Multiple Choice Questions — 1 Mark Each - Chapter 2 - A Concrete Example (Unit 1)

Last updated at August 26, 2026 by

Choose the best interpretation, not merely the most familiar word.

1. Why does the poet make the garden seem dominated by stones? 1 Mark
A. To show that Mrs. Jones dislikes plants
B. To prepare the contrast with the tiny flowers
C. To prove the garden is unfinished
D. To describe a public park
How to answer: Choose the option supported by the poem’s words and comic structure.
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Answer: B. To prepare the contrast with the tiny flowers.

Reason: The stone-heavy setup makes the tiny plants easier to miss.

2. The speaker’s attitude towards the tiny plants in stanza 2 is best described as: 1 Mark
A. worshipful
B. frightened
C. not interested in the plants but amused
D. jealous
How to answer: Choose the option supported by the poem’s words and comic structure.
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Answer: C. not interested in the plants but amused.

Reason: He says they “don’t mean anything at all” and jokes about planting them with a pin.

3. What is the effect of “for quite a quarter of an hour”? 1 Mark
A. It proves the flower is large
B. It delays the reveal and builds expectation
C. It changes the rhyme scheme
D. It shows the speaker is a gardener
How to answer: Choose the option supported by the poem’s words and comic structure.
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Answer: B. It delays the reveal and builds expectation.

Reason: The longer they discuss the flower, the funnier it is that the speaker still cannot see it.

4. Which line contains the punchline? 1 Mark
A. A crazy path, a lily pond
B. They don’t mean anything at all
C. Where is this lovely thing?
D. You’re standing on it
How to answer: Choose the option supported by the poem’s words and comic structure.
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Answer: D. You’re standing on it.

Reason: The final line suddenly reveals the hidden situation.

5. The repeated “My next-door neighbour, Mrs. Jones” mainly creates: 1 Mark
A. a refrain and a clear pattern
B. sadness
C. suspense about the poet’s identity
D. a change in setting
How to answer: Choose the option supported by the poem’s words and comic structure.
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Answer: A. a refrain and a clear pattern.

Reason: The line returns at the beginning of every stanza.

6. The title is humorous mainly because “concrete”: 1 Mark
A. rhymes with Jones
B. can carry both a material and a ‘clear/definite’ meaning
C. is a gardening tool
D. describes a flower
How to answer: Choose the option supported by the poem’s words and comic structure.
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Answer: B. can carry both a material and a ‘clear/definite’ meaning.

Reason: The double meaning creates the pun.

7. What does the sundial episode reveal most clearly? 1 Mark
A. Mrs. Jones hates old objects
B. The speaker and Mrs. Jones judge the same object differently
C. The sundial is broken
D. The speaker owns the garden
How to answer: Choose the option supported by the poem’s words and comic structure.
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Answer: B. The speaker and Mrs. Jones judge the same object differently.

Reason: He calls it strange while she thinks it rather nice.

8. Why is the final irony situational? 1 Mark
A. The speaker lies to Mrs. Jones
B. Mrs. Jones forgets the flower
C. The actual location of the flower is opposite to the speaker’s expectation
D. The poem has no rhyme
How to answer: Choose the option supported by the poem’s words and comic structure.
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Answer: C. The actual location of the flower is opposite to the speaker’s expectation.

Reason: He expects to find the flower somewhere else but is standing on it.

9. Which contrast is most important to the poem? 1 Mark
A. morning vs night
B. city vs village
C. hard stones vs delicate plants
D. rich vs poor
How to answer: Choose the option supported by the poem’s words and comic structure.
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Answer: C. hard stones vs delicate plants.

Reason: This contrast drives both the imagery and the joke.

10. The overall tone is: 1 Mark
A. mournful and tragic
B. humorous and light-hearted
C. formal and angry
D. fearful and suspenseful
How to answer: Choose the option supported by the poem’s words and comic structure.
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Answer: B. humorous and light-hearted.

Reason: The exaggeration, rhyme and final surprise keep the poem playful.

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