प्रश्न बैंक - सह - उत्तर पुस्तक (Question Bank-Cum-Answer Book)
Class - 12
English Elective
2. The Mark On The Wall - Virginia Woolf
Q1. An account of reflections is more important than a
description of reality according to the author. Why?
Ans-
Virginia Woolf writes the present essay in the Stream of Consciousness
Technique. In this essay, she leaves a long string of thoughts. It is well
known for its fleeting impressions. It also depicts the delicate shades of
mental experience. As a modernist, writer Woolf isn't interested in describing
reality as it really is, but she wants to privilege the imagination and the
liberty of creation. In her essay, a simple element like a mark on the wall is
responsible for the narrator's deep reflection about life and stimulates the
imagination of the reader. Description of reality is always brief and based on
standing facts. One cannot make the topic more interesting and whatever is
written becomes merely a report of an event. So she says that an account of
reflection is more important than a description of reality
Q2. Looking back at objects and habits of a bygone era can give
one a feeling of phantom-like unreality. What examples does the author give to
bring out this idea?
Ans-
Phantom is an unreal thing. If a person peeps into his past, he remembers his
bygone days as phantom-like unreality. The people find nothing clear in it.
They have vagueness and the dim reflections of the glass. But it is also true
that the writer has positively described the incidents and experiences. To
prove her point, the writer gives different examples. She gives the examples of
underground railways and omnibuses. The people ride in these means of
transportation and see their faces into mirrors. But the images reflected in
the mirrors are always unreal. The same feelings come in the mind of the people
which are proved to be phantom-like unreality.
Q3. How does the imagery of (i) the fish (ii) the tree, used
almost poetically by the author, emphasise the idea of stillness of living,
breathing thought?
Ans-
The narrator contemplates the life of a tree and a fish to emphasize upon the
idea of stillness of living, breathing thought. She says that wood is a
pleasant thing to think about. It comes from a tree, and trees grow, and we
don't know how they grow to describe how still nature works silently without
paying attention to the world around us. Then she further explains it using the
imagery of a fish saying that she likes to think of the fish balanced against
the stream like flags blown out, to describe the still life that is present in
a parallel world around us that is often left unseen. Everything around us is
moving, falling, slipping and vanishing or as the narrator says that there is a
vast upheaval of matter.
Q4. How does the author pin her reflections on a variety of
subjects on 'The Mark on the Wall'? What does this tell us about the way the
human mind functions?
Ans-
When the writer looks at the mark on the wall, she is lost in deep thoughts. A
variety of different thoughts come to her mind. As soon as she perceives the
mark on the wall, she begins to think about a long series of unmatched
imaginary reflections. In reality, these reflections are not interwoven yet
they are very familiar to us and related to our routine of life and traditions.
This
tells about the curiosity of a human mind and the heights of the human mental
process. In order to solve a petty mystery, a human mind in the process of
thinking can go into various aspects. The mark on the wall makes her dig into
the history, she recalls Shakespeare, the traditional norms and then these
thoughts provoke her to further look into the future. Then she discusses nature
and how nature intervenes and encourages action to hamper our process of
thinking. This tells us about the vastness and limitlessness of a human mind
when it comes to action.
Q5. Not seeing the obvious could lead a perceptive mind to
reflect upon more philosophical issues. Discuss this with reference to the
'snail on the wall'.
Ans-
The writer is lost into deep thoughts. She has a variety of themes and she
thinks about the mark on the wall. But finally her husband appears and at once
discloses that the mark on the wall is, in fact, a snail on the wall. Had she
thought of the mark and found out it to be a snail, her philosophical
perception and imagination might have broken. Although the mysterious mark on
the wall sets a plot to the story, its content revolves in a very different
direction. The narrator could have easily solved the mystery by standing up and
inspecting the mark more closely in less than a minute but she chose to solve
the mystery without any physical effort. So, she chooses to spend the time to
think of the various possibilities that could have caused this mark, and while
guessing these fanciful guesses she finds herself lost in some serious
philosophical thoughts. The snail is identified just at the end of the story
but is the so-called hero who provides a plot to this story. The vast streams
of consciousness are a result of this snail sitting on the wall and the
narrator sitting on her chair.
Q6. What is the string of varied thoughts that the mark on the
wall stimulates in the author's mind?
Ans-
The mark on the wall stimulates various thoughts in the author's mind and hence
can be seen as a perfect example of 'stream of consciousness'. At first, she
thinks of it as a result of a nail but then while rejecting this idea she
starts to think about the personalities of the previous occupants of the house.
Then thinking about the hole as an ink mark and not a hole she starts to
philosophize about the idea of death. Again, she changes her interpretation and
sees the mark as just a shadow while pondering over the writings of Shakespeare
and the art character composition. She again thinks that the mark may be
because of some round substance like a rose leaf in summer. She thinks that the
mark may be like a tomb in a square or big nail. Finally she comes to the
conclusion that the mark on the wall is wood. Her thought process breaks only
when her husband comes and tells her that it is nothing but a snail.
Q7. What change in the depiction of reality does the author
foresee for future novelists?
