62 Literature (English) questions asked in CTET previous year papers, each with the correct answer and explanation. Read them free on UTpaper, or attempt the full papers as timed online tests.
Read the poem given below and answer the questions that follow.
Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,
Old Time is still a-flying;
And this same flower that smiles today
Tomorrow will be dying.
The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun,
The higher he’s a-getting,
The sooner will his race be run,
And nearer he’s to setting.
That age is best which is the first,
When youth and blood are warmer;
But being spent, the worse, and worst
Times still succeed the former.
Then be not coy, but use your time,
And while ye may, go marry;
For having lost but once your prime,
You may forever tarry.
The poem is addressed to a/an __________.
Aold unmarried woman
Bgardener
Cyoung woman
Dold friend
Show answerHide answer
Correct answer: (C) young woman
Explanation
The poem (Robert Herrick's 'To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time') urges a young woman to enjoy her youth and marry ('be not coy… go marry').
Read the poem given below and answer the questions that follow.
Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,
Old Time is still a-flying;
And this same flower that smiles today
Tomorrow will be dying.
The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun,
The higher he’s a-getting,
The sooner will his race be run,
And nearer he’s to setting.
That age is best which is the first,
When youth and blood are warmer;
But being spent, the worse, and worst
Times still succeed the former.
Then be not coy, but use your time,
And while ye may, go marry;
For having lost but once your prime,
You may forever tarry.
What does the poet tell us about young age ?
ATime will soon pass and it is a time to find one’s love.
BIt is a time to work hard.
CTime will soon pass.
DIt is a time to find one’s love.
Show answerHide answer
Correct answer: (A) Time will soon pass and it is a time to find one’s love.
Explanation
The poet says youth passes quickly ('Old Time is still a-flying') and that it is the time to love and marry ('while ye may, go marry'), so (1) combines both ideas.
Read the poem given below and answer the questions that follow.
Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,
Old Time is still a-flying;
And this same flower that smiles today
Tomorrow will be dying.
The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun,
The higher he’s a-getting,
The sooner will his race be run,
And nearer he’s to setting.
That age is best which is the first,
When youth and blood are warmer;
But being spent, the worse, and worst
Times still succeed the former.
Then be not coy, but use your time,
And while ye may, go marry;
For having lost but once your prime,
You may forever tarry.
Which of the following statements is true/false ?
A. Gathering rosebuds is the same as enjoying one’s life.
B. The sun can’t keep on shining forever.
Choose the correct option :
ABoth A and B are false.
BA is true and B is false.
CB is true and A is false.
DBoth A and B are true.
Show answerHide answer
Correct answer: (D) Both A and B are true.
Explanation
Gathering rosebuds stands for enjoying life while young (A true), and the sun's race must end in setting (B true).
Read the poem given below and answer the questions that follow.
Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,
Old Time is still a-flying;
And this same flower that smiles today
Tomorrow will be dying.
The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun,
The higher he’s a-getting,
The sooner will his race be run,
And nearer he’s to setting.
That age is best which is the first,
When youth and blood are warmer;
But being spent, the worse, and worst
Times still succeed the former.
Then be not coy, but use your time,
And while ye may, go marry;
For having lost but once your prime,
You may forever tarry.
‘And this same flower that smiles today.’
Identify the figure of speech used in this line.
AHyperbole
BSimile
CMetaphor
DPersonification
Show answerHide answer
Correct answer: (D) Personification
Explanation
A flower that 'smiles' is given a human action, so the line uses personification.
Read the poem given below and answer the questions that follow.
Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,
Old Time is still a-flying;
And this same flower that smiles today
Tomorrow will be dying.
The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun,
The higher he’s a-getting,
The sooner will his race be run,
And nearer he’s to setting.
That age is best which is the first,
When youth and blood are warmer;
But being spent, the worse, and worst
Times still succeed the former.
Then be not coy, but use your time,
And while ye may, go marry;
For having lost but once your prime,
You may forever tarry.
Identify the figure of speech used in : ‘The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun’.
AHyperbole
BSimile
CMetaphor
DPersonification
Show answerHide answer
Correct answer: (C) Metaphor
Explanation
The sun is directly called 'the glorious lamp of heaven' without 'like' or 'as', which is a metaphor.
Q6CTET January 2024 Paper 2 Maths & Science, 21 Jan 2024
Read the given extract and answer the questions that follow.
My tea is nearly ready and the sun has left the sky;
Its time to take the window to see Leerie going by;
For every night at tea time and before you take your seat,
With lantern and with ladder he comes posting up the street.
Now Tom would be a driver and Maria may go to the sea;
And my papa’s a banker and as rich as he can be;
But I, when I’m stronger and choose what I’m to do,
O Leerie, I’ll go around at night and light the lamps with you
For we are very lucky, with a lamp before the door;
And Leerie stops to light it as he lights so many more;
And O ! Before you hurry by with ladder and with light,
O Leerie, see a little child and nod to him tonight !
Why does the poet consider himself to be fortunate ?
AHe has a rich banker father.
BHe doesn’t have to light other peoples’ doors.
CHe has light at night by his door.
DHe is strong and doesn’t have to make a choice in life.
Show answerHide answer
Correct answer: (C) He has light at night by his door.
Explanation
The poem says ‘For we are very lucky, with a lamp before the door’ — the child feels lucky because there is a street lamp right at his door.
Q7CTET January 2024 Paper 2 Maths & Science, 21 Jan 2024
Read the given extract and answer the questions that follow.
My tea is nearly ready and the sun has left the sky;
Its time to take the window to see Leerie going by;
For every night at tea time and before you take your seat,
With lantern and with ladder he comes posting up the street.
