Best MCQs for WB SLST English 2025 l 40 MCQs on ‘The Darkling Thrush’ – OMR Sheet Pattern | WB SLST English 2025 Prep

Best MCQs for WB SLST English 2025: Boost your WB SLST English 2025 preparation with 40 MCQs on The Darkling Thrush by Thomas Hardy. Practice OMR sheet pattern MCQs, poem-based questions, and top English literature MCQs. Perfect for SLST English test practice, mock tests, and mastering important questions for the exam.

WB SLST English 2025 Prep l Best MCQs for WB SLST English 2025

1. What season is described in the opening of The Darkling Thrush?

A) Spring

B) Summer

C) Autumn

D) Winter

2. Which word in the poem suggests death or lifelessness?

A) Spectre

B) Ecstasy

C) Fervour

D) Joy

3. What kind of mood dominates the first half of the poem?

A) Optimistic

B) Celebratory

C) Desolate

D) Romantic

4. Which natural element is personified in the poem?

A) Earth

B) Wind

C) Sky

D) River

5. ‘The weakening eye of day’ is an example of-

A) Simile

B) Metaphor

C) Personification

D) Synecdoche

6. What is the ‘ancient pulse of germ and birth’ referring to?

A) Human history

B) Springtime renewal

C) Mechanical rhythm

D) Death

7. What is the tone of the poem’s ending?

A) Despairing

B) Hopeful

C) Indifferent

D) Ironic

8. The bird is described as ‘frail, gaunt, and small. This suggests-

A) Its strength

B) Its beauty

C) Its vitality

D) Its fragility

9. The poem is a reflection of-

A) Political change

B) Natural beauty

C) Human conflict

D) Spiritual desolation and sudden hope

10. Which poetic device dominates the imagery of death and decay?

A) Hyperbole

B) Alliteration

C) Symbolism

D) Irony

11. ‘Century’s corpse’ refers to-

A) The death of the 20th century

B) Death of the 19th century

C) The poet’s own life

D) The end of war

12. The poet hears the song of the thrush while-

A) In a dream

B) Walking in a forest

C) Leaning on a gate

D) Sitting inside a house

13. Which of the following best describes the structure of the poem?

A) Free verse

B) Ballad

C) Lyric with four octaves

D) Sonnet

14. The rhyme scheme of the poem is-

A) ABAB

B) AABB

C) ABBA

D) ABABCDCD

15. What does the thrush symbolise?

A) The fading nature

B) The spirit of religion

C) Unexpected hope and faith

D) A decaying soul

16. What is ‘spectre-grey’ in the poem?

A) The fog

B) The frost

C) The landscape

D) The tree

17. The term ‘blast-beruffled’ refers to-

A) The wind-tossed feathers

B) The fallen leaves

C) The poet’s hair

D) Broken tree

18. What poetic device is used in ‘His happy good-night air’?

A) Alliteration

B) Irony

C) Hyperbole

D) Metonymy

19. The overall setting of the poem is-

A) A stormy evening

B) A snowy night

C) A frozen countryside

D) A forest in bloom

20. ‘Outleant upon the coppice gate’ suggests-

A) Entering the garden

B) Leaning out weakly

C) Watching birds

D) Standing inside

21. The voice of the thrush is described as-

A) Mechanical

B) Enchanting

C) Joyous

D) Melancholic

22. The thrush sings despite-

A) Good weather

B) Human presence

C) Harsh conditions

D) Plenty of food

23. Hardy’s philosophical view in the poem is largely-

A) Christian

B) Romantic

C) Pessimistic with a glimpse of hope

D) Humanist

24. The poem was published in-

A) 1890

B) 1900

C) 1914

D) 1899

25. What does the word ‘ecstatic’ contrast with in the poem?

A) Landscape’s gloom

B) New Year’s Eve

C) The ancient pulse

D) Human presence

26. ‘So little cause for carolings’ expresses-

A) Joy

B) Gratitude

C) Irony

D) Despair

27. What literary era does the poem belong to?

A) Romantic

B) Modernist

C) Victorian

D) Georgian

28. The poem suggests that hope-

A) Is always logical

B) Is sometimes irrational

C) Is irrelevant

D) Has no value

29. The word ‘carolings’ refers to-

A) Dancing

B) Bird’s song

C) Bells

D) Music from a flute

30. The setting sun symbolizes-

A) A new dawn

B) Hope

C) End of a period

D) Light

