1. Who is the poet of the poem 'A Photograph'?
A. Shirley Toulson
B. Walt Whitman
C. Markus Natten
D. Elizabeth Jennings
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Answer: A. Shirley Toulson
Explanation: The poem 'A Photograph' was written by the poet Shirley Toulson as a tribute to her mother.
2. What is the poem 'A Photograph' about?
A. Tribute to the poet's mother and nostalgia of lost moments
B. A trip to the beach with friends
C. The beauty of nature and sea
D. The process of photography
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Answer: A. Tribute to the poet's mother and nostalgia of lost moments
Explanation: The poet remembers her deceased mother while looking at an old photograph from her mother's childhood.
3. How many people are present in the photograph?
A. Three girls
B. Two girls
C. Four girls
D. One girl and her father
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Answer: A. Three girls
Explanation: The photograph captures the poet's mother along with her two cousin sisters, Betty and Dolly.
4. Who were the two girl cousins accompanying the poet's mother?
A. Betty and Dolly
B. Mary and Lucy
C. Jane and Anne
D. Lily and Rose
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Answer: A. Betty and Dolly
Explanation: In the poem, the poet mentions the cousins' names as Betty and Dolly when referring to her mother's memory.
5. What were the three girls doing at the beach in the photograph?
A. Paddling in the sea water
B. Building sandcastles
C. Swimming in deep water
D. Collecting seashells
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Answer: A. Paddling in the sea water
Explanation: The poem says, "when the two girl cousins went paddling," meaning walking through shallow water.
6. How old was the poet's mother in the photograph?
A. Around twelve years old
B. Ten years old
C. Fifteen years old
D. Eighteen years old
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Answer: A. Around twelve years old
Explanation: The poet mentions: "And I some twelve years or so," referring to her mother being the eldest girl around 12 years old.
7. Who clicked the photograph of the three girls?
A. Their uncle with his camera
B. Their father
C. A stranger at the beach
D. The poet herself
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Answer: A. Their uncle with his camera
Explanation: The poem states: "All three stood still to smile through their hair / At the uncle with the camera."
8. What does "terribly transient feet" signify in the poem?
A. The temporary and changing nature of human life compared to permanent nature
B. Feet washed in dirty sea water
C. Moving very fast while running
D. Small feet of young children
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Answer: A. The temporary and changing nature of human life compared to permanent nature
Explanation: It highlights the contrast between immortal nature (the sea) and mortal, ever-changing human life.
9. What poetic device is used in "terribly transient feet"?
A. Transferred Epithet / Alliteration
B. Simile
C. Personification
D. Metaphor
Show Answer
Answer: A. Transferred Epithet / Alliteration
Explanation: 'Transient' describes human life transferred to 'feet' (Transferred Epithet), and 't' sound repeats (Alliteration).
10. What would the mother do twenty or thirty years later when looking at the photograph?
A. Laugh at the snapshot and point out their beach dresses
B. Cry over her lost youth
C. Hide the photograph in a box
D. Tear up the photograph
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Answer: A. Laugh at the snapshot and point out their beach dresses
Explanation: The mother would laugh fondly, saying, "See Betty and Dolly, and look how they dressed us for the beach!"
11. What was the mother's past according to the poet?
A. The sea holiday
B. Her school days
C. Her marriage day
D. Her stay in the village
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Answer: A. The sea holiday
Explanation: The poet explicitly states: "The sea holiday was her past, mine is her laughter."
12. What was the poet's past according to the poem?
A. Her mother's laughter
B. Her own sea holiday
C. Her childhood games
D. Reading books with her mother
Show Answer
Answer: A. Her mother's laughter
Explanation: Since the mother has passed away, hearing and seeing her mother's laughter became a sweet memory of the past for the poet.
13. What does "Both wry with the labored ease of loss" mean?
A. Both mother and poet struggle to cope with their respective losses
B. Both of them lost their money at the beach
C. Both were enjoying their holiday effortlessy
D. Both lost their way near the sea
Show Answer
Answer: A. Both mother and poet struggle to cope with their respective losses
Explanation: The loss of youth for the mother and loss of mother for the poet are painful, yet both try to accept it with difficulty.
