Robert Frost’s
Birches
1. Who is the speaker in the poem “Birches”? (UPSC, PGTRB, TNPSC, NET, CUET)
a) A child playing with birches
b) A farmer observing birches
c) An adult reflecting on life and childhood
d) Nature personified
Answer: c) An adult reflecting on life and childhood
2. What does Frost compare the bending of birches to in the poem? (TNPSC, NET, CUET, SET)
a) A blacksmith’s hammer
b) An archer’s bow
c) A boy swinging on them
d) The wind bending the grass
Answer: c) A boy swinging on them
3. According to Frost in “Birches,” what usually bends down the birches? (NET, PGTRB, UPSC, TNPSC)
a) The boy’s weight
b) Heavy snow and ice storms
c) The farmer cutting them
d) The strong summer winds
Answer: b) Heavy snow and ice storms
4. What does the poet wish to escape from by climbing the birches? (CUET, PGTRB, NET, SET)
a) The responsibilities of adulthood
b) Harsh winter weather
c) The monotony of rural life
d) The natural disasters
Answer: a) The responsibilities of adulthood
5. What metaphor does Frost use for life in “Birches”? (UPSC, NET, TNPSC, CUET)
a) Life is like a path in the woods
b) Life is like a bent birch tree
c) Life is like a journey uphill
d) Life is like a bird in flight
Answer: b) Life is like a bent birch tree
6. The line “One could do worse than be a swinger of birches” suggests what? (PGTRB, CUET, NET, SET)
a) Childhood games are useless
b) Swinging birches is dangerous
c) Innocence and simplicity are valuable in life
d) Farmers dislike birches
Answer: c) Innocence and simplicity are valuable in life
7. What theme is central in Frost’s “Birches”? (UPSC, PGTRB, TNPSC, NET)
a) Conflict between man and nature
b) Escapism and return to innocence
c) The inevitability of death
d) Celebration of urban life
Answer: b) Escapism and return to innocence
8. Which poetic technique is mainly used in “Birches”? (NET, CUET, SET, PGTRB)
a) Allegory
b) Symbolism and imagery
c) Satire
d) Dramatic monologue
Answer: b) Symbolism and imagery
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