31. The bird’s ‘full-hearted evensong’ stands in contrast to-

A) Human celebration

B) Nature’s dormancy

C) Hardy’s joy

D) Bright day

32. The coppice is-

A) A cemetery

B) A dense forest

C) A small woodland

D) A garden

33. Hardy’s tone in the poem is-

A) Nostalgic

B) Reverent

C) Satirical

D) Mournful

34. The line ‘Of joy illimited’ is an example of-
    A) Euphemism

B) Hyperbole

C) Irony

D) Oxymoron

35. The word ‘lyrically’ suggests the bird’s song is-

A) Mathematical

B) Musical

C) Disturbing

D) Silent

36. Hardy wrote the poem at the turn of which century?

A) 17th

B) 18th

C) 19th

D) 20th

37. The bird sings with a sense of-

A) Sorrow

B) Celebration

C) Clarity

D) Confusion

38. ‘The wind his death-lament’ is an example of-

A) Onomatopoeia

B) Irony

C) Metaphor

D) Simile

39. ‘The clouds were low and mournful’ expresses-

A) Joy

B) Anticipation

C) Melancholy

D) Resolution

40. The central contrast in the poem is between-

A) Man and bird

B) Death and birth

C) Despair and unexpected hope

D) History and myth

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Here is the answer key with explanations for each of the 40 MCQs on “The Darkling Thrush” by Thomas Hardy, based on WB SLST syllabus and exam pattern:

Answers with Explanation – 40 MCQs (Best MCQs for WB SLST English 2025)

1.

D) Winter

↳ The poem opens in a cold, wintry setting.

2.

A) Spectre

Suggests ghostliness or death.

3.

C) Desolate

The initial mood is gloomy and barren.

4. A) Earth

↳ Personified as the “corpse” of the century.

5.

C) Personification

L “Eye of day” personifies the sun.

6. B) Springtime renewal

L Refers to the usual cycle of new life, which is now absent.

7.

B) Hopeful

The thrush’s song introduces unexpected hope.

8. D) Its fragility

The bird appears weak and small.

9. D) Spiritual desolation and sudden hope

↳ Central contrast and theme of the poem.

10. C) Symbolism

↳ The landscape symbolizes spiritual death.

11. B) Death of the 19th century

L↳ Written on New Year’s Eve, 1900.

12. C) Leaning on a gate

L↳ He observes nature from this position.

13. C) Lyric with four octaves

4 The poem has four 8-line stanzas.

14. A) ABAB

L↳ Each stanza follows the ABABCDCD rhyme scheme.

15. C) Unexpected hope and faith

4 The thrush sings joyfully despite the bleakness.

16. C) The landscape

Described as “spectre-grey.”

17. A) The wind-tossed feathers

The bird’s feathers are disturbed by wind.

18. A) Alliteration

L “Happy good-night” is an example.

19. C) A frozen countryside

↳ Frosty, cold, still – winter imagery.

20. B) Leaning out weakly

“Outleant” = leaned out.

21. C) Joyous

Despite the setting, the bird sings happily.

22. C) Harsh conditions

There’s no visible reason for joy.

23. C) Pessimistic with a glimpse of hope

Typical of Hardy’s philosophical outlook.

24. B) 1900

Published on the eve of the 20th century.

25. A) Landscape’s gloom

The bird’s “ecstatic” voice is in contrast.

26. C) Irony

There’s “so little cause” but the bird still sings.

27. C) Victorian

Hardy was a late Victorian poet.

28. B) Is sometimes irrational

The speaker sees no reason for hope, yet the bird sings.

29. B) Bird’s song

↳ “Carolings” refers to its joyful singing.

30. C) End of a period

↳ Symbolic of the ending century.

31. B) Nature’s dormancy

The bird sings amidst the lifeless scene.

32. C) A small woodland

“Coppice” = small group of trees.

33. D) Mournful

↳ Dominant tone until the bird sings.

34. B) Hyperbole

4 “Joy illimited” exaggerates the bird’s happiness.

35. B) Musical

“Lyrically” = in a song-like manner.

36. D) 20th

Written at the close of the 19th century, entering the 20th.

37. B) Celebration

The bird’s tone is joyous.

38. C) Metaphor

↳ “Wind his death-lament” = metaphor for sadness/death.

39. C) Melancholy

↳ Reinforces the sombre setting.

40. C) Despair and unexpected hope

L↳ Core contrast between the speaker and the bird.