Now Tom would be a driver and Maria may go to the sea;
And my papa’s a banker and as rich as he can be;
But I, when I’m stronger and choose what I’m to do,
O Leerie, I’ll go around at night and light the lamps with you
For we are very lucky, with a lamp before the door;
And Leerie stops to light it as he lights so many more;
And O ! Before you hurry by with ladder and with light,
O Leerie, see a little child and nod to him tonight !
With reference to the poem, complete the word analogy :
Leerie : lamplighter : : father : ____ .
Arich businessman
Bdriver
Csailor
Dbanker
Show answerHide answer
Correct answer: (D) banker
Explanation
Leerie’s job is lamplighter; the poem says ‘my papa’s a banker’, so the father’s job is banker.
Q8CTET January 2024 Paper 2 Maths & Science, 21 Jan 2024
Read the given extract and answer the questions that follow.
My tea is nearly ready and the sun has left the sky;
Its time to take the window to see Leerie going by;
For every night at tea time and before you take your seat,
With lantern and with ladder he comes posting up the street.
Now Tom would be a driver and Maria may go to the sea;
And my papa’s a banker and as rich as he can be;
But I, when I’m stronger and choose what I’m to do,
O Leerie, I’ll go around at night and light the lamps with you
For we are very lucky, with a lamp before the door;
And Leerie stops to light it as he lights so many more;
And O ! Before you hurry by with ladder and with light,
O Leerie, see a little child and nod to him tonight !
The poet looks at the lamp-lighter’s profession with -
Awonder
Bjealousy
Ccuriosity
Dconfusion
Show answerHide answer
Correct answer: (A) wonder
Explanation
The child waits at the window every evening and dreams of going round with Leerie lighting lamps, which shows admiration and wonder for the job.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.
All the world is a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse’s arms;
Then the whining school-boy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwilling to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like a furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress’ eyebrow. Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths, and bearded like a pard,
Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble-reputation
Even in the cannon’s mouth.
‘..... their exits and entrances.....’
The figure of speech used here is :
ASimile
BMetaphor
CPersonification
DHyperbole
Show answerHide answer
Correct answer: (B) Metaphor
Explanation
Life is directly called a play with 'exits and entrances' (birth and death), without 'like' or 'as'. This is a metaphor.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.
All the world is a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse’s arms;
Then the whining school-boy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwilling to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like a furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress’ eyebrow. Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths, and bearded like a pard,
Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble-reputation
Even in the cannon’s mouth.
What do all men and women do ?
Aperform various roles in life
Bindulge in indoor games like chess, cards, etc.
Cplay outdoor games like football, cricket, etc.
Dfight wars
Show answerHide answer
Correct answer: (A) perform various roles in life
Explanation
'All the men and women merely players... one man in his time plays many parts' means people perform various roles in life.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.
All the world is a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse’s arms;
Then the whining school-boy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwilling to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like a furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress’ eyebrow. Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths, and bearded like a pard,
Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble-reputation
Even in the cannon’s mouth.
Identify the figure of speech used in the first line.
ASimile
BMetaphor
CPersonification
DHyperbole
Show answerHide answer
Correct answer: (B) Metaphor
Explanation
'All the world is a stage' directly equates the world with a stage, without 'like' or 'as'. This is a metaphor.
A third-grade teacher wishes to establish a reading corner in her class. In making the judgements for selecting a children’s book, which one of the following questions would be most important to be considered first ?
AAre the authors of these books well-known and respected authors of children’s literature ?
BAre the books written for the independent reading level of most students in the class ?
CWill the books help address the goals of the third-grade reading curriculum ?
DWill these books be appropriate for use in more than one instructional context ?
Show answerHide answer
Correct answer: (A) Are the authors of these books well-known and respected authors of children’s literature ?
Explanation
Note: the official key gives (1), well-known authors. However, most guidance says a reading-corner book should first match the independent reading level of most students (2), so that children can read it on their own.
Q13CTET July 2024 Paper 2 Maths & Science, 7 Jul 2024
Read the poem given below and answer the questions that follow.
Great, wide, beautiful, wonderful world,
With the wonderful water round you curled.
And the wonderful grass upon your breast
World, you are beautifully drest.
The wonderful air is over me,
And the wonderful wind is shaking the tree,
It walks on the water, and whirls the mills,
And talks to itself on the tops of the hills.
You friendly Earth! How far do you go,
With the wheat-fields that nod and the rivers that flow.
With cities and gardens, and cliffs, and isles,
And people upon you for thousands of miles ?
Ah, you are so great, and I am so small,
I tremble to think of you, World, at all;
And yet, when I said my prayers today,
A whisper inside me seemed to say,
'You are more than the Earth, though you are such a dot,
You can love and think, and the Earth cannot!'
What does the underlined word refer to ?
'It walks on the water, ....' (underlined: It)
Ariver
Bgrass
Cwind
DEarth
Show answerHide answer
Correct answer: (C) wind
Explanation
The previous line is 'And the wonderful wind is shaking the tree'; 'It' refers to the wind, which walks on the water and whirls the mills.
Q14CTET July 2024 Paper 2 Maths & Science, 7 Jul 2024
Read the poem given below and answer the questions that follow.
Great, wide, beautiful, wonderful world,
With the wonderful water round you curled.
And the wonderful grass upon your breast
World, you are beautifully drest.
The wonderful air is over me,
And the wonderful wind is shaking the tree,
It walks on the water, and whirls the mills,
And talks to itself on the tops of the hills.
You friendly Earth! How far do you go,
With the wheat-fields that nod and the rivers that flow.
