CBSE Class 12 English The Rattrap MCQs Set E

Type I. Reference to Context

Read the extracts given below and attempt the questions that follow:

1. No one can imagine how sad and monotonous life can appear to such a vagabond, who plods along the road, left to his own meditations. But one day this man had fallen into a line of thought, which really seemed to him entertaining. He had naturally been thinking of his rattraps when suddenly he was struck by the idea that the whole world about him — the whole world with its lands and seas, its cities and villages — was nothing but a big rattrap. It had never existed for any other purpose than to set baits for people.

Questions

Question. What type of life did the rattrap man lead?
(a) An adventurous life
(b) A sad and monotonous life
(c) A cultured and happy life
(d) A worried and irritated life
Answer: A sad and monotonous life

Question. What idea struck the rattrap man as he ploded along the road?
(a) He should give up being a rattrap seller.
(b) Someone would donate some amount of money to him.
(c) He would sell many rattraps so that he should have something to eat on Christmas Day.
(d) The whole world is nothing but a big rattrap.
Answer: The whole world is nothing but a big rattrap.

Question. How did he find the thought of the world as one big rattrap?
(a) The world seemed so huge.
(b) People were always trying to trap each other into doing wrong.
(c) The world had never been kind to him and it gave him joy to think ill of it.
(d) He was tired and unhappy and found it hard to sell his rattraps.
Answer: The world had never been kind to him and it gave him joy to think ill of it.

Question. What baits did the world tempt the people with?
Answer: The world tempts the people with riches, joys, shelter, food, clothing, etc.

Question. Why did the rattrap man live as a vagabond?
(a) He had no companions.
(b) His business was not profitable.
(c) He wanted to become rich at once.
(d) He always thought about the rattrap business.
Answer: He had no companions.

Question. The word ‘plods’ implies that the peddler was
(a) walking fast
(b) walking in a light hearted manner
(c) walking in a bored manner
(d) walking slowly and heavily
Answer: walking slowly and heavily

2. “My name is Edla Willmansson,’’ said the young girl. ‘‘My father came home and said that you wanted to sleep here in the forge tonight, and then I asked permission to come and bring you home to us. I am so sorry, Captain, that you are having such a hard time.’’ She looked at him compassionately, with her heavy eyes, and then she noticed that the man was afraid. ‘‘Either he has stolen something or else he has escaped from, jail’’, she thought, and added quickly, “You may be sure, Captain, that you will be allowed to leave us just as freely as you came. Only please stay with us over Christmas Eve.’’

Questions

Question. Why did Edla Willmansson come to the forge at night?
(a) Her father had said that an acquaintance of his had fallen on bad days and was at the Ironworks.
(b) The blacksmith had conveyed to the ironmaster that a ragamuffin was at the Ironworks.
(c) The rattrap man had come to the Ironworks asking for the ironmaster.
(d) The rattrap man had come to the Ironworks and was creating a lot of noise.
Answer: Her father had said that an acquaintance of his had fallen on bad days and was at the Ironworks.

Question. What did she notice about the man that her father did not notice?
(a) The man was not cultured.
(b) The man was very frustrated.
(c) The man was very angry.
(d) The man was afraid of something.
Answer: The man was afraid of something.

Question. What opinion did she have of the rattrap man?
(a) He certainly has seen better days than what he was having now.
(b) He seems not to have slept for days together.
(c) He has either stolen something or has escaped from the prison.
(d) He looked like an old uncle when her father was in the regiment.
Answer: He has either stolen something or has escaped from the prison.

Question. Why did she assure the rattrap man that he could leave just as freely as he came?
(a) The man seemed reluctant to go home with her.
(b) She badly wanted someone to share Christmas cheer with her.
(c) She did not want to disappoint her father and go home along.
(d) She was a social worker and did not want the rattrap man to spend the night at the Ironworks.
Answer: She badly wanted someone to share Christmas cheer with her.

Question. How did Edla Willmansson win the confidence of the peddler?
Answer: She assured him that he was free to come and leave the house.

