NEW STEWART SCHOOL

ENGLISH LITERATURE QUESTION BANK 2022 – 23

Term – I
Chapter – 1: Where the mind is without fear
Where the mind is without fear and head is held high;
Where knowledge is free;
Where the world has not been broken into fragments
By narrow domestic walls;
1. What do the expression ‘mind is without free’ and ‘head is held high’ mean?
A. The poet says that no countrymen of his should live in fear on his mind at all times.
Instead, they should hold their head up fearlessly and have confidence in themselves.
2. When knowledge is not free, what will be the impact?
A. When knowledge is not free people who are poor will not get the right education and will
become a thief or a labourer and will decrease human capital and economy of India.
3. What breaks the world into fragments?
A. The world is broken into fragments by the narrow domestic walls like caste system,
social classes, religion, color, creed and so on.
Chapter – 2: The River Came Home
Children are naughty. Talkative. Boisterous. These children were none of these.
1. Who were “these children”? Where were they at the time?
A. “These children” refer to Gopala and his friends. They were in the class at that time.
2. Who had these thoughts about the children? What had he just said to the children?
A. Mani sir had these thoughts about the children. He had just asked them to be silent as
they were unusually excited and energetic that day.
3. How were ‘these children’ different from the others?
A. These children were different from the others because they were neither naughty nor
talkative nor boisterous. They spoke very little in the class.
‘There is no wrong or right, Sir. Only people with money and those without. My Gopala is
finished.’
1. Who were these words spoken to? Why did Gopala’s mother say these words?
A. These words were spoken to Mani Sir. When Mani Sir told her that Gopala was not
wrong and stated the reason for his suspension. Gopala’s mother cried and said these
words. She meant to say that usually the rich people are always right irrespective of the
reality.
2. Why did she say that the boy was ‘finished’?
A. She said that the boy was finished because he had already been silent and extremely sad
for they were made to leave their home and because of the incident, his father had beaten
him badly. He was heart-broken and lost all hope.
3. What events had brought about such a change in Gopala’s life?
A. Gopala and his family were made to leave his house because of the building of dam. He
lost his comfortable house with orchards and sugarcane fields. He never felt that he
belonged to his new school and felt like an outsider. These events brought a drastic
change in Gopala’s life.
Chapter – 4: Rain Rain Go Away
“It is a statement. We are going out with the Sakkaros to Murphy’s Park.”
1. Who is the speaker here? Who else is there?
A. Lillian Wright is the speaker. Her husband George is with her.
2. Who are the Sakkaros?
A. Sakkaros are their new mysterious neighbours.
3. The speaker has arranged a picnic to Murphy’s Park. How did she arrange it?
A. Lillian went to Mrs Sakkaro’s house to make acquaintance and suggested the trip so that
their boys could have fun. Mrs Sakkaro couldn’t refuse her proposal.
It was a cheerful day at Murphy’s Park, with a cheerfully bright sun in a blue, blue sky.
1. Who went to the Murphy’s Park? How did they go there?
A. The Wrights and the Sakkaros went to the Murphy’s Park. They went there in George
Wright’s car.
2. Who arranged the trip to Murphy’s Park? How did she do it?
A. Lillian Wright arranged the trip to Murphy’s Park. She went to Mrs Sakkaros and
suggested that their boys would have fun if they went on a trip to Murphy’s Park.
3. Where did Lillian take the boys once they were in the park? Why?
A. Lillian took the boys to the amusement section of the park so that the boys could enjoy
the thrill of every ride the park had to offer.
Chapter – 5: The Road Not Taken
1. Discuss the title of the poem “The Road Not Taken”. Is it appropriate for the poem?
A. Yes, it is apt because the title of the poem concerns a choice made between two roads by
a person walking in the woods. He would have liked to explore both the roads, but he
knows that he can’t walk on both the roads at the same time. He chooses the road not
travelled on by too many people and many years later, he feels that all the difference in
his life is because of the choice of roads he had made.
2. Why does the poet say he shall tell people “this with a sigh”? Why do you think the final
stanza starts with a sigh?
A. The poet comes to a fork in the road and decides to walk on the path that looks less
walked on. He is however wishful of walking on the other road on some other day. He is
not sure if his choice has been the right one and feels that if someone asks him to justify
his choice he would probably answer him with a sigh. The sigh could signify two things.
Either it is a sigh of happiness and contentment at having achieved success in life because
of the right choices made at the right time or it could be interpreted to mean that the sigh
is one of regret and sorrow at having made the wrong choice and lost out on a golden
opportunity.
3. Bring out the symbolism in the poem “The Road Not Taken”.
A. The poem is about something more than the choice of paths in a wood. We can interpret
the narrator’s choice of a road as a symbol for any choice in life between alternatives that
appear almost equally attractive. It is only after the passage of years, that we can really
evaluate the decisions and choices that we make based on the result of these choices. If
we find success, the choice is the right one but if the result is failure and pain then the
choice has obviously not been the right one.