With cities and gardens, and cliffs, and isles,
And people upon you for thousands of miles ?
Ah, you are so great, and I am so small,
I tremble to think of you, World, at all;
And yet, when I said my prayers today,
A whisper inside me seemed to say,
'You are more than the Earth, though you are such a dot,
You can love and think, and the Earth cannot!'
In the line, 'with the wonderful water round you curled', the word 'curled' means :
Aarched
Bsurrounded
Cmounted
Dturbulent
Show answerHide answer
Correct answer: (B) surrounded
Explanation
The water is 'curled round' the world, i.e. it encircles or surrounds the Earth.
Q15CTET July 2024 Paper 2 Maths & Science, 7 Jul 2024
Read the poem given below and answer the questions that follow.
Great, wide, beautiful, wonderful world,
With the wonderful water round you curled.
And the wonderful grass upon your breast
World, you are beautifully drest.
The wonderful air is over me,
And the wonderful wind is shaking the tree,
It walks on the water, and whirls the mills,
And talks to itself on the tops of the hills.
You friendly Earth! How far do you go,
With the wheat-fields that nod and the rivers that flow.
With cities and gardens, and cliffs, and isles,
And people upon you for thousands of miles ?
Ah, you are so great, and I am so small,
I tremble to think of you, World, at all;
And yet, when I said my prayers today,
A whisper inside me seemed to say,
'You are more than the Earth, though you are such a dot,
You can love and think, and the Earth cannot!'
In this poem, the poet describes the :
Athe Earth, its present and past
Bthe plants that grow on the Earth
Cbeauty and vastness of Earth
Dlife in the cities
Show answerHide answer
Correct answer: (C) beauty and vastness of Earth
Explanation
The poem praises the 'great, wide, beautiful, wonderful world' and wonders how far it goes, so it is about the beauty and vastness of the Earth.
Q16CTET July 2024 Paper 2 Maths & Science, 7 Jul 2024
Read the poem given below and answer the questions that follow.
Great, wide, beautiful, wonderful world,
With the wonderful water round you curled.
And the wonderful grass upon your breast
World, you are beautifully drest.
The wonderful air is over me,
And the wonderful wind is shaking the tree,
It walks on the water, and whirls the mills,
And talks to itself on the tops of the hills.
You friendly Earth! How far do you go,
With the wheat-fields that nod and the rivers that flow.
With cities and gardens, and cliffs, and isles,
And people upon you for thousands of miles ?
Ah, you are so great, and I am so small,
I tremble to think of you, World, at all;
And yet, when I said my prayers today,
A whisper inside me seemed to say,
'You are more than the Earth, though you are such a dot,
You can love and think, and the Earth cannot!'
The wind in the poem talks to :
Aitself
Btrees
Cclouds
Dhills
Show answerHide answer
Correct answer: (A) itself
Explanation
The poem says the wind 'talks to itself on the tops of the hills'.
Q17CTET July 2024 Paper 2 Maths & Science, 7 Jul 2024
Read the poem given below and answer the questions that follow.
Great, wide, beautiful, wonderful world,
With the wonderful water round you curled.
And the wonderful grass upon your breast
World, you are beautifully drest.
The wonderful air is over me,
And the wonderful wind is shaking the tree,
It walks on the water, and whirls the mills,
And talks to itself on the tops of the hills.
You friendly Earth! How far do you go,
With the wheat-fields that nod and the rivers that flow.
With cities and gardens, and cliffs, and isles,
And people upon you for thousands of miles ?
Ah, you are so great, and I am so small,
I tremble to think of you, World, at all;
And yet, when I said my prayers today,
A whisper inside me seemed to say,
'You are more than the Earth, though you are such a dot,
You can love and think, and the Earth cannot!'
Identify the figures of speech in line 1 and line 4.
Aanaphora, personification
Balliteration, metaphor
Calliteration, personification
Dsimile, alliteration
Show answerHide answer
Correct answer: (C) alliteration, personification
Explanation
Line 1 repeats the 'w' sound (wide, wonderful world) - alliteration. Line 4 addresses the world as a person who is 'beautifully drest' - personification.
Q18CTET July 2024 Paper 2 Maths & Science, 7 Jul 2024
Read the poem given below and answer the questions that follow.
Great, wide, beautiful, wonderful world,
With the wonderful water round you curled.
And the wonderful grass upon your breast
World, you are beautifully drest.
The wonderful air is over me,
And the wonderful wind is shaking the tree,
It walks on the water, and whirls the mills,
And talks to itself on the tops of the hills.
You friendly Earth! How far do you go,
With the wheat-fields that nod and the rivers that flow.
With cities and gardens, and cliffs, and isles,
And people upon you for thousands of miles ?
Ah, you are so great, and I am so small,
I tremble to think of you, World, at all;
And yet, when I said my prayers today,
A whisper inside me seemed to say,
'You are more than the Earth, though you are such a dot,
You can love and think, and the Earth cannot!'
List the 3 different things (in stanza 3) found on Earth that make it great.
Arivers, gardens, cliffs
Bisles, oceans, people
Cwheatfields, trees, whisper
Dcities, grass, mills
Show answerHide answer
Correct answer: (A) rivers, gardens, cliffs
Explanation
Stanza 3 mentions wheat-fields, rivers, cities, gardens, cliffs, isles and people; only option (1) lists three things all from that stanza.
Q19CTET July 2024 Paper 2 Maths & Science, 7 Jul 2024
In a language class, a teacher asks a group of students to act as purchasers, property sellers, landlords and tenants while other students are asked to watch them and enjoy their conversation. This activity is called __________.
