Try each question on your own first. Use the Show Answer button only after you have selected your option, then read the explanation and revise the related concept from your chapter notes.
Explanation: 'The Rattrap' was written by Selma Lagerlof, a Swedish author who became the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.
2. How does the peddler in the story view the world?
A. As a beautiful garden
B. As a big rattrap, offering baits that ensnare people who cannot resist temptation
C. As a peaceful sanctuary
D. As a marketplace only
Answer: B. As a big rattrap, offering baits that ensnare people who cannot resist temptation
Explanation: The peddler, embittered by his hard life, philosophizes that the world is just a big rattrap, luring people with pleasures like food and shelter only to trap and ruin them.
3. What does the crofter (old man) do that eventually tempts the peddler to steal?
A. He locks his house
B. He openly shows off and boasts about the thirty kronor he has earned from his cow's milk
C. He gives the peddler food only
D. He hides all his money in a bank
Answer: B. He openly shows off and boasts about the thirty kronor he has earned from his cow's milk
Explanation: The lonely crofter, trusting the peddler as a companion, foolishly reveals that he has thirty kronor from selling milk, which becomes an irresistible temptation for the peddler.
4. After stealing the crofter's money, what happens to the peddler while fleeing through the forest?
A. He is arrested immediately
B. He gets lost and disoriented, ending up back near the same area, mirroring being caught in a trap himself
C. He finds a shortcut and easily escapes
D. He meets the crofter again and returns the money at once
Answer: B. He gets lost and disoriented, ending up back near the same area, mirroring being caught in a trap himself
Explanation: After stealing the money, the peddler loses his way in the dense forest and wanders in circles for hours, ironically becoming trapped just like an animal caught in a rattrap.
5. Who is Edla Willmansson?
A. The peddler's sister
B. The ironmaster's kind and compassionate daughter who treats the peddler with dignity
C. A shopkeeper in the village
D. The crofter's wife
Answer: B. The ironmaster's kind and compassionate daughter who treats the peddler with dignity
Explanation: Edla Willmansson, daughter of the ironmaster, shows genuine kindness and respect to the peddler, seeing him as a human being deserving dignity rather than judging him for his appearance.
6. Why does the ironmaster initially mistake the peddler for someone else?
A. Because the peddler is wearing a soldier's uniform
B. Because he resembles Captain Nils Olof, an old regimental comrade of the ironmaster
C. Because the peddler has papers proving his identity
D. Because they had met before
Answer: B. Because he resembles Captain Nils Olof, an old regimental comrade of the ironmaster
Explanation: The ironmaster, upon seeing the peddler, mistakes him for Nils Olof, an old acquaintance from his military days who he had lost touch with, and invites him home out of that misunderstanding.
7. What does the peddler leave behind for Edla before disappearing, as a token of gratitude?
A. A large sum of money
B. The rattrap itself, along with the stolen thirty kronor and a note of thanks
C. A piece of jewellery
D. A letter of complaint
Answer: B. The rattrap itself, along with the stolen thirty kronor and a note of thanks
Explanation: As a final act of gratitude for Edla's kindness, the peddler leaves the rattrap as a Christmas gift, along with the crofter's returned money, and a heartfelt note signed as 'Captain von Stahle'.
8. What is the central theme of 'The Rattrap'?
A. The dangers of theft
B. Kindness and respect can transform even a hardened, cynical person and bring out their goodness
C. The history of Swedish ironworks
D. The importance of following strict laws
Answer: B. Kindness and respect can transform even a hardened, cynical person and bring out their goodness
Explanation: The story conveys that genuine compassion and being treated with dignity, as Edla treats the peddler, can awaken decency and honesty even in someone who has become bitter and dishonest.
This page contains a chapter-wise objective practice set. Try the questions without checking the answer first, then use the explanation to understand the point you missed. The current page contains 8 questions, so you can practise in smaller sets when you are revising.
Quick revision tip
After the practice set, write down the question numbers you missed and revise only those concepts once more. This makes MCQ practice more useful than repeatedly attempting the same questions without reviewing mistakes.
