Wole Soyinka – “The Telephone Conversation” – Exam Based MCQs
1. “The Telephone Conversation” is a well-known poem written by: (UGC NET 2018; SET 2020; PGTRB 2021)
A) Chinua Achebe
B) Wole Soyinka
C) Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o
D) Derek Walcott
Ans: B) Wole Soyinka
2. Wole Soyinka is primarily associated with: (SET 2019; PGTRB 2020)
A) Irish Renaissance
B) Nigerian/African literature
C) American Transcendentalism
D) Victorian England
Ans: B) Nigerian/African literature
3. The central theme of “The Telephone Conversation” is: (UGC NET 2019; SET 2021; PGTRB 2022)
A) Romantic love
B) Racial prejudice and discrimination
C) Nature worship
D) War and heroism
Ans: B) Racial prejudice and discrimination
4. The poem is structured as: (UGC NET 2017; SET 2019; PGTRB 2020)
A) A dramatic monologue/telephone dialogue
B) A sonnet sequence
C) An epic narration
D) A pastoral elegy
Ans: A) A dramatic monologue/telephone dialogue
5. The poem satirizes: (SET 2020; PGTRB 2022)
A) Religious faith
B) Racist attitudes in a “civilized” society
C) Scientific progress
D) Childhood innocence
Ans: B) Racist attitudes in a “civilized” society
6. The speaker in the poem is looking for: (UGC NET 2018; SET 2020)
A) A job
B) A room to rent
C) A train ticket
D) A book
Ans: B) A room to rent
7. The landlady’s main concern is the speaker’s: (SET 2019; PGTRB 2021)
A) Age
B) Skin colour
C) Accent
D) Education
Ans: B) Skin colour
8. The poem’s tone is best described as: (UGC NET 2019; SET 2021; PGTRB 2022)
A) Comic satire with bitterness
B) Pure romance
C) Epic grandeur
D) Devotional
Ans: A) Comic satire with bitterness
9. The landlady asks the speaker about being: (UGC NET 2017; SET 2019; PGTRB 2020)
A) “Tall or short?”
B) “Dark or light?” / “How dark?”
C) “Rich or poor?”
D) “Married or single?”
Ans: B) “Dark or light?” / “How dark?”
10. The poem exposes the hypocrisy of: (SET 2020; PGTRB 2022)
A) Romantic poets
B) Racist “polite” society
C) Ancient philosophers
D) Religious leaders
Ans: B) Racist “polite” society
11. Wole Soyinka won the Nobel Prize in Literature in: (UGC NET 2016; SET 2018; PGTRB 2019)
A) 1976
B) 1986
C) 1996
D) 2006
Ans: B) 1986
12. Soyinka is the first African to win the Nobel Prize in Literature: (SET 2017; PGTRB 2020)
A) True
B) False
C) Not sure
D) Not applicable
Ans: A) True
13. “The Telephone Conversation” is often studied under: (UGC NET 2019; SET 2021; PGTRB 2022)
A) Postcolonial literature
B) Old English literature
C) Restoration comedy
D) Romantic pastoral
Ans: A) Postcolonial literature
14. The poem uses humour mainly as a tool of: (SET 2019; PGTRB 2021)
A) Escape
B) Protest and criticism
C) Flattery
D) Devotion
Ans: B) Protest and criticism
15. The poem’s speaker responds to racism with: (UGC NET 2018; SET 2020)
A) Silence only
B) Irony and wit
C) Violence
D) Religious prayer
Ans: B) Irony and wit
16. The poem primarily critiques: (UGC NET 2017; SET 2019; PGTRB 2020)
A) Industrialization
B) Racism in everyday life
C) Romantic love
D) Mythic heroism
Ans: B) Racism in everyday life
17. The landlady’s “silence” in the poem suggests: (SET 2018; PGTRB 2020)
A) Admiration
B) Shock and prejudice
C) Celebration
D) Musical pause
Ans: B) Shock and prejudice
18. The poem’s irony is mainly directed at: (UGC NET 2019; SET 2021)
A) The speaker only
B) The racist landlady and society
C) Nature
D) School life