Chapter – 6: A Tale of Two Cities
1. What is happening at the beginning of this chapter?
A. A cask of wine has broken open on the street of a Paris suburb. All of the townspeople
are engaged in drinking the wine and staining themselves with its red color.
2. What does the man write on the wall? What does this foreshadow?
A. He writes “BLOOD.” This anticipates the real blood that will be spilled in the name of
revolution.
3. What kind of town is Saint Antoine?
A. Saint Antoine is described as a place full of “cold, dark, sickness, ignorance, and want.”
4. What is the significance of the name “Jacques”?
A. The peasants adopted this name from what the nobility called them. They turned a
derogatory name into one that helped give them a sense of common purpose.
5. Where is Dr. Manette being held?
A. He is being held in a tiny, dark room in an apartment above the wine-shop.
Chapter – 7: Ozymandias
1. Bring out the irony in the poem, ‘Ozymandias’.
A. The statue that was to perpetuate Ozymandias’s memory, his glory and grandeur lies
broken into pieces on the sand in the desert. Nothing remained except the boundless and
bare sand.
2. What was written on the pedestal of the statue of Ozymandias?
A. The followings were stated on the pedestal of the statue. “My name is Ozymandias, king
of kings: Look upon my works, ye mighty and despair.”
3. “My name is Ozymandias, king of kings” Why does Ozymandias refer to himself as king
of kings?
A. It shows the arrogance, haughtiness, contempt and cruelty of Ozymandias—the irony is
that in the end nothing remains.
4. What impression do you form of the sculptor who created the statue of Ozymandias?
A. The sculptor was a good artist who could bring out the expressions in stones. He was a
good judge and great philosopher who understood the irony and law of nature.
5. ‘Nothing beside remains.’ What does the narrator mean when he says these words?
A. Ravages of time spare no one. All power, authority and glory are reduced to dust with the
passage of time. It’s only art that outlives worldly power and glory.
Chapter – 10: Elder Brother
1. The elder brother was not good at academics. How does the narrator convey this?
A. The speaker’s brother is not very good at academics. Though his brother was five years
elder to him, in school he is only three years ahead of him. The speaker justifies it by
saying that maybe his brother wanted strong foundation and hence studied each class for
more than a year. The speaker says that often he would find drawings of cats, dogs and
birds on his brother’s books which could mean he takes breaks in between studies.
2. What was the difference in the routines of the two brothers?
A. While the narrator’s brother slogged every day in front of books and stayed away from
the playground, the narrator would have lot of fun, throwing pebbles in the air, flying
paper butterflies, riding the hostel gate like a motor car, climbing up and down the
staircase etc.
3. Describe the timetable drawn up by the narrator. How were the intent and reality
completely different?
A. After his brother scolds him hard one day, the narrator draws up a rigorous time-table for
himself without including any games and sports that he loves so much. But he doesn’t
keep to the new schedule even for one day as the playground beckons to him with all the
fun and frolic which makes him forget his books and run back to the ground.
4. What was the impact of the elder brother's lectures on the narrator?
A. Whenever his brother gave his sermons, the narrator would feel guilty that he was
committing some grave mistake by playing and having fun. He would also feel like going
back home and not bother about studies at all and lead a happy life without having to go
to school again.
5. How did the elder brother's sermons change when he failed for the first time?
A. His brother was depressed when he heard that he had failed while his younger brother
had passed. For some time, he stopped giving his sermons. But soon he started bullying
his younger brother by scaring him how hard each class was going to be than before. He
also cautions him not to feel too proud of himself lest his pride will make him feel
arrogant.
6. What was the elder brother's reaction to failing for the second time?
A. When he failed a second time, his elder brother stopped bothering him much. He also
stopped pulling his ears and generally kept to himself.
Term – II
Chapter – 11: The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
1. Describe the ancient mariner.
A. The Ancient Mariner is an old man. He is quite thin and frail. He long, grey beard and
there is a glitter in his eyes.
2. How does the mariner describe the movement of the ship as it sails away from the land?
A. The mariner describes the movement of the ship as it sails away from the land; in
following words. This ship is going farther and farther on the horizon. First of all, the
 ship appears to be going below the kirk, then below the hill. Finally, the ship is so far that
it appears to be even below the lighthouse top.
3. What kind of weather did the sailors enjoy at the beginning of their journey? How has it
been expressed in the poem?
A. The weather was pleasant and sunny. The sun came as if appearing from the innards of
the sea. The sun was bright day after day during the initial phase of the journey.
4. How do we know that the albatross was not afraid of the humans? Why did the sailors
hail it in God’s name?
A. The way albatross came to eat from the sailor’s hands shows that it was not afraid of
humans. After the albatross appeared, the weather became pleasant and hence the sailors
hailed it in God’s name.
5. How did the sailing conditions change after the ship had moved out of the land of mist
and snow? What or who did the mariners blame for this change?
A. Once the ship came out of the land of mist and snow, it had to withstand a condition of
complete lull. The wind was still and the ship could not move an inch. The mariners
blamed the killing of the albatross for this change.
Chapter – 12: The Six Napoleons
Holmes placed a ten-pound note on the table and asked him to sign a paper in our presence.