ARoleplay
BDrama
CActing class
DGuidance
Show answerHide answer
Correct answer: (A) Roleplay
Explanation
Learners taking on real-life roles (buyer, seller, landlord, tenant) and speaking in those roles is a role-play.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.
‘What dost thou do here?’ the Bishop he said,
‘I prithee now tell to me’,
‘I am a bold harper’, quoth Robin Hood,
‘And the best in the north countree’.
‘O welcome, O welcome!’ the Bishop he said,
‘That music best pleaseth me.’
‘You shall have no music’, quoth Robin Hood,
‘Till the bride and the bridegroom I see’.
With that came in a wealthy knight,
Which was both grave and old,
And after him a finikin lass,
Did shine like glistening gold.
‘This is no fit match’, quoth bold Robin Hood,
‘That you do seem to make here;
‘For since we are come into the church,
The bride she shall choose her own dear’.
Which literary device has been used in the expression - ‘Did shine like glistening gold’?
ASimile
BMetaphor
CPersonification
DHyperbole
Show answerHide answer
Correct answer: (A) Simile
Explanation
The bride is compared to gold using the word ‘like’. A direct comparison using ‘like’ or ‘as’ is a simile.
Which of the following classroom practices helps a teacher to develop oral language among the students?
AChorus reading of the text with the teacher.
BChorus recitation of the poem after memorising it.
CParticipating in role-plays.
DPracticing the correct pronunciation of new or unfamiliar words.
Show answerHide answer
Correct answer: (C) Participating in role-plays.
Explanation
Role-plays give children real, meaningful situations in which they must speak and respond spontaneously, which develops oral language. Chorus reading and recitation are mechanical repetition.
Q22CTET December 2024 Paper 2 Maths & Science, 15 Dec 2024
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.
Into the sunshine,
Full of the light,
Leaping and flashing
From morn till night!
Into the moonlight,
Whiter than snow.
Waving so flower-like
When the winds blow!
Into the starlight,
Rushing in spray,
Happy at midnight,
Happy by day!
Glorious fountain!
Let my heart be
Fresh, cheerful, constant,
Upward, like thee!
The poet wants his heart to remain fresh. It means that he wants
Ato take a bath regularly
Balways to be dressed elegantly
Cto have new ideas all the time
Dto keep on moving all the time
Show answerHide answer
Correct answer: (D) to keep on moving all the time
Explanation
Note: the official key gives (4); "to have new ideas all the time" (3) also seems a reasonable reading of a "fresh" heart. Following the key, the poet wants his heart to be like the fountain, which keeps leaping and rushing from morning till night, i.e. always active and moving.
Q23CTET December 2024 Paper 2 Maths & Science, 15 Dec 2024
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.
Into the sunshine,
Full of the light,
Leaping and flashing
From morn till night!
Into the moonlight,
Whiter than snow.
Waving so flower-like
When the winds blow!
Into the starlight,
Rushing in spray,
Happy at midnight,
Happy by day!
Glorious fountain!
Let my heart be
Fresh, cheerful, constant,
Upward, like thee!
The poet admires the fountain and he feels thrilled to see it. Which word in the last stanza expresses the poet's admiration?
AGlorious
BCheerful
CFresh
DUpward
Show answerHide answer
Correct answer: (A) Glorious
Explanation
The poet addresses the fountain as "Glorious fountain!", which expresses his admiration and wonder; the other words describe qualities he wants for his heart.
Q24CTET December 2024 Paper 2 Maths & Science, 15 Dec 2024
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.
Into the sunshine,
Full of the light,
Leaping and flashing
From morn till night!
Into the moonlight,
Whiter than snow.
Waving so flower-like
When the winds blow!
Into the starlight,
Rushing in spray,
Happy at midnight,
Happy by day!
Glorious fountain!
Let my heart be
Fresh, cheerful, constant,
Upward, like thee!
Identify and name the poetic device used in 'waving so flower-like'.
AMetaphor
BAlliteration
CPersonification
DHyperbole
Show answerHide answer
Correct answer: (C) Personification
Explanation
Note: the official key gives (3); strictly, "flower-like" is a simile, which is not among the options. Following the key, the fountain is treated as a living thing that waves like a flower and is "happy", which is personification.
Q25CTET December 2024 Paper 2 Maths & Science, 15 Dec 2024
Which one of the following could be the 'while-reading activity' when doing a short story?
ALearners discuss to predict the events in the story.
BLearners do pair work and read mutually to one another.
CLearners discuss biographical details of the poet.
DTeacher asks meaning of new words and encourages them to frame sentences on them.
Show answerHide answer
Correct answer: (B) Learners do pair work and read mutually to one another.
Explanation
Pair reading takes place during the reading of the story, so it is a while-reading activity. Predicting events and discussing the author are pre-reading, and framing sentences with new words is post-reading.
Q26CTET December 2024 Paper 2 Maths & Science, 14 Dec 2024
Read the poem given below and answer the questions that follow.
Between my finger and my thumb
The squat pen rests: snug as a gun.
Under my window, a clean rasping sound
When the spade sings into gravelly ground.
My father, digging, I look down
Till his straining rump among the flowerbeds
Bends low, comes up twenty years away
Stooping in rhythm through potato drills,
Where he was digging
The coarse boot nestled on the lug, the shaft
Against the inside knee was levered firmly.
He rooted out tall tops, buried the bright edge deep.
To scatter new potatoes that we picked,
Loving their cool hardness in our hands.
The poetic devices in line 2 and line 4 are :
Ametaphor and simile
Bmetaphor and personification
Chyperbole and metaphor
Dsimile and alliteration
Show answerHide answer
Correct answer: (D) simile and alliteration
Explanation
Line 2 compares the pen to a gun using 'as' ('snug as a gun'), a simile; line 4 repeats the 's' and 'g' sounds ('spade sings', 'gravelly ground'), alliteration.