Question. Who was Edla?
(a) the owner of the forge
(b) the ironmaster’s daughter
(c) the peddler’s old friend
(d) the ironmaster’s wife
Answer: the ironmaster’s daughter 

3. The wagon had hardly stopped at the front steps when the ironmaster asked the valet whether the stranger was still there. He added that he had heard at church that the man was a thief. The valet answered that the fellow had gone and that he had not taken anything with him at all. On the contrary, he had left behind a little package which Miss Willmansson was to be kind enough to accept as a Christmas present. The young girl opened the package, which was so badly done up that the contents came into view at once. She gave a little cry of joy. She found a small rattrap, and in it lay three wrinkled ten kroner notes. But that was not all. In the rattrap lay also a letter written in large, jagged characters.

Questions

Question. Where did the ironmaster and his daughter hear that the rattrap man was a thief?
(a) At the mall
(b) At the clubhouse
(c) At the Ironworks
(d) At the church
Answer: At the church

Question. What did the rattrap man leave behind for Edla Willmansson?
(a) The suit which her father had given him.
(b) A small rattrap with three wrinkled ten kroner notes.
(c) A thank you note for the Christmas dinner.
(d) A dozen rattraps saying that he saw a number of rats at the Ironworks.
Answer: A small rattrap with three wrinkled ten kroner notes.

Question. What did the letter in the rattrap say?
(a) He had never had such a rotten Christmas.
(b) He had never had such a wonderful Christmas.
(c) He wanted to be nice to her because she had been nice to him all day.
(d) He would never ever come back to the Ironworks.
Answer: He wanted to be nice to her because she had been nice to him all day.

Question. How did the rattrap man sign the note to Edla Willmansson?
(a) Nils Olof
(b) Captain Von Stahle
(c) Styernstrom
(d) The Rattrap man
Answer: Captain Von Stahle

Question. What according to the peddler is a big rattrap?
(a) Islands and seas
(b) The whole world
(c) Cities and villages
(d) All of these
Answer: The whole world

Question. Who did the Kroner notes originally belong to?
Answer: In fact, the kroner notes belonged to the crofter.

4. ...it was a big and confusing forest which he had gotten into. He tried, to be sure, to walk in a definite direction, but the paths twisted back and forth so strangely! He walked and walked without coming to the end of the wood, and finally he realised that he had only been walking around in the same part of the forest. All at once he recalled his thoughts about the world and the rattrap. Now his own turn had come. He had let himself be fooled by a bait and had been caught. The whole forest, with its trunks and branches, its thickets and fallen logs, closed in upon him like an impenetrable prison from which he could never escape.

Questions

Question. How would you characterise the mood of the extract?
(a) mysterious, restful
(b) ominous, despairing
(c) thoughtful, whimsical
(d) philosophical, anguished
Answer: ominous, despairing

Question. By what bait had the peddler been fooled?
(a) He had chosen to take the ‘safe’ forest route.
(b) He had decided to avoid the public highway.
(c) He had stolen money from the trusting crofter.
(d) He didn’t realise the power of his rattrap analogy.
Answer: He had stolen money from the trusting crofter. 

Question. The consequence of ‘his own turn’ having come was that the peddler had:
(a) got irreversibly lost in the thick, warped forest.
(b) been fooled and imprisoned in a hopeless prison.
(c) been walking around the same part of the forest.
(d) walked the whole forest without finding the end.
Answer: got irreversibly lost in the thick, warped forest.

Question. The extract richly employs literary devices. Look at the table below. Choose the option that correctly matches the instances/examples in Column A with the literary devices in Column B.
Column A                                 Column B
1. The forest closed in             (i) Imagery
upon the peddler
like an impenetrable
prison.
2. The big and confusing         (ii) Allegory
forest with its twisted
paths, trunks, branches,
thickets and
fallen logs.
3. The lost peddler was        (iii) Metaphor
reminded of the world
and the rattrap.
4. It was a big and                (iv) Simile
confusingforest
which he had gotten
into. The peddler had
been fooled and was
trapped in the forest.
(a) 1 – (i); 2 – (ii); 3 – (iii); 4 – (iv)
(b) 1 – (iv); 2 – (i); 3 – (ii); 4 – (iii)
(c) 1 – (iii); 2 – (iv); 3 – (i); 4 – (ii)
(d) 1 – (ii); 2 – (iii); 3 – (iv); 4 – (i)
Answer: 1 – (iv); 2 – (i); 3 – (ii); 4 – (iii)

Question. Where did the peddler reach coming out of the forest?
(a) Ramsjo Iron Mill
(b) Edla Ironworks
(c) Stjernstrom Iron Mill
(d) None of these
Answer: Ramsjo Iron Mill

Question. Why did the peddler go into the forest?
Answer: The peddler went into the forest to escape from being caught.

