The Ball Poem Class 10 MCQ Quiz – Test Your Understanding!

How does the poem suggest the boy should cope with his loss?

Pick the option that lists the boy’s thoughts, matching with the line -

As he stands rigid, trembling, staring down.

What does the poet suggest about the boy's emotional state when he says, "He senses first responsibility"?

What is the boy now, who has lost his ball,
What, what is he to do? I saw it go
Merrily bouncing, down the street, and then
Merrily over- there it is in the water!

The poet seems to have indicated the merry bouncing of the ball to

Money is external.
He is learning, well behind his desperate eyes,
The epistemology of loss, how to stand up
Knowing what every man must one day know
And most know many days, how to stand up

Which option lists who is speaking these lines?

What is the significance of the ball in the poem?

Choose the option that CORRECTLY identifies what the narrator is feeling in the line given below.

As he stands rigid, trembling, staring down

1. guilt
2. shock
3. shame
4. fearlessness
5. hopelessness

What does the poet mean by "the epistemology of loss"?

An ultimate shaking grief fixes the boy
As he stands rigid, trembling, staring down
All his young days into the harbour where
His ball went. I would not intrude on him;

The boy is very young in this poem. As a mature, balanced grown-up, he might look back and think that his reaction of ‘ultimate shaking grief’ was

1. disproportionate to the loss.
2. pretension to procure a new toy.
3. according to his exposure and experience then.
4. a reaction to the failure of retrieving the toy.
5. justified and similar to what it would be currently.

I saw it go
Merrily bouncing, down the street, and then
Merrily over — there it is in the water!
No use to say ‘O there are other balls’:
An ultimate shaking grief fixes the boy
As he stands rigid, trembling, staring down
All his young days into the harbour where
His ball went

The poet uses the ball as a symbol of the boy’s

Money is external.
He is learning, well behind his desperate eyes,
The epistemology of loss, how to stand up
Knowing what every man must one day know
And most know many days, how to stand up

The boy is learning how to stand up…

This means that he is learning to be _____ in the face of difficulties.

What is the boy now, who has lost his ball,
What, what is he to do? I saw it go
Merrily bouncing, down the street, and then
Merrily over- there it is in the water!

The poem begins with a question. Based on your reading of the poem, the speaker

Why does the poet say, "No use to say 'O there are other balls'"?

What is the boy now, who has lost his ball,
What, what is he to do? I saw it go
Merrily bouncing, down the street, and then
Merrily over- there it is in the water!

Choose the situation that corresponds to the emotion behind the exclamation mark in the poem.

Money is external.
He is learning, well behind his desperate eyes,
The epistemology of loss, how to stand up
Knowing what every man must one day know
And most know many days, how to stand up

According to the poet, from whom do we mostly learn about loss?