Q27CTET December 2024 Paper 2 Maths & Science, 14 Dec 2024
Read the poem given below and answer the questions that follow.
Between my finger and my thumb
The squat pen rests: snug as a gun.
Under my window, a clean rasping sound
When the spade sings into gravelly ground.
My father, digging, I look down
Till his straining rump among the flowerbeds
Bends low, comes up twenty years away
Stooping in rhythm through potato drills,
Where he was digging
The coarse boot nestled on the lug, the shaft
Against the inside knee was levered firmly.
He rooted out tall tops, buried the bright edge deep.
To scatter new potatoes that we picked,
Loving their cool hardness in our hands.
What is the overall tone of the poem ?
Anostalgic and admiration
Bannoyance and anger
Cpitiful and sympathetic
Ddisgust and animosity
Show answerHide answer
Correct answer: (A) nostalgic and admiration
Explanation
The speaker fondly remembers his father digging 'twenty years away' and describes his skill admiringly, so the tone is nostalgic and admiring.
Q28CTET December 2024 Paper 2 Maths & Science, 14 Dec 2024
Read the poem given below and answer the questions that follow.
Between my finger and my thumb
The squat pen rests: snug as a gun.
Under my window, a clean rasping sound
When the spade sings into gravelly ground.
My father, digging, I look down
Till his straining rump among the flowerbeds
Bends low, comes up twenty years away
Stooping in rhythm through potato drills,
Where he was digging
The coarse boot nestled on the lug, the shaft
Against the inside knee was levered firmly.
He rooted out tall tops, buried the bright edge deep.
To scatter new potatoes that we picked,
Loving their cool hardness in our hands.
Complete the word analogy :
coarse : rough :: snug : ?
Acomfortable
Blazy
Cperfect
Dlethal
Show answerHide answer
Correct answer: (A) comfortable
Explanation
'Rough' is a synonym of 'coarse'; similarly 'comfortable' (cosy, fitting closely) is a synonym of 'snug'.
Q29CTET December 2024 Paper 2 Maths & Science, 14 Dec 2024
Read the poem given below and answer the questions that follow.
Between my finger and my thumb
The squat pen rests: snug as a gun.
Under my window, a clean rasping sound
When the spade sings into gravelly ground.
My father, digging, I look down
Till his straining rump among the flowerbeds
Bends low, comes up twenty years away
Stooping in rhythm through potato drills,
Where he was digging
The coarse boot nestled on the lug, the shaft
Against the inside knee was levered firmly.
He rooted out tall tops, buried the bright edge deep.
To scatter new potatoes that we picked,
Loving their cool hardness in our hands.
How does the speaker’s father feel about his son’s choice of career ?
AHe is ambivalent towards the choice.
BThe poem doesn’t make it clear.
CHe wishes, his son choose a more practical path.
DHe is glad his son is not a farmer.
Show answerHide answer
Correct answer: (B) The poem doesn’t make it clear.
Explanation
The extract only shows the son with a pen remembering his father digging; nothing tells us what the father thinks of the son's career.
Q30CTET December 2024 Paper 2 Maths & Science, 14 Dec 2024
Read the poem given below and answer the questions that follow.
Between my finger and my thumb
The squat pen rests: snug as a gun.
Under my window, a clean rasping sound
When the spade sings into gravelly ground.
My father, digging, I look down
Till his straining rump among the flowerbeds
Bends low, comes up twenty years away
Stooping in rhythm through potato drills,
Where he was digging
The coarse boot nestled on the lug, the shaft
Against the inside knee was levered firmly.
He rooted out tall tops, buried the bright edge deep.
To scatter new potatoes that we picked,
Loving their cool hardness in our hands.
In the second stanza, the poet is observing :
Apotato growers in the countryside
Ba gardener tending flower beds
Chis father digging potatoes
Dfarmers in the fields
Show answerHide answer
Correct answer: (C) his father digging potatoes
Explanation
In the second stanza the poet looks down at 'My father, digging' and recalls him stooping 'through potato drills'.
Q31CTET December 2024 Paper 2 Maths & Science, 14 Dec 2024
Read the poem given below and answer the questions that follow.
Between my finger and my thumb
The squat pen rests: snug as a gun.
Under my window, a clean rasping sound
When the spade sings into gravelly ground.
My father, digging, I look down
Till his straining rump among the flowerbeds
Bends low, comes up twenty years away
Stooping in rhythm through potato drills,
Where he was digging
The coarse boot nestled on the lug, the shaft
Against the inside knee was levered firmly.
He rooted out tall tops, buried the bright edge deep.
To scatter new potatoes that we picked,
Loving their cool hardness in our hands.
‘. . . . . loving their cool hardness in our hands’. What is the speaker referring to the given line ?
Athe potato drills
Bthe gun
Cthe handles of the spade
Dthe potatoes
Show answerHide answer
Correct answer: (D) the potatoes
Explanation
'Their' refers to the 'new potatoes that we picked' in the previous line; the children loved their cool hardness.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.
O what is that sound which so thrills the ear
Down in the valley drumming, drumming ?
Only the scarlet soldiers, dear,
The soldiers coming.
O what is that light I see flashing so clear
Over the distance brightly, brightly ?
Only the sun on their weapons, dear,
As they step lightly.
O what are they doing with all that gear,
What are they doing this morning, this morning ?
Only the usual manoeuvres, dear,
Or perhaps a warning.
O why have they left the road down there,
Why are they suddenly wheeling, wheeling ?
