The Darkling Thrush MCQs and Answers: Practice The Darkling Thrush MCQs with answers and quiz yourself on Thomas Hardy’s poem. Perfect for WB SLST English preparation, this set includes multiple choice questions, poem-based MCQs, and English literature test questions to boost your exam readiness.
Prepared for: 2nd WB SLST Exam
Set 1: Theme & Setting
Table of Contents
The Darkling Thrush MCQs and Answers
Set 1: Mood and Setting
- What is the predominant mood in the opening stanza of the poem?
A. Hopeful
B. Joyful
C. Despairing
D. Angry
Ans: C. Despairing - The poem is set during which part of the day?
A. Morning
B. Night
C. Twilight
D. Noon
Ans: C. Twilight - “Century’s corpse outleant” is a metaphor for
A. A dead person
B. The end of the century
C. A battlefield
D. The start of a century
Ans: B. The end of the century - The landscape described in the first stanza is
A. Warm and lush
B. Icy and barren
C. Sunny and bright
D. Rainy and wet
Ans: B. Icy and barren - The poem opens with a strong sense of
A. Joy
B. Excitement
C. Emptiness
D. Fear
Ans: C. Emptiness
Set 2: Imagery and Symbolism
- The word “darkling” primarily connotes
A. Light and dawn
B. Dusk and darkness
C. Heat and sun
D. Cold and ice
Ans: B. Dusk and darkness - The “frost” in the poem symbolizes
A. Warmth
B. Growth
C. Desolation
D. Joy
Ans: C. Desolation - The “spectre-grey” tone of the landscape evokes
A. Happiness
B. Mystery
C. Supernatural gloom
D. Calm
Ans: C. Supernatural gloom - “Winter’s dregs” is an example of –
A. Simile
B. Personification
C. Metaphor
D. Hyperbole
Ans: C. Metaphor - The “cloudy canopy” symbolizes
A. The sky
B. A church roof
C. A tree
D. A shelter
Ans: B. A church roof
Set 3: The Thrush
- The thrush’s song represents
A. Sadness
B. Fear
C. Joy and hope
D. Anger
Ans: C. Joy and hope - What quality of the thrush contrasts with the setting?
A. Its silence
B. Its color
C. Its joyful song
D. Its size
Ans: C. Its joyful song - The thrush is described as
A. Young and vibrant
B. Aggressive
C. A frail, aged creature
D. Silent and still
Ans: C. A frail, aged creature - “Full-hearted evensong” is an example of –
A. Alliteration
B. Simile
C. Metaphor
D. Onomatopoeia
Ans: A. Alliteration - The thrush singing against a bleak backdrop creates
A. Harmony
B. Confusion
C. A stark contrast
D. Indifference
Ans: C. A stark contrast
Set 4: Tone & Contrast
- The tone in the first half of the poem is
A. Optimistic
B. Neutral
C. Pessimistic
D. Humorous
Ans: C. Pessimistic - The poem ends with a feeling of –
A. Despair
B. Confusion
C. Sudden hope
D. Sadness
Ans: C. Sudden hope - Hardy’s shift in tone is triggered by –
A. The changing season
B. The sound of the bird
C. A change in weather
D. A person’s arrival
Ans: B. The sound of the bird - The phrase “ancient pulse of germ and birth” refers to
A. Death
B. Decay
C. The natural life cycle
D. Darkness
Ans: C. The natural life cycle - The “Hope” the thrush may know is
A. Clearly explained
B. Rejected
C. Left ambiguous
D. Proven false
Ans: C. Left ambiguous
Set 5: Figurative Language
- “The wind his death-lament” is an example of –
A. Simile
B. Hyperbole
C. Personification
D. Metaphor
Ans: C. Personification - “The tangled bine-stems scored the sky” is rich in
A. Auditory imagery
B. Visual imagery
C. Tactile imagery
D. Olfactory imagery
Ans: B. Visual imagery - “Shrunken hard and dry” uses
A. Assonance
B. Onomatopoeia
C. Alliteration
D. Metaphor
Ans: C. Alliteration - The line “Where I was unaware” implies
A. Physical blindness
B. Joy
C. A spiritual disconnect
D. Happiness
Ans: C. A spiritual disconnect - The poem’s rhyme scheme is
A. ABABCDCD
B. AABBCCDD
C. ABCABCAB
D. ABBAABBA
Ans: A. ABABCDCD
