HAUNTED HOUSES

Section A: Multiple-Choice Questions

1. (b) 2. (d) 3. (c) 4. (b) 5. (d) 6. (c) 7. (c) 8. (d) 9. (b) 10. (c) 11. (b) 12. (b) 13. (a)
Section B: Context Questions
I (i) Because they are invited by the spirits of the inhabitants of the house who have died
long ago. These are the houses where they have lived for a long time and died and are
therefore, the rightful owners and occupants of the house.

(ii) The spirit of the people, who once lived in those houses and have died long ago—unlike
the usual image of the phantoms they are harmless as they are neither mischievous nor
angry—they do not make loud noises or throw objects in the house—they do not harm the
present occupants of the house.

(iii) They join the occupants at the dining table, glide, throng float and waft in the house.
Yes, their errands are different from the known errands of phantoms who make loud noises,
throw objects and harm the occupants of the house.

(iv) At the doorway, on the stairs, along the passage and at the dining table. They enter the
house from the door way without making any sound with their feet on the floor.

(v) Haunted Houses the title—the houses are visited by the spirits of the previous occupants
of the house, who have died long ago—they enter through the doors and at times do the daily
activities like at the dining table or by the fireside—unlike their traditional image, they are
‘harmless’ spirits who do not make loud noise or throw objects.

II. (i) They are occupied by the spirits of previous owners of the house who had died long
ago—they remain as silent as the pictures hung on the walls.

(ii) They do not make any noise when they came and go and join the present occupants of
their invited guests at the dining table they are neither mischievous nor angry and intend no
harm to one occupants of the house, probably their own children and grandchildren.

(iii) They are the spirits of the previous occupants of the house who had died long ago and
intend no harm to the present occupants and do their daily activities without being seen or
heard. They are the pictures of the previous occupants of the house, who had died and are
now the spirits.

(iv) Simile is used in the last line of the extract: As silent as the pictures on the wall. Here, a
comparison has been made between the silence of the spirits and the pictures hung on the
wall.

(v) ‘more guests’ refers to the spirits of the dead, who the invited guests, enter the house
without any invitation and join the guests at the table. They cannot be seen or heard by the
physical senses of the present occupants of the house; their presence can be only perceived
as the dining hall appears to be crowded.
 III. (i) ‘We’ refers to the present occupants of the house because the previous occupants of
the house, who handed it over to the next generation are the real owners who have the title-
deeds to house or lands.

(ii) ‘Owners and Occupants’ are those who owned the houses and lands, had the title-deeds
and before they died handed it over to their successors.

(iii) The owners and occupants of the house who had died long ago stretch their soiled hands
from the forgotten graves to claim the inalienable ownership of their properties and visit their
homes.

(iv) The previous owners and occupants of the house who had died long ago and had
become spirits. Because they were rightful owners of the house and lands.

(v) Two figures of speech used in this extract are in the line—From graves forgotten stretch
their dusty hands: (a) Alliteration—the repetition of consonant sound ‘f’.
(b) Personification—the dead stretch their dusty hands from their graves to
claim their inalienable right over their properties previously owned by them.

IV. (i) Human lives. In comparison to the spirits, human lives are short because the spirits
continue to live long after they had died, visit the houses previously owned by them. They
claim their inalienable rights over the houses in which they lived when they were alive.

(ii) By maintaining balance between opposite attractions and desires, i.e., between worldly
pleasures and noble instincts.

(iii) (a) Base instincts that seeks worldly pleasures like achieving name, fame, money and
power. (b) Noble instincts that seek higher and noble goals like renouncing worldly
pleasures and seeking spiritual goals.

(iv) There occurs a struggle between the earthly needs of human beings and their high
aspirations or spiritual desires because these are shaped by some unknown forces from a
remote planet in the universe. This struggle is resolved by maintaining a balance between the
two types of instincts.

(v) The rhyming scheme followed in this poem is abab. This rhyming scheme along with
regular rhythm and gentle content helps to evoke a feeling of comfort and peacefulness quite
in contract to noise, discomfort and eerie feeling associated with haunted house.

V. (i) These perturbations refers to the mental disturbances, anxieties and fears of human
beings caused by their earthly needs and high aspirations. Those human beings who cannot
maintain a balance between their earthly desires and high aspirations are affected by ‘these
perturbations.’

(ii) Personification is used in this line. Here the poet has compared human greed to a
‘perpetual jar’ full of earthly pleasures.
 (iii) Human worries and fears. Unseen star is a reference to an unexplored star in the
universe that tempts human beings for having more and more earthly pleasures.

(iv) The narrator has referred to ‘an undiscovered planet in our sky’ to give a reason why
human beings’ are tempted to have more of earthly desires than nobler or spiritual desires.

(v) This extract suggests the existence of supernatural element by saying that the daily
activities of human beings on the material plane are influenced and guided by the spirits
from an ‘undiscovered planet in our sky.’

VI. (i) The world of spirits is connected by the bridge of light to the earth. This bridge is
made of moonlight floating across the ocean waves.

(ii) The ‘unsteady floor’ refers to the bridge of light that connects the human world with the
world of spirits. Because it is made by moonlight that floats across the unsteady ocean
waves.

(iii) The memories of over loved ones come in our thoughts and help us to come out of
despair and depression.

(iv) The ‘bridge of light’ is a bridge made by moonlight floating on the ocean waves and can
be crossed only be the spirits and not the human beings.

(v) All houses are haunted because — they are visited by the spirits of our loved ones who
died long ago. — they cannot be seen or heard but their presence is perceived in every corner
of the house be it doorway, stairs, dining room, fireside, etc. — they came and go as visitors
without making any loud noise or throwing objects and harming anyone. — they remain in
the houses by being etched in the memories of the present occupants of the house