Perhaps a change in the orders, dear,
Why are you kneeling ?
The poem presents itself as a conversation...
Aamong three persons
Bin a crowd
Camong a group of people
Dbetween two persons
Show answerHide answer
Correct answer: (D) between two persons
Explanation
The poem is a dialogue of questions and answers between two speakers - one asks, the other replies addressing them as 'dear'.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.
O what is that sound which so thrills the ear
Down in the valley drumming, drumming ?
Only the scarlet soldiers, dear,
The soldiers coming.
O what is that light I see flashing so clear
Over the distance brightly, brightly ?
Only the sun on their weapons, dear,
As they step lightly.
O what are they doing with all that gear,
What are they doing this morning, this morning ?
Only the usual manoeuvres, dear,
Or perhaps a warning.
O why have they left the road down there,
Why are they suddenly wheeling, wheeling ?
Perhaps a change in the orders, dear,
Why are you kneeling ?
Which literary device has been used in the expression ‘scarlet soldiers’ ?
Asimile
Bmetonymy
Calliteration
Dtransferred epithet
Show answerHide answer
Correct answer: (D) transferred epithet
Explanation
The official key treats 'scarlet', which really describes the soldiers' red coats, as transferred to the soldiers themselves - a transferred epithet. The repeated 's' sound is also alliteration.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.
O what is that sound which so thrills the ear
Down in the valley drumming, drumming ?
Only the scarlet soldiers, dear,
The soldiers coming.
O what is that light I see flashing so clear
Over the distance brightly, brightly ?
Only the sun on their weapons, dear,
As they step lightly.
O what are they doing with all that gear,
What are they doing this morning, this morning ?
Only the usual manoeuvres, dear,
Or perhaps a warning.
O why have they left the road down there,
Why are they suddenly wheeling, wheeling ?
Perhaps a change in the orders, dear,
Why are you kneeling ?
The poem has been written in the form of ...
Aan elegy
Ban epic
Ca ballad
Da lyric
Show answerHide answer
Correct answer: (C) a ballad
Explanation
W. H. Auden's 'O What Is That Sound' tells a story through dialogue in short rhyming quatrains with refrain-like repetition - a ballad.
A teacher asks her students to reflect on how they have answered an experience-based question she gave them and what and how they were thinking when they wrote that answer. This is an example of :
AMetalingualism.
BMetasemiotics.
CMetacognition.
DMetaphor.
Show answerHide answer
Correct answer: (C) Metacognition.
Explanation
Thinking about one's own thinking and how one arrived at an answer is metacognition.
Which of the following is linguistically CORRECT about languages and dialects ?
ALanguages have their own script but dialects do not have their own script.
BThere is no well-defined linguistic difference between a language and dialect.
CLanguages have written literature but dialects are only based on oral traditions.
DLanguages and dialects are linguistically different but geographically same.
Show answerHide answer
Correct answer: (B) There is no well-defined linguistic difference between a language and dialect.
Explanation
Linguistically, no clear structural boundary separates a 'language' from a 'dialect'; the distinction is largely social and political (scripts and literature are not the deciding factors).
Q37CTET February 2026 Paper 2 Maths & Science, 1 Mar 2026
Read the poem given below and answer the questions that follow.
A silly young cricket, accustomed to sing
Through the warm, sunny months of gay summer and spring,
Began to complain when he found that, at home,
His cupboard was empty, and winter was come.
Not a crumb to be found
On the snow-covered ground;
Not a flower could he see,
Not a leaf on a tree.
“Oh ! what will become,” says the cricket, “of me ?”
At last by starvation and famine made bold,
All dripping with wet, and all trembling with cold.
Away he set off to a miserly ant,
To see if, to keep him alive, he would grant
Him shelter from rain,
And a mouthful of grain.
He wished only to borrow;
He’d repay it tomorrow;
If not, he must die of starvation and sorrow.
What did the cricket do in summer ?
ASat and played
BSang
CSlept and relaxed
DSlogged like an ant
Show answerHide answer
Correct answer: (B) Sang
Explanation
The opening lines say the cricket was 'accustomed to sing' through summer and spring.
Q38CTET February 2026 Paper 2 Maths & Science, 1 Mar 2026
Read the poem given below and answer the questions that follow.
A silly young cricket, accustomed to sing
Through the warm, sunny months of gay summer and spring,
Began to complain when he found that, at home,
His cupboard was empty, and winter was come.
Not a crumb to be found
On the snow-covered ground;
Not a flower could he see,
Not a leaf on a tree.
“Oh ! what will become,” says the cricket, “of me ?”
At last by starvation and famine made bold,
All dripping with wet, and all trembling with cold.
Away he set off to a miserly ant,
To see if, to keep him alive, he would grant
Him shelter from rain,
And a mouthful of grain.
He wished only to borrow;
He’d repay it tomorrow;
If not, he must die of starvation and sorrow.
Study the following statements :
A. During winter, it was difficult to dance in the snow-covered ground.
B. However, the cricket could have enjoyed skating.
AA is right and B is wrong.
BB is right and A is wrong.
CBoth A and B are right.
DBoth A and B are wrong.
Show answerHide answer
Correct answer: (A) A is right and B is wrong.
Explanation
Note: the official key gives (1). The poem says the ground was snow-covered in winter (A), but it says nothing about the cricket being able to enjoy skating, so B is not supported by the poem.
Q39CTET February 2026 Paper 2 Maths & Science, 1 Mar 2026
Read the poem given below and answer the questions that follow.
A silly young cricket, accustomed to sing
Through the warm, sunny months of gay summer and spring,
Began to complain when he found that, at home,
His cupboard was empty, and winter was come.