It simply said with the return of the money, he transferred every possible right of the bust to
Sherlock Homes.
1. From whom did Holmes buy the bust? Why did he make him sign the agreement?
A. Holmes bought the bust from Mr. Sandeford of Reading. Holmes made him sign an
agreement so that Mr Sandeford could not have any claim on the bust of Napoleon later.
2. What did Holmes do next? What startling discovery was made?
A. Holmes spread a white cloth on the table and placed the bust on it. Then, he struck the
bust a hard blow on the head breaking it into pieces. He bent over the shattered remains
and picked up a round dark object giving a shout of triumph. The startling discovery was
that the round dark object was the famous black pearl of Borgias.
3. Who was the main culprit as it came to light? Why was he breaking all the busts?
A. As it came to light, the Italian sculptor, Beppo was the main culprit. He was breaking the
busts because he himself had hidden the famous black pearl of Bourgias which he had
stolen. Being uncertain of which particular bust had the pearl, he kept on stealing and
breaking the busts.
4. What previous crime did Holmes recall to solve the case?
A. Holmes recalled the stealing of the black pearl from Prince of Colonna’s bedroom. Pietro
Vennuci’s sister had stolen it and had given to Pietro. Later, Beppo got it from him.
5. Why had Beppo murdered Pietro Venucci? How did Holmes catch him?
A. Pietro followed Beppo closely to Horace Harker’s house and blamed him for the loss of
the pearl. There, during a scuffle, Beppo stabbed and killed him. Holmes had come to
know what Beppo was after. The name of the murdered man linked one thing to another
and Holmes caught Beppo.
Chapter – 13: The Commentator
Explain these lines with reference to context:
1. And this capacity crowd roars –
A. Danny’s friends cheer loud and with extreme joy. The friends are compared to the crowd
of fans cheering to the full capacity.
2. No, he’s been tackled by the drain pipe.
A. Markey was about to kick the ball when he was tackled by the drain pipe, stopped by the
pipe. Here pipe is considered as an opponent defender who is trying to stop the goal.
3. What a brilliant and exciting move.
A. When Markey goes back to Mrs. Spences’ house to look for the ball, he considers it as a
brilliant and exciting move to get the ball back.
4. She’s obviously not pleased.
A. When Markey goes back to Mrs. Spences’ house without her permission to find the ball
and she spots him, it is mentioned that she is not happy with his move.
5. What are the humorous elements in the poem?
A. The hyperbole used to exaggerate the petty things. The proud feeling with which the
players were playing. The instance when the ball goes to Mrs. Spences’ house were the
humorous elements used in the poem.
6. What kind of a boy was Markey?
A. Markey was a young boy who was a huge football fan. He pretended to be playing
football for the English National Team. He was creative, imaginative and brave child.
Chapter – 14: The Gift of the Magi
1. Why was Della worried?
A. Initially Della was worried about arranging the required money to buy a nice gift for
James at Christmas since she had only one dollar and eighty-seven cents. Hence, she sold
her beautiful hair and brought a gift for James. Now her new look troubled her as she
looked more like a truant schoolboy. Della was really worried thinking that Jim might be
critical about her appearance.
2. What did Jim do to get a gift for Della?
A. Jim sold his precious golden watch, a family heirloom, in order to get a gift for Della.
3. What did Della do after reaching home?
A. On reaching home Della got out her curling irons and lighted the gas and went to work
repairing the damaged hair. After forty minutes of hard work, she looked wonderfully
like a truant schoolboy with tiny, close-lying curls on her head. At 7 o'clock, she made
coffee and got the frying pan ready to cook the chops.
4. What was Jim's reaction when he returned home?
A. Jim was foxed for a moment to find Della without her long beautiful hair. His eyes were
fixed upon Della but the expression of his eyes was unintelligible to her, rather it terrified
her. It was not anger, nor surprise, nor disapproval, nor horror, nor any of the sentiments
 that Della had been prepared for James simply stared at her fixedly with a peculiar
expression on his face.
5. What was Jim's gift for Della?
A. Jim's gift for Della was a set of beautiful tortoiseshell combs, side and back that she
always longed for.
6. What was Della's treasured possession?
A. Della's treasured possession was her long and beautiful hair, rippling and shining like a
cascade of brown waters.
Chapter – 15: The Last Wolf
1. What does the sad and empty picture of urban life in the poem stand for?
A. The sad and empty picture in the poem describes the destruction of the world and its
creatures. It could be a premonition of a time when the cities of the world are overrun by
wild life and people no longer appreciate the world’s beauty and kill off all the wolves in
the fight for survival in this new doomed world.
2. What does the wolf symbolize in the poem? Why do you think he came to the speaker?
A. The wolf symbolizes nature. It came to the poet to share its anguish and pain of losing all
the members of its race and also at the loss of its habitat.
3. What is the message of the poem?
A. ‘The Last Wolf’ which winds its way through a gutted urban landscape towards the
nameless narrator is symbolic of the natural world of animals and the earth. It is this
natural world that has been directly or indirectly by human greed and stupidity.