Afterwards

MCQs for "Afterwards" by Thomas Hardy

1. Who is the poet of "Afterwards"?

a) William Wordsworth
b) Robert Frost
c) Thomas Hardy
d) Alfred Lord Tennyson
Answer: c) Thomas Hardy

2. What is the primary theme of "Afterwards"?

a) War and peace
b) Mortality and remembrance
c) Love and betrayal
d) Nature and adventure
Answer: b) Mortality and remembrance

3. What does "the Present has latched its postern" signify?

a) The passing of life
b) A locked door
c) A moment of realization
d) Eternal hope
Answer: a) The passing of life

4. Which month is mentioned in the poem?

a) April
b) May
c) June
d) December
Answer: b) May

5. What do the "glad green leaves" symbolize?

a) The arrival of spring
b) Death and decay
c) The poet’s love for nature
d) Life and renewal
Answer: d) Life and renewal

6. What kind of tone dominates the poem?

a) Satirical
b) Melancholic
c) Joyful
d) Nostalgic
Answer: d) Nostalgic

7. What does the poet hope people will remember him for?
a) His kindness
b) His connection with nature
c) His achievements
d) His writings
Answer: b) His connection with nature
8. What is the "dewfall-hawk"?
a) A metaphor for death
b) A bird appearing at dusk
c) A mythical creature
d) A symbol of peace
Answer: b) A bird appearing at dusk

9. What does "tremulous stay" refer to?

a) The poet’s youth
b) The poet’s uncertain hold on life
c) The poet’s love for nature
d) A fleeting moment
Answer: b) The poet’s uncertain hold on life

10. What literary device is used in "like an eyelid's soundless blink"?

a) Metaphor
b) Simile
c) Personification
d) Hyperbole
Answer: b) Simile

11. What does the hedgehog symbolize in the poem?

a) Fragility of life
b) The poet’s sensitivity to nature
c) Courage
d) Eternal life
Answer: b) The poet’s sensitivity to nature

12. What is the meaning of "postern"?

a) A large gate
b) A small back door
c) A window
d) A bridge
Answer: b) A small back door

13. What happens when the "bell of quittance" rings?

a) The poet’s death is announced
b) The poet reflects on life
c) The community gathers
d) Nature becomes silent
Answer: a) The poet’s death is announced

14. What does Hardy suggest about death?

a) It is the end of all existence
b) It is a natural transition
c) It is a punishment
d) It brings eternal suffering
Answer: b) It is a natural transition

15. What does Hardy mean by "innocent creatures should come to no harm"?
a) He protected nature
b) He wrote poems about animals
c) He believed in human superiority
d) He valued innocence in people
Answer: a) He protected nature
16. What kind of bird does the poet mention?
a) Dove
b) Dewfall-hawk
c) Nightingale
d) Sparrow
Answer: b) Dewfall-hawk

17. What does the poet hope people will notice after his death?
a) His literary achievements
b) His connection to the mysteries of nature
c) His influence on society
d) His spiritual beliefs
Answer: b) His connection to the mysteries of nature

18. What does "full-starred heavens" symbolize?

a) Peace
b) Eternity
c) The mysteries of the universe
d) The poet’s dreams
Answer: c) The mysteries of the universe

19. What is the primary tone of the last stanza?

a) Hopeful
b) Reflective
c) Angry
d) Passionate
Answer: b) Reflective

20. How many stanzas does "Afterwards" have?

a) Four
b) Five
c) Six
d) Seven
Answer: b) Five

21. What does the phrase "he strove that such innocent creatures should come to no harm" reflect?
a) Hardy’s activism
b) Hardy’s love for animals
c) Hardy’s regret
d) Hardy’s indifference
Answer: b) Hardy’s love for animals

22. What is the structure of the poem?

a) Free verse
b) Rhyming couplets
c) Regular quatrains
d) Irregular stanzas
Answer: c) Regular quatrains

23. What poetic device is used in "May month flaps its glad green leaves like wings"?
a) Alliteration
b) Simile
c) Metaphor
d) Hyperbole
Answer: b) Simile
24. What does the phrase "a crossing breeze cuts a pause in its outrollings" describe?
a) The sound of the bell stopping momentarily
b) The poet’s thoughts pausing
c) The poet’s death
d) The end of a storm
Answer: a) The sound of the bell stopping momentarily

25. What do "mothy and warm" nights symbolize?

a) Comfort and simplicity
b) Fear of the unknown
c) Hardy’s imagination
d) The peacefulness of life
Answer: a) Comfort and simplicity

26. The "bell of quittance" symbolizes:

a) Life’s opportunities
b) The finality of death
c) The sound of victory
d) Hardy’s poetic talent
Answer: b) The finality of death