Ans: B) The racist landlady and society
19. The poem’s setting is implied to be: (SET 2019; PGTRB 2021)
A) A battlefield
B) An English/European city
C) A village festival
D) A forest
Ans: B) An English/European city
20. The poem is best described as: (UGC NET 2018; SET 2020; PGTRB 2021)
A) Protest poem with satire
B) Romantic lyric
C) Epic
D) Pastoral elegy
Ans: A) Protest poem with satire
21. The poem uses “telephone” as a device to show: (UGC NET 2019; SET 2021; PGTRB 2022)
A) Modern romance
B) Racism at a distance and sudden prejudice
C) Religious confession
D) Childhood play
Ans: B) Racism at a distance and sudden prejudice
22. The speaker’s witty description of skin shades shows: (SET 2020; PGTRB 2022)
A) Self-hatred
B) Satirical resistance
C) Devotion
D) Romantic longing
Ans: B) Satirical resistance
23. The poem ends with the speaker’s: (UGC NET 2017; SET 2019)
A) Violent threat
B) Sharp irony and mock politeness
C) Wedding proposal
D) Religious hymn
Ans: B) Sharp irony and mock politeness
24. “The Telephone Conversation” shows racism as: (SET 2018; PGTRB 2020)
A) Only historical
B) Everyday and casual
C) Completely absent
D) Purely symbolic with no reality
Ans: B) Everyday and casual
25. The landlady’s repeated questioning reflects: (UGC NET 2018; SET 2020; PGTRB 2021)
A) Innocent curiosity
B) Obsession with racial classification
C) Love and care
D) Religious devotion
Ans: B) Obsession with racial classification
26. The poem’s humour is mainly: (SET 2019; PGTRB 2021)
A) Light entertainment
B) Bitter and critical
C) Romantic and soft
D) Purely childish
Ans: B) Bitter and critical
27. The poem highlights the clash between: (UGC NET 2019; SET 2021)
A) Tradition and technology
B) Polite speech and racist thinking
C) Nature and city life
D) Love and marriage
Ans: B) Polite speech and racist thinking
28. Soyinka’s poem is an example of literature as: (SET 2020; PGTRB 2022)
A) Social critique
B) Pure fantasy
C) Religious instruction only
D) Courtly romance
Ans: A) Social critique
29. The “colour” issue in the poem mainly refers to: (UGC NET 2018; SET 2020; PGTRB 2021)
A) Paint shades
B) Skin colour and racism
C) Flags
D) Fashion only
Ans: B) Skin colour and racism
30. The poem’s effectiveness largely comes from: (SET 2019; PGTRB 2021)
A) Direct narration without irony
B) Irony, humour, and dramatic situation
C) Epic battles
D) Mythical gods
Ans: B) Irony, humour, and dramatic situation
31. The poem is often read as a critique of: (UGC NET 2017; SET 2019; PGTRB 2020)
A) Colonial racism
B) Romantic poetry
C) Nature worship
D) Renaissance drama
Ans: A) Colonial racism
32. The speaker’s “polite” tone is used to: (SET 2018; PGTRB 2020)
A) Support racism
B) Expose the landlady’s prejudice
C) Praise the landlady
D) Avoid meaning
Ans: B) Expose the landlady’s prejudice
33. The poem belongs to the tradition of: (UGC NET 2019; SET 2021; PGTRB 2022)
A) Postcolonial protest writing
B) Old English elegy
C) Renaissance sonnet
D) Romantic pastoral
Ans: A) Postcolonial protest writing
34. The “telephone” in the poem mainly symbolizes: (SET 2020; PGTRB 2022)
A) Easy communication without prejudice
B) Distance that collapses when race is revealed
C) Religious confession
D) Childhood memory
Ans: B) Distance that collapses when race is revealed
35. The poem is notable for its use of: (UGC NET 2018; SET 2020)
A) Dramatic dialogue and satire
B) Epic similes only
