moon
And felt that old familiar ache,
My childhood fear,
But all I said was, see you soon,
Amma"

Question. Which figure of speech has been used in "smile and smile and smile"
(a) simile
(b) metaphor
(c) alliteration
(d) Repitition

Answer: D

Question. What do you understand by"familiar ache"?
(a) Fear of losing her mother
(b) Fear of getting separated
(c) Childhood fear of losing her mother
(d) All of the above

Answer: D

Question. What was the childhood fear that troubled the poet?
(a) The fear of losing her mother
(b) The fear of being alone
(c) The fear of ageing of her mother
(d) Her mother‘s pale face

Answer: A

Question. What do the parting words suggest?
(a) assuring her mother that she will be young and energetic
(b) Consoling her mother about her future prospects
(c) Assuring her mother that they will meet again
(d) both i) and ii)

Answer: C

2. "……….I saw my mother ,
Beside me,
Doze, open mouthed, her face
Ashen like that
of a corpse and realised with
pain…."

Question. Why was there pain in the realisation?
(a) She may not see her mother again
(b) She may not be able to take care of her mother
(c) Her mother looked more aged
(d) None of these

Answer: A

Question. Why did she put that thought away
(a) It was destructive
(b) It was painful and disheartening
(c) It was humorous
(d) It was joyful and vibrant

Answer: B

Question. Why did the mother‘s face look like that of a corpse?
(a) She was no more alive
(b) Due to old age
(c) She was suffering from anaemia
(d) Mother was not maintaining her health

Answer: B

Question. Identify the literary device used in this line; "ashen like that of a corpse‘
(a) Simile
(b) repetition
(c) personification
(d) metaphor

Answer: A

3) and Looked out at young
Trees sprinting, the merry children
Spilling out of their homes

Question. What has the poet‘s mother been compared to?
(a) sprinting trees
(b) merry children
(c) winter‘s moon
(d) winter‘s sun

Answer: C

Question. Which feeling of the poet is well expressed on her realisation that her mother was getting old?
(a) merry
(b) doubtful
(c) afraid
(d) agitated

Answer: C

Question. Given below are some of the books and their authors. Which title perfectly describes the condition of the poet‘s mother?
(a) Somewhere Towards the End – by Diana Athill
(b) Nothing to be Frightened of –Julian Barnes
(c) If Cats disappeared from the World – Genki Kawamura
(d) The Picture of Dorian Gray – Oscar Wilde

Answer: A

Question. Choose the option that appropriately describes the relationship between the two statements given below.
Statement 1: The poet knows her mother was aged.
Statement 2: The poet feels the pain of separation
(a) Introduction and conclusion
(b) reason and effect
(c) question and answer
(d) beginning and ending

Answer: B

Question. Choose the option that displays the same literary device as given in the above extract: "pale as late winter‘s moon".
(a) I wandered lonely as a cloud
(b) She likes the flowers that bloom
(c) I had the same feeling as he had
(d) none of the above

Answer: A

Question. What did the poet see out of the car window?
(a) children playing out door
(b) sprinting trees
(c) cows grazing
(d) both a) and b)

Answer: D

Question. Which figure of speech has been used in the lines ―wan, pale as late winter‘s moon‖
(a) personification
(b) simile
(c) metaphor
(d) alliteration

Answer: B

Question. Some poetic devices and examples from the poem are given below. Choose the option that fits the poetic device to its example.
(a) Simile: merry children spilling out – Repitition:smile and smile and smile
(b) Personification: Young trees sprinting – Metaphor:Merry children spilling
(c) Simile: pale as a late winter‘s moon – Imagery: all I did was smile
(d) Imagery: old familiar ache – Simile: pale as a late winter‘s moon

Answer: B

4) And felt that
old familiar ache, my childhood‘s fear
but all I said was, see you soon,
Amma,
All I did was smile and smile and
Smile…..

Question. How did the poet hide her pain?
(a) By giving an elongated smile
(b) By covering her face
(c) By looking away from her mother
(d) None of the above.

Answer: A

Question. What may be the reason for comparing her mother to a late winter‘s moon?
(a) Late winter‘s moon has lustre and brightness
(b) Mother was pale and colourless and lacked brightness of youth
(c) Mother was active and energetic
(d) None of the above.

Answer: B

Question. Choose the option that applies correctly to the two statements given below
Assertion: The poet gave an elongated smile
Reason: She wants to leave her mother on a note of optimism
(a) Assertion can be inferred but the reason can not be inferred
(b) Assertion cannot be inferred but the reason can be inferred
(c) Both assertion and reason cannot be inferred
(d) Both assertion and reason can be inferred

Answer: D

Question. Why has the poet‘s pain of losing her mother described as "familiar"?
(a) There had been occasions in her life when she had to leave her mother
(b) As a child she often fell down and felt pain
(c) The poet was a heart patient
(d) None of the above

Answer: A