Not a crumb to be found
On the snow-covered ground;
Not a flower could he see,
Not a leaf on a tree.
“Oh ! what will become,” says the cricket, “of me ?”
At last by starvation and famine made bold,
All dripping with wet, and all trembling with cold.
Away he set off to a miserly ant,
To see if, to keep him alive, he would grant
Him shelter from rain,
And a mouthful of grain.
He wished only to borrow;
He’d repay it tomorrow;
If not, he must die of starvation and sorrow.
What made the cricket go to the ant ?
AStarvation and famine
BEmpty cupboard
CPiles of grains at ant’s place
DApproaching winter
Show answerHide answer
Correct answer: (A) Starvation and famine
Explanation
The poem says 'At last by starvation and famine made bold ... Away he set off to a miserly ant'.
Q40CTET February 2026 Paper 2 Maths & Science, 1 Mar 2026
Read the poem given below and answer the questions that follow.
A silly young cricket, accustomed to sing
Through the warm, sunny months of gay summer and spring,
Began to complain when he found that, at home,
His cupboard was empty, and winter was come.
Not a crumb to be found
On the snow-covered ground;
Not a flower could he see,
Not a leaf on a tree.
“Oh ! what will become,” says the cricket, “of me ?”
At last by starvation and famine made bold,
All dripping with wet, and all trembling with cold.
Away he set off to a miserly ant,
To see if, to keep him alive, he would grant
Him shelter from rain,
And a mouthful of grain.
He wished only to borrow;
He’d repay it tomorrow;
If not, he must die of starvation and sorrow.
Which genre does the poem belong to ?
ASonnet
BEpic
CFable
DLyric
Show answerHide answer
Correct answer: (C) Fable
Explanation
The poem is a fable: a short story with animal characters (the cricket and the ant) that teaches a moral.
Q41CTET February 2026 Paper 2 Maths & Science, 1 Mar 2026
Read the poem given below and answer the questions that follow.
A silly young cricket, accustomed to sing
Through the warm, sunny months of gay summer and spring,
Began to complain when he found that, at home,
His cupboard was empty, and winter was come.
Not a crumb to be found
On the snow-covered ground;
Not a flower could he see,
Not a leaf on a tree.
“Oh ! what will become,” says the cricket, “of me ?”
At last by starvation and famine made bold,
All dripping with wet, and all trembling with cold.
Away he set off to a miserly ant,
To see if, to keep him alive, he would grant
Him shelter from rain,
And a mouthful of grain.
He wished only to borrow;
He’d repay it tomorrow;
If not, he must die of starvation and sorrow.
What is the theme of the poem ?
AWe should always keep slogging like the ant.
BWe should always pursue our hobbies.
CIf we don't care for our future, we will eventually suffer.
DWe should keep partying and dancing.
Show answerHide answer
Correct answer: (C) If we don't care for our future, we will eventually suffer.
Explanation
The careless cricket enjoyed summer without saving and suffered in winter, showing that neglecting the future leads to suffering.
Q42CTET February 2026 Paper 2 Maths & Science, 1 Mar 2026
Read the poem given below and answer the questions that follow.
A silly young cricket, accustomed to sing
Through the warm, sunny months of gay summer and spring,
Began to complain when he found that, at home,
His cupboard was empty, and winter was come.
Not a crumb to be found
On the snow-covered ground;
Not a flower could he see,
Not a leaf on a tree.
“Oh ! what will become,” says the cricket, “of me ?”
At last by starvation and famine made bold,
All dripping with wet, and all trembling with cold.
Away he set off to a miserly ant,
To see if, to keep him alive, he would grant
Him shelter from rain,
And a mouthful of grain.
He wished only to borrow;
He’d repay it tomorrow;
If not, he must die of starvation and sorrow.
‘... sunny months of gay summer and spring.’
Identify the figure of speech used in the above line.
AMetaphor
BAlliteration
CSimile
DPersonification
Show answerHide answer
Correct answer: (B) Alliteration
Explanation
The repetition of the initial 's' sound in 'sunny', 'summer' and 'spring' is alliteration.
Q43CTET February 2026 Paper 2 Maths & Science, 8 Feb 2026
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.
Meadows have surprises,
You can find them if you look;
Walk softly through the velvet grass,
And listen by the brook.
You may see a butterfly
Rest upon a buttercup
And unfold its drinking straws
To sip the nectar up.
You may scare a rabbit
Who is sitting very still;
Though at first you may not see him,
When he hops you will.
Explore the meadow houses
The burrows in the ground,
A nest beneath tall grasses
The ant's amazing mound.
According to the poem, which of the following kind of house is NOT found in the meadows ?
Anest
Bstable
Cburrows
Dant's mound
Show answerHide answer
Correct answer: (B) stable
Explanation
The poem lists burrows, a nest and the ant's mound as meadow houses; a stable is not mentioned.
Q44CTET February 2026 Paper 2 Maths & Science, 8 Feb 2026
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.
Meadows have surprises,
You can find them if you look;
Walk softly through the velvet grass,
And listen by the brook.
You may see a butterfly
Rest upon a buttercup
And unfold its drinking straws
To sip the nectar up.
You may scare a rabbit
Who is sitting very still;
Though at first you may not see him,
When he hops you will.
Explore the meadow houses
The burrows in the ground,
A nest beneath tall grasses
The ant's amazing mound.
'A butterfly unfolding its drinking straws'.
Which figure of speech is used in the above line ?
Ametaphor
Bimagery
Calliteration
Dsimile
Show answerHide answer
Correct answer: (A) metaphor
Explanation
The butterfly's proboscis is called 'drinking straws' directly, without 'like' or 'as' - an implied comparison, i.e. a metaphor.