27. Which bird’s arrival is described as "like an eyelid’s soundless blink"?

a) Dewfall-hawk
b) Nightingale
c) Sparrow
d) Owl
Answer: a) Dewfall-hawk

28. What kind of imagery is present in the poem?

a) Abstract imagery
b) Vivid nature imagery
c) Surreal imagery
d) Dark and gothic imagery
Answer: b) Vivid nature imagery

29. What does the poet hope for in the poem?

a) Recognition of his poetic talent
b) Eternal life
c) Remembrance for his appreciation of nature
d) A legacy of fame
Answer: c) Remembrance for his appreciation of nature

30. What does the phrase "hears it not now" refer to?
a) The poet’s loss of hearing
b) The poet’s death
c) The silence in nature
d) The end of an argument
Answer: b) The poet’s death

31. What does "May month flaps its glad green leaves like wings" symbolize?
a) A celebration of life
b) The flight of birds
c) The sadness of parting
d) The end of spring
Answer: a) A celebration of life
32. Which of the following best describes Hardy’s perspective on death in the poem?
a) Fearful and hesitant
b) Peaceful and reflective
c) Bitter and regretful
d) Anxious and uncertain
Answer: b) Peaceful and reflective

33. The phrase "winter sees" refers to:

a) The end of the poet’s life
b) Harsh weather conditions
c) The mysteries of the universe
d) The passage of time
Answer: a) The end of the poet’s life

34. What kind of memories does Hardy wish to leave behind?

a) Memories of his achievements
b) Memories of his sensitivity to the natural world
c) Memories of his political contributions
d) Memories of his spiritual insights
Answer: b) Memories of his sensitivity to the natural world

35. What does the poet’s concern for "innocent creatures" reveal about him?
a) His cruelty toward animals
b) His indifference to the world
c) His empathy and compassion
d) His lack of interest in nature
Answer: c) His empathy and compassion

36. What is the central question posed in each stanza?

a) Will people remember my poetry?
b) Will people notice and appreciate what I loved?
c) Will my fame last forever?
d) Will my family mourn me?
Answer: b) Will people notice and appreciate what I loved?

37. The poem is primarily addressed to:

a) The poet’s friends
b) The poet’s critics
c) The general community or neighbors
d) Nature itself
Answer: c) The general community or neighbors

38. What emotion dominates the poem?

a) Hope
b) Regret
c) Tranquility
d) Anxiety
Answer: c) Tranquility

39. The phrase "full-starred heavens" refers to:

a) A dark and lonely night
b) The beauty and vastness of the cosmos
c) The poet’s inner struggles
d) A symbol of chaos
Answer: b) The beauty and vastness of the cosmos
40. What poetic device is used in "innocent creatures should come to no harm"?
a) Hyperbole
b) Alliteration
c) Personification
d) Imagery
Answer: d) Imagery

41. What does Hardy emphasize about life in the poem?

a) Its futility
b) Its brevity and beauty
c) Its hardships
d) Its power and control
Answer: b) Its brevity and beauty

42. What is the significance of the "bell of quittance"?

a) It symbolizes a call to action
b) It signals the poet’s departure from life
c) It refers to the poet’s birth
d) It represents victory in life
Answer: b) It signals the poet’s departure from life

43. What does "watching the full-starred heavens" suggest about the onlookers?
a) They are indifferent to the poet’s death
b) They are reflecting on life’s mysteries
c) They are unaware of the poet’s life
d) They are mourning deeply
Answer: b) They are reflecting on life’s mysteries

44. What does "his bell of quittance" mean in the context of the poem?
a) The church bell signaling death
b) The bell summoning people to prayer
c) The poet’s inner realization
d) A warning bell
Answer: a) The church bell signaling death

45. What does the poet mean by "used to notice such things"?
a) The poet’s attention to details in nature
b) The poet’s interest in society
c) The poet’s love for art
d) The poet’s dislike of routine
Answer: a) The poet’s attention to details in nature

46. Which literary device is used extensively in "Afterwards"?

a) Allegory
b) Imagery
c) Irony
d) Oxymoron
Answer: b) Imagery

47. How does Hardy want to be remembered after his death?

a) As a famous writer
b) As a sensitive observer of life and nature
c) As a devout religious man
d) As a strong and fearless individual
Answer: b) As a sensitive observer of life and nature
48. What does the "wind-warped upland thorn" represent?
a) The harshness of life
b) The resilience of nature
c) The poet’s struggles
d) The inevitability of change
Answer: b) The resilience of nature

49. The "crossing breeze" in the poem symbolizes:

a) The fleeting nature of life
b) The anger of nature
c) A moment of peace
d) The arrival of spring
Answer: a) The fleeting nature of life

50. What is the poet’s main concern in the poem?

a) How people will interpret his poetry
b) How he will be remembered after death
c) Whether he will achieve fame
d) Whether his neighbors like him
Answer: b) How he will be remembered after death