14. What figure of speech is "labored ease"?
A. Oxymoron
B. Simile
C. Hyperbole
D. Onomatopoeia
Show Answer
Answer: A. Oxymoron
Explanation: 'Labored' (requiring effort) and 'ease' (without effort) are two contradictory words joined together, making it an Oxymoron.
15. How long has the poet's mother been dead?
A. Nearly as many years as the girl lived (about 12 years)
B. Twenty years
C. Five years
D. Thirty years
Show Answer
Answer: A. Nearly as many years as the girl lived (about 12 years)
Explanation: The line says, "Now she's been dead nearly as many years as that girl lived," which means around 12 years.
16. What does the poet mean by "Its silence silences"?
A. The overwhelming grief and loss leave the poet speechlessly silent
B. The ocean sound stops at night
C. The room is completely quiet
D. The photograph makes no sound
Show Answer
Answer: A. The overwhelming grief and loss leave the poet speechlessly silent
Explanation: The silent atmosphere of death and loss suppresses all expressions, leaving the poet with no words to say.
17. How many distinct phases of time are depicted in the poem?
A. Three phases
B. Two phases
C. Four phases
D. One phase
Show Answer
Answer: A. Three phases
Explanation: 1st: Mother's childhood; 2nd: Mother's adult life looking at the photo; 3rd: Present time after mother's death.
18. What material was the photograph mounted on as mentioned in the poem?
A. Cardboard
B. Wooden frame
C. Glass pane
D. Paper sheet
Show Answer
Answer: A. Cardboard
Explanation: The poem starts with the line: "The cardboard shows me how it was..."
19. What element in the photograph has changed the least over time?
A. The sea
B. The faces of the girls
C. The dresses they wore
D. The cardboard frame
Show Answer
Answer: A. The sea
Explanation: The sea "which appears to have changed less" symbolizes permanence against mortal human lives.
20. What tone is reflected in the final stanza of the poem?
A. Melancholic and silent acceptance
B. Angry and resentful
C. Joyful and celebratory
D. Sarcastic
Show Answer
Answer: A. Melancholic and silent acceptance
Explanation: The closing lines convey deep sorrow, quiet grief, and tragic acceptance of death.
21. What does the word 'paddling' mean in the context of the poem?
A. Walking through shallow water barefoot
B. Rowing a boat
C. Swimming across a lake
D. Riding a bicycle
Show Answer
Answer: A. Walking through shallow water barefoot
Explanation: 'Paddling' refers to walking or splashing around in shallow sea water during a beach holiday.
22. Why were the girls' hair flying across their faces in the photo?
A. Because of the ocean breeze / wind at the beach
B. They intentionally covered their faces
C. They were underwater
D. Because of poor photography
Show Answer
Answer: A. Because of the ocean breeze / wind at the beach
Explanation: The sea breeze blew their hair across their faces as they smiled at the camera.
23. What feeling did the mother experience when looking at her childhood picture?
A. Nostalgia and amusement
B. Anger towards her parents
C. Fear of water
D. Indifference
Show Answer
Answer: A. Nostalgia and amusement
Explanation: She felt nostalgic about her carefree childhood days and was amused by their beach outfits.
24. What poetic device is found in "Its silence silences"?
A. Alliteration / Personification
B. Simile
C. Hyperbole
D. Metaphor
Show Answer
Answer: A. Alliteration / Personification
Explanation: The repetition of 's' sound is Alliteration, and giving silence the active ability to 'silence' someone acts as Personification.
25. What is the ultimate message or lesson of the poem 'A Photograph'?
A. Death and change are inevitable truths of human life, leaving behind only memories
B. People should take more photographs on vacations
C. Sea holidays are essential for mental peace
D. Childhood is more important than adulthood
Show Answer
Answer: A. Death and change are inevitable truths of human life, leaving behind only memories
Explanation: The poem shows how human life passes through stages and eventually ends in death, leaving behind poignant memories captured in time.
