The Ball Poem Class 10 MCQ Quiz – Test Your Understanding!

Choose the option that CORRECTLY identifies what the narrator is feeling in the line given below.

As he stands rigid, trembling, staring down

1. guilt
2. shock
3. shame
4. fearlessness
5. hopelessness

How does the boy's reaction to losing the ball reflect his understanding of life?

I saw it go
Merrily bouncing, down the street, and then
Merrily over — there it is in the water!
No use to say ‘O there are other balls’:
An ultimate shaking grief fixes the boy
As he stands rigid, trembling, staring down
All his young days into the harbour where
His ball went

The poet uses the ball as a symbol of the boy’s

Money is external.
He is learning, well behind his desperate eyes,
The epistemology of loss, how to stand up
Knowing what every man must one day know
And most know many days, how to stand up

What does the boy learn by losing the ball, according to the extract?

1. Loss is the unavoidable truth of life.
2. Material objects can be replaced.
3. Money buys happiness.
4. Losses in life can be prevented with care.
5. Life continues despite losses.

Money is external.
He is learning, well behind his desperate eyes,
The epistemology of loss, how to stand up
Knowing what every man must one day know
And most know many days, how to stand up

The poet says money is external. What does it mean in this extract?

What is the boy now, who has lost his ball,
What, what is he to do? I saw it go
Merrily bouncing, down the street, and then
Merrily over- there it is in the water!

The poet seems to have indicated the merry bouncing of the ball to

Money is external.
He is learning, well behind his desperate eyes,
The epistemology of loss, how to stand up
Knowing what every man must one day know
And most know many days, how to stand up

Which option lists who is speaking these lines?

I saw it go
Merrily bouncing, down the street, and then
Merrily over — there it is in the water!
No use to say ‘O there are other balls’:
An ultimate shaking grief fixes the boy
As he stands rigid, trembling, staring down
All his young days into the harbour where
His ball went

The poet feels that there is no point in consoling the boy as

An ultimate shaking grief fixes the boy
As he stands rigid, trembling, staring down
All his young days into the harbour where
His ball went. I would not intrude on him;

The poet uses the word ‘ultimate’ to describe the boy’s reaction.

Pick the meaning that DOES NOT display what, ‘ultimate’ means in the context given.

How does the poem suggest the boy should cope with his loss?

What is the central theme of The Ball Poem?

What is the boy now, who has lost his ball,
What, what is he to do? I saw it go
Merrily bouncing, down the street, and then
Merrily over- there it is in the water!

Choose the situation that corresponds to the emotion behind the exclamation mark in the poem.

What does the loss of the ball symbolize in the poem?

An ultimate shaking grief fixes the boy
As he stands rigid, trembling, staring down
All his young days into the harbour where
His ball went. I would not intrude on him;

Choose the option that lists the meaning of ‘harbour’ as used in the extract.

Noun:

1. a place on the coast where ships may moor in shelter.
2. a place of refuge.

Verb:

3. keep (a thought or feeling, typically a negative one) in one's mind, especially secretly.
4. shelter or hide (a criminal or wanted person).

What does the poet suggest about the boy's emotional state when he says, "He senses first responsibility"?