C) Mythological allusions only
D) Courtly love conventions
Ans: A) Dramatic dialogue and satire
36. The poem suggests that racism is: (SET 2019; PGTRB 2021)
A) Always openly violent
B) Often hidden behind politeness
C) Completely absent in modern society
D) Only a myth
Ans: B) Often hidden behind politeness
37. The landlady’s voice is presented as: (UGC NET 2017; SET 2019)
A) Neutral and fair
B) Politely racist
C) Deeply sympathetic
D) Completely silent
Ans: B) Politely racist
38. The poem’s speaker is best described as: (SET 2020; PGTRB 2022)
A) Naive and unaware
B) Intelligent, ironic, and self-aware
C) Violent and cruel
D) Romantic and dreamy
Ans: B) Intelligent, ironic, and self-aware
39. The poem uses colour imagery to: (UGC NET 2019; SET 2021; PGTRB 2022)
A) Describe nature only
B) Mock racial obsession
C) Praise fashion
D) Explain painting techniques
Ans: B) Mock racial obsession
40. The poem’s overall message is that racism is: (SET 2019; PGTRB 2021)
A) Natural and acceptable
B) Absurd and morally wrong
C) Necessary for society
D) A harmless joke
Ans: B) Absurd and morally wrong
41. The poem is widely anthologized because it: (UGC NET 2018; SET 2020)
A) Exposes racism through satire
B) Teaches grammar rules
C) Describes a picnic
D) Celebrates war
Ans: A) Exposes racism through satire
42. “The Telephone Conversation” is best approached using: (SET 2020; PGTRB 2022)
A) Postcolonial and cultural criticism
B) Purely formalist reading only
C) Medieval allegory
D) Myth criticism only
Ans: A) Postcolonial and cultural criticism
43. The poem can be described as a critique of “othering” because it: (UGC NET 2019; SET 2021)
A) Treats the speaker as a racial category, not a person
B) Celebrates equality
C) Avoids race completely
D) Is only about friendship
Ans: A) Treats the speaker as a racial category, not a person
44. The poem’s satire is mainly achieved through: (SET 2019; PGTRB 2021)
A) Irony and unexpected answers
B) Mythological gods
C) Epic narration
D) Romantic imagery
Ans: A) Irony and unexpected answers
45. The speaker’s clever replies to “How dark?” show: (UGC NET 2018; SET 2020; PGTRB 2021)
A) Fear and submission
B) Resistance through wit
C) Love and romance
D) Devotion and prayer
Ans: B) Resistance through wit
46. The poem portrays racism as: (SET 2020; PGTRB 2022)
A) Logical
B) Ridiculous and humiliating
C) Helpful
D) A private matter only
Ans: B) Ridiculous and humiliating
47. The poem’s “conversation” is ironic because it becomes focused on: (UGC NET 2017; SET 2019; PGTRB 2020)
A) Poetry appreciation
B) Colour rather than renting details
C) Love and marriage
D) Religious confession
Ans: B) Colour rather than renting details
48. The poem finally reveals that the landlady’s prejudice is: (SET 2019; PGTRB 2021)
A) Fair and balanced
B) Dehumanizing
C) Praiseworthy
D) Absent
Ans: B) Dehumanizing
49. The poem ends by exposing the landlady’s: (UGC NET 2019; SET 2021; PGTRB 2022)
A) Kindness
B) Absurd racial obsession
C) Love for poetry
D) Interest in science
Ans: B) Absurd racial obsession
50. Overall, “The Telephone Conversation” can be best described as: (UGC NET 2020; SET 2021; PGTRB 2022)
A) A satirical protest poem against racism
B) A romantic love lyric
C) A medieval ballad
D) A purely comic poem without message
Ans: A) A satirical protest poem against racism
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