5. Immediately he put the porridge pot on the fire and gave him supper; then he carved off such a big slice from his tobacco roll that it was enough both for the stranger’s pipe and his own. Finally he got out an old pack of cards and played ‘mjolis’ with his guest until bedtime. The old man was just as generous with his confidences as with his porridge and tobacco. The guest was informed at once that in his days of prosperity his host had been a crofter at Ramsjo Ironworks and had worked on the land. Now that he was no longer able to do day labour, it was his cow which supported him. Yes, that bossy was extraordinary. She could give milk for the creamery every day, and last month he had received all of thirty kroner in payment.

Questions

Question. Why did the crofter seem happy to welcome the stranger?
(a) He was lonely without wife or child.
(b) He had just made a lot of money.
(c) He was in the habit of entertaining guests.
(d) He had just finished making dinner.
Answer: He was lonely without wife or child.

Question. After dinner, how did he make sure that his guest was happy?
(a) He showed him a movie.
(b) He told him a story.
(c) He played mjolis with him till bedtime.
(d) He acted out a scene from Shakespeare.
Answer: He played mjolis with him till bedtime.

Question. What was the old man generous with other than his porridge and tobacco?
(a) By offering the best bed he had.
(b) By inviting him to stay with him.
(c) By telling him all about Ramsjo’s Ironworks.
(d) By revealing him all his confidences.
Answer: By revealing him all his confidences.

Question. What means of support did the old man have now that he no longer worked at Ramsjo’s Ironworks?
(a) He did a lot of carpentry work.
(b) He had a cow that gave milk for the creamery every day.
(c) He worked as a gardener in people’s houses.
(d) He was a handyman in the village.
Answer: He had a cow that gave milk for the creamery every day.

Question. What mistake did the crofter make before his guest?
Answer: The crofter showed his guest the place where money was kept.

Question. What does ‘mjolis’ refer to?
(a) the crofters cow
(b) the tobacco roll
(c) a card game
(d) a type of food
Answer: a card game 

6. “Since you have been so nice to me all day long, as if I was a captain, I want to be nice to you, in return, as if I was a real captain — for I do not want you to be embarrassed at this Christmas season by a thief; but you can give back the money to the old man on the roadside, who has the money pouch hanging on the window frame as a bait for poor wanderers.
The rattrap is a Christmas present from a rat who would have been caught in this world’s rattrap if he had not been raised to captain, because in that way he got power to clear himself.
“Written with friendship
and high regard,
Captain von Stahle.”

Questions

Question. Which of the following CANNOT be attributed to the peddler, according to the above extract?
(a) Indebtedness
(b) Reform
(c) Self-pity
(d) Self-awareness
Answer: Self-pity

Question. Why did the peddler gift a rattrap as a Christmas present?
Answer: It was all the peddler had and that he could give away, and represented his turn to honesty.

Question. The word ‘frame’ has been used to indicate a rigid structure that surrounds something such as a picture, door, or windowpane. There are other meanings of ‘frame’ too.
Choose the option that DOES NOT list the meaning of ‘frame’.
1. a person’s body with reference to its size or build
2. a single complete picture in a series forming
a cinema, television, or video film
3. the triangular structure for positioning the red balls in snooker
4. a thin solid object that seals a container or hole; a lid
(a) Option (1)
(b) Option (2)
(c) Option (3)
(d) Option (4)
Answer: (d) Option (4)

Question. This communication includes
1. a promise
2. regret
3. an apology
4. shame
(a) only 4
(b) only 1
(c) 1 and 3
(d) 2 and 4
Answer: 1 and 3

Question. The rattrap peddler left a note with the package. The note was signed as:
(a) the peddler
(b) the thief
(c) the tramp
(d) Captain von Stahle
Answer: Captain von Stahle

Question. Elda’s reaction on receiving the letter was one of .........
(a) disappointment
(b) joy
(c) fear
(d) irritation
Answer: joy