Q45CTET February 2026 Paper 2 Maths & Science, 8 Feb 2026
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.
Meadows have surprises,
You can find them if you look;
Walk softly through the velvet grass,
And listen by the brook.
You may see a butterfly
Rest upon a buttercup
And unfold its drinking straws
To sip the nectar up.
You may scare a rabbit
Who is sitting very still;
Though at first you may not see him,
When he hops you will.
Explore the meadow houses
The burrows in the ground,
A nest beneath tall grasses
The ant's amazing mound.
What does the poet mean by velvet grass ?
Agrass as soft as velvet
Bgrass made of velvet thread
Cthe carpet of velvet
Dgrass shining like velvet
Show answerHide answer
Correct answer: (A) grass as soft as velvet
Explanation
'Velvet grass' describes grass that is soft to walk on, like velvet - hence 'walk softly'.
Q46CTET February 2026 Paper 2 Maths & Science, 7 Feb 2026
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
Your pretty bird in a gilded cage
Flutters its sorrowful wings
But there’s never a cage-bird yet could sing
As my bird sings.
He’s little and brown and wild and shy,
But free to build and thrive,
Your poor bit thing behind its bars
Is only half alive!
My bird sings out with a true wood-note,
Your pipes of sorrowful things,
And never, now, may he learn the song
That my bird sings.
Never, now, may he wheel and soar
With the sunshine on his wings,
O, a bird in a cage is a crippled thing
But my bird sings!
Which poetic device is used in the expression ‘sorrowful wings’?
AMetaphor
BSimile
CTransferred epithet
DPersonification
Show answerHide answer
Correct answer: (C) Transferred epithet
Explanation
The adjective 'sorrowful' really describes the bird but is placed on its wings; shifting an epithet like this is a transferred epithet.
Q47CTET February 2026 Paper 2 Maths & Science, 7 Feb 2026
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
Your pretty bird in a gilded cage
Flutters its sorrowful wings
But there’s never a cage-bird yet could sing
As my bird sings.
He’s little and brown and wild and shy,
But free to build and thrive,
Your poor bit thing behind its bars
Is only half alive!
My bird sings out with a true wood-note,
Your pipes of sorrowful things,
And never, now, may he learn the song
That my bird sings.
Never, now, may he wheel and soar
With the sunshine on his wings,
O, a bird in a cage is a crippled thing
But my bird sings!
What is the theme of the poem?
AThe caged bird lives a fruitful life
BThe birds should be kept in a cage
CThe birds should be given good food
DBirds living in the open enjoy their lives
Show answerHide answer
Correct answer: (D) Birds living in the open enjoy their lives
Explanation
The poem contrasts the sad, 'half alive' caged bird with the free bird that sings joyfully, celebrating the happiness of freedom.
Read the poem given below and answer the questions that follow by selecting the correct/most appropriate options.
My mother twisted through and through
groaning on a mat
My father, sceptic, rationalist,
trying every curse and blessing,
powder, mixture, herb and hybrid.
He even poured a little paraffin
upon the bitten toe and put a match to it.
I watched the flame feeding on my mother
I watched the holy man perform the rites
to tame the poison with an incantation.
After twenty hours
it lost its sting.
. . . .
. . . .
. . . .
My mother only said
Thank God the scorpion picked on me
and spared my children.
Who is the narrator in the poem?
AThe poet
BA villager
CA common man
DThe reader
Show answerHide answer
Correct answer: (A) The poet
Explanation
The poem is told in the first person ('I watched', 'My mother', 'my children') by the poet, who recalls the night his mother was stung by a scorpion.
Read the poem given below and answer the questions that follow by selecting the correct/most appropriate options.
My mother twisted through and through
groaning on a mat
My father, sceptic, rationalist,
trying every curse and blessing,
powder, mixture, herb and hybrid.
He even poured a little paraffin
upon the bitten toe and put a match to it.
I watched the flame feeding on my mother
I watched the holy man perform the rites
to tame the poison with an incantation.
After twenty hours
it lost its sting.
. . . .
. . . .
. . . .
My mother only said
Thank God the scorpion picked on me
and spared my children.
What was the condition of the mother?
AShe was in acute pain.
BShe had high fever.
CShe had recovered from illness.
DShe was hale and hearty.
Show answerHide answer
Correct answer: (A) She was in acute pain.
Explanation
The mother 'twisted through and through, groaning on a mat' after the scorpion sting, which shows she was in acute pain.
Read the poem given below and answer the questions that follow by selecting the correct/most appropriate options.
My mother twisted through and through
groaning on a mat
My father, sceptic, rationalist,
trying every curse and blessing,
powder, mixture, herb and hybrid.
He even poured a little paraffin
upon the bitten toe and put a match to it.
I watched the flame feeding on my mother
I watched the holy man perform the rites
to tame the poison with an incantation.
After twenty hours
it lost its sting.
. . . .
. . . .
. . . .
My mother only said
Thank God the scorpion picked on me
and spared my children.
By conviction, the father was ____________.
Aa confirmed atheist
Ba devotee of God
Can upholder of reason and rationality
Da believer in destiny
Show answerHide answer
Correct answer: (C) an upholder of reason and rationality
Explanation
The father is described as 'sceptic, rationalist', i.e. by conviction he upheld reason and rationality, even though in panic he tried every remedy.
How to use these CTET English questions
Every question here was asked in a real CTET paper; the paper and shift are shown on the card, and the number opens the question on its own page. Try each one before tapping Show answer, then attempt the full CTET papers as timed tests to check your speed under exam conditions.