Ans-
The writer tries her best on her part to find out the mystery of the mark on
the wall but she is unable to solve the mystery. She is utterly confused about
it. She foresees that the future novelists will have to solve such mysteries
and reflections. There will be limitless reflections for them to face.
According to the author, the future novelists will no more rely on deadened
traits and realities to compose their characters. They will look deeper into
the realms of reality and depict the hard-hidden reality which is not talked
about and is left unseen. Not only these, but the future novelists will have to
pursue such uncounted confusing and unreal appearances or in other words
phantoms in time yet to come.
Q8. What is the author's perception of the limitations of
knowledge and learning?
Ans-
For the author, knowledge has nothing to do with education. One can gain
knowledge when he/she starts to think, anyone under any circumstances can
think. She says, "A world which one could slice with one's thought as a
fish slices the water with his fin."The scope of acquiring knowledge is
never limited. One can acquire knowledge as much as he wants. Knowledge and
learning are such things that can be acquired at any level of life. Till now,
no one is so perfect who can claim that he knows everything so there is always
something left to know, study and learn. The author does not favour blind
pursuits of knowledge and learning. She suggests a life, "without
professors or specialists".
Q9. Describe the unbroken flow of thoughts and perceptions of
the narrator's mind, using the example of the colonel and the clergy.
Ans-
The author is completely confused about the mark. She wants to solve the
mystery, so sometimes she runs her finger on the mark of the wall. The finger
seems to mount and descend either as a tomb or a camp. She is lost in deep
thoughts and imagines that it might be a tomb and some antiquary might have dug
up the bones from the earth's crust and possibly the antiquary might be a
retired colonel. He was doing his scientific experiments and in these
experiments, he was being assisted by clergy. The writer puts the colonel and
the clergy together which shows that she was afraid of post war consequences.
She is thinking about what the world will look like after the war.
Q 10. Why does Virginia Woolf use 'Dustbin' in the story?
Ans-
Virginia Woolf is an eminent writer. She studies
society
deeply. She takes inspiration on the subject of patriarchy which, in her
opinion, is a masculine perspective governing the society. Already, World War I
has made the conventional wisdom of patriarchy which, she hopes, will be
"laughed into the dustbin" soon. Thus, she uses Dustbin as a metaphor
for the systems of thought which are ridiculously empty.
Q 11. What do you mean by Nature's game?
Ans-
Virginia Woolf has presented Nature's game twice in the essay. This term is
used for self protection. In another sense, Nature's game is used for those
things which are not natural but seem to be natural because of its widely
accepted conventional thought. It is a kind of game which is full of knowledge
that masks the truth of the world from people. It means people remain ignorant
towards the game of nature.
Q 12. How can you say that the body of the narrator is inactive
while the mind is wandering swiftly?
Ans-
It is a common tradition that if a person is bothered by some strange object,
he would simply get out of his seat and would examine it but the narrator is
lost in deep thoughts pondering over possibilities of it. The narrator thinks
of historical periods, meaning of life and prior inhabitants of the house but,
ironically, her body is still. She does not leave the chair to see the mark.
Her body does not move at all while her mind is moving sharply.
Q 13. Who identifies the mark on the wall and how?
Ans-
It is a dramatic twist in the story when the mark on the wall is recognized.
The narrator spends a long time viewing the mark. She thinks deeply about what
the mark may be. She philosophises the mark and thinks about it in different
ways but she is decided about it. But on the contrary, her husband comes into
the room for less than one minute and in this short span of time, he is able to
identify the mark as a snail.
Q 14. What do you know about the climax of the essay?
Ans-
It is clearly stated that the essay does not consist of any real climax. On the
contrary, there is more of an anti-climax as the woman's husband breaks through
her philosophy that she had in her mind. He tells her that he is going out to
buy a newspaper. He spoils the mystery by identifying what the mark actually
is. He says that the mark was nothing but a snail passing through there slowly.
Q 15. What is the major conflict within the mind of the
narrator?
Ans-
When the narrator sees a mark on the wall, she thinks
about
it differently. She is confused about it. She thinks that this mark may be by a
nail. She thinks that the novelists of the future will have to do a lot of work
because of countless reflections. She thinks it to be either a tomb or a camp.
But her inner conflict does not allow her to get up and go to inspect it.
Q 16. Write a short note about the imagery in the essay.
Ans-
Imagery is a device utilized for the purpose of revealing the imagination and
intellectual depths of the narrator. This imagery starts in the essay when the
narrator sees a mark on the wall and she describes it. From there, the imagery
of the mark grows increasingly metaphorical and philosophical, expanding within
the consciousness of the narrator. She has presented the images to contemplate
history, art, sociology and politics.
Q17. How has the writer presented modern life in the essay?
Ans-
'The Mark on the Wall' is an excellent piece of work by Virginia Woolf. She
presents it through the stream of consciousness technique in which her thoughts
jump from one to another. It mirrors the quality of life in the modern world.
Life is fast paced, fragmented, and confusing. There are domineering people and
ideologies working to shake us from peace and pleasant domination. The narrator
says that in this disruptive time of war, the quest for knowledge seems more
important.
Q 18. What is the importance of the opening line in the essay
'The Mark on the Wall'?
