Flamingo----Poets and Pancakes MCQs for better understanding of the lesson . With answers

 Multiple Choice Questions based on an extract. 

 A His success in films overshadowed and dwarfed his literary achievements-or so his critics felt. He composed several truly original ‘story poems’ in folk refrain and diction and also wrote a sprawling novel Thillana Mohanambal with dozens of very deftly etched characters. He quite successfully recreated the mood and manner of the Devadasis of the early 20th century. He was an amazing actor-he never aspired to the lead roles-but whatever subsidiary role he played in any of the films, he performed better than the supposed main players. He had a genuine love for anyone he came across and his house was a permanent residence for dozens of near and far relations and acquaintances. 

 i Which of these statements is NOT TRUE about Subbu?  

a) His literary accomplishments stole the limelight from his films. 

b) He was a gifted poet and writer and his literary works were noteworthy. 

c) He was selfless in nature and was empathetic towards others. 

d) He never hankered after lead roles and performed minor roles in films.   

ii The word ‘sprawling’ has been used with the word ‘novel’. Pick the option with which the word ‘sprawling’ CANNOT be used. 

 a) metropolis b) handwriting c) campus d) portrait   

iii The phrase ‘deftly etched’ shows that Subbu  

a) created the roles delicately.

 b) was skilful in creating the characters. 

c) pondered beyond necessity about the characters. 

d) gave very little thought to the characters. 

  iv Pick the option that best describes Subbu according to the extract.  

1. benevolent

 2. powerful

 3. accomplished 

4. witty 

5. generous 

6. temperamental  

a) 4, 5 & 6

 b) 2, 3 & 4 

c) 1,3 & 5 

d) 3 ,4 & 6  

 B Barring the office boys and a couple of clerks, everybody else at the Studios radiated leisure, a pre-requisite for poetry. Most of them wore khadi and worshipped Gandhiji but beyond that they had not the faintest appreciation for political thought of any kind. Naturally, they were all averse to the term ‘Communism’. A communist was a godless man-he had no filial or conjugal love; he had no compunction about killing his own parents or his children; he was always out to cause and spread unrest and violence among innocent and ignorant people. Such notions, which prevailed everywhere else in South India at that time also, naturally, floated about vaguely among the khadi-clad poets of Gemini Studios. Evidence of it was soon forthcoming. 

 i Pick the option that uses the same figure of speech as ‘A communist is a godless man.’ 

 a) She is as determined as Gandhi when it is a fight against injustice.

 b) She is a Gandhi when she raises her voice against ‘hinsa’ or violence.

 c) She, like Gandhi, feels that the earth is crying for deliverance.

 d) She lives a life of opulence and calls herself a follower of Gandhi.  

 ii Based on the extract, choose the correct option with reference to the two statements given below.  Statement 1: At Gemini Studios, the poets had a profound knowledge about Communists.  

Statement 2: Communists were responsible for anarchy and discontent in the country.  

 a) Statement 1 is true but Statement 2 is false. 

b) Statement 1 is false but Statement 2 is true.  

c) Both Statement 1 and Statement 2 cannot be inferred.  

d) Both Statement 1 and Statement 2 can be inferred.  

  iii Why do you think leisure is a pre-requisite for poetry?

  a) Poetry means freedom of expression.

 b) One can enjoy poetry when there’s free time.   

c) In order to write poetry, one needs free time. d) Poetry means freedom from work.  

 iv Asokamitran says that leisure is a pre-requisite for poetry. He says this because poets 

 a) need to relax for a period of time before composing lines.

 b) maintain a leisured pace in all tasks they do. 

c) are creative and need to have free time to weave their thoughts

. d) begin poetic compositions in rushed way and end in a relaxed manner. 

‘In any case, there was this man in the make-up department who would wish the direst things for Subbu’. Here ‘direst things’ refers to something that is 

 a) urgent. b) desperate. c) disastrous. d) dreadful.

  ii Pick the quote which best describes Subbu’s role in Gemini Studios based on the story. 

  1. Life’s too short to hang out with people who aren’t resourceful. 

2. The more a person limits himself, the more resourceful he becomes. 

3. Success is not about your resources. It’s about how resourceful you are with what you have.

 4. Resourcefulness: Seeing where you want to go and taking the first step.  

 a) Option 1 b) Option 2 c) Option 3 d) Option 4

  iii ‘An extremely talented actress, who was also extremely temperamental, once blew over on the sets’.   Pick the idiom that matches best with ‘blew over’. 

  a) At one’s wits end 

b) Get bent out of shape 

c) Have the blues

 d) Experience pins and needles  

iv ‘Often he looked alone and helpless- a man of cold logic in a crowd of dreamers…’. It can be inferred that the man  

 a) rationalised every thought before it was spoken.

 b) failed to consider human emotions and social dynamics.

 c) was critical of what others did around him. 

d) egoistic and always thought others lacked reason. 

Answer key for MCQs Q3.   A. i. (a) ii. (d) iii. (b) iv. (c)  B. i.(b) ii. (d) iii. (c) iv. (c)  Q5.                  i.(d) ii. (c) iii. (b) iv. (b)