Ans-
The opening line in the essay is extremely important. It provides the sense of
setting necessary to understand the psychological state of the narrator. The
line suggests a bit of vagueness. "Perhaps it was the middle of
January"-gives a clue of vagueness in the mind of the narrator. It sets
the ambiguity about whom and how many times she saw the mark. Thus, the opening
line makes the essay a complicated mental experience.
Q 19. Explain the line "Oh! dear me, the mystery of life;
Ans-
This line is very important in the essay as it almost
sets
the theme of the essay. This also conveys that the essay is more than a mere
mark on the wall. It also suggests that it is not the mark that is important
but it is the mystery that is important. Which is kept unsolved for as long as
possible. She could solve the mystery by just going to the mark but through
this mystery, she depicts that the world is clear, ordered and precise and how
it can be made more pleasant and peaceful.
Q 20. How can you say that there is a lack of closure in the essay?
Ans-
Even as the truth about the mark appears to resolve itself at the end of the
essay, the reader is left with a mixture of disappointment and doubt about the
mark truly being a snail. The narrator's ruminations and story never really
come to an end. She simply moves from one to another thought and these thoughts
remain unfulfilled even after completion of the essay.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS
1. Who wrote the essay 'The Mark on The Wall'?
a.
Joseph Conrad
b. Virginia Woolf
c.
Issac Asimov
d.
Amartya Sen
2. Who is the narrator of the essay, 'The Mark on The Wall'?
a. A woman
b.
A child
c.
A man
d.
Totally unknown
3. In which month did she see the 'mark' on the wall?
a.
August
b.
April
c.
February
d. January
4. Which season was it, when she first saw the mark on the wall?
a.
Summer
b.
Rainy
c. Winter
d.
Spring
5. Where was the author sitting?
a.
In the bedroom
b. In front of the fire
c.
In the garden
d.
In the kitchen
6. What was the author doing when she saw the mark for the first
time?
a.
Having lunch
b.
Sewing
c.
Having tea
d. Smoking a cigarette
7. The mark was a small round mark, ……. upon the white wall.
a. Black
b.
Blue
c.
Red
d.
Yellow
8. Like what our thoughts swarm/move upon a new object?
a.
Flies
b. Ants
c.
River
d.
Plank
9. At very first the narrator thinks that the mark should have
been drawn by a ……
a.
Wire
b.
Stick
c. Nail
d.
None of these
10. The people who had the house before author, left the house
because -
a.
They did not like the house anymore
b.
The house was haunted
c.
They had no money to pay the rent
d. They wanted to change their style of furniture
11. What does the author assume that the nail had been for?
a.
Picture
b. Miniature
c.
Clock
d.
Show piece
12. The author says that life seems to be-
a.
The perpetual waste and repair
b.
Rapid
c.
Casual and haphazard
d. All of these
13. What doesn't interest the narrator and is dull to her?
a.
Drama
b.
Poem
c. Historical fiction
d.
Philosophy
14. What were 'they' discussing when the narrator came into the room?
a. Botany
b.
Philosophy
c.
Physics
d.
Politics
15. ……….. bring back ideas of Sunday luncheons and rules and
habits.
a.
Dreams
b. Generalizations
c.
Articles
d.
Images
16. Who is followed by the Lord High Chancellor?
a.
The Archbishop of Mexico
b.
The Archbishop of Avon
c. The Archbishop of Canterbury
d.
The Archbishop of York
17. "Everybody follows somebody", Who's philosophy is
this?
a.
Nelson's
b. Whitaker's
c.
Shakespeare's
d.
Charles'
18. Who is the antiquary in the lesson?
a. A retired colonel
b.
A clergyman
c.
A labourer
d.
A poet
19. The narrator prefers barrows on the South Downs to be-
a.
Camps
b.
Homes
c. Tombs
d.
Hospitals
20. According to the narrator, what is a pleasant thing to think
about?
a.
Bird
b.
Plank
c.
Flag
d. Wood
21. Where does the wood come from?
a.
A meadow
b.
A storm
c. A tree
d.
None of these
22. The song of birds must sound very loud and strange in-
a.
March
b.
May
c. June
d.
July
23. What was the other character of the essay going to buy?
a.
A pen
b. A newspaper
c.
A notebook
d.
A story book
24. Finally, what was the mark on the wall?
a. A snail
b.
A nail
c.
A hole
d.
A shadow
25. Which technique of narration has been used by the author in
the essay 'The Mark on the Wall'?
a.
Flashback
b.
Flash Forward
c.
Dialogue Narration
d. Stream of consciousness
JCERT/JAC English Elective प्रश्न बैंक - सह - उत्तर पुस्तक (Question Bank-Cum-Answer Book)
English Elective Contents
Short Stories | |
1. | |
2. | |
3. | |
4. | |
5. | |
Poetry | |
1. | |
2. | |
3. | |
4. | |
5. | |
6. | |
7. | |
8. | |
Non-Fiction | |
1. | |
2. | |
3. | |
4. | |
5. | |
6. | |
Drama | |
1. | |
2. | |
Novel | |
1. | |
2. | |
