Animals
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
1. Name the literary device used in: “I think I could turn and live with animals”
Ans: (B) Assonance (Repetition of the vowel sound ‘i’)
2. According to the poem, no animal is ever __.
Ans: (A) unhappy
3. The animals do not whine about:
Ans: (D) their condition
4. What qualities have humans given up?
Ans: (D) All of the above (Innocence, kindness, and truthfulness)
5. Name the poetic device used in the repetition of “They do not…” at the start of multiple lines:
Ans: (A) Anaphora
6. What is the meaning of “whine”?
Ans: (B) Cry or complain in an annoying way.
7. What is the meaning of “placid”?
Ans: (A) Peaceful and calm.
8. Who, according to the poet, is better?
Ans: (B) animals
9. How do the animals appear to the poet?
Ans: (B) calm, peaceful, and self-contained.
10. The poet feels that animals show their:
Ans: (D) relation to him.
11. Who is the poet of the poem ”Animals”?
Ans: (D) Walt Whitman
12. Human beings have the mania of owning:
Ans: (A) things (Material possessions)
13. The animals show that the “tokens” were:
Ans: (C) in their possession.
14. What is the attitude of humans toward ancestors who lived thousands of years ago?
Ans: (A) They kneel (Signifying hero-worship or religious devotion).
15. Why do humans lie awake in the dark and weep while animals do not?
Ans: (A) Because animals have a clear conscience. (Correction: In your original text, B was marked, but the reason humans weep is because they lack a clear conscience, whereas animals possess one.)
16. What shows that the poet loves animals?
Ans: (B) He stands and looks at them “long and long.”
17. What “mania” do human beings suffer from?
Ans: (C) Mania of possessing things.
18. What does the poet wish to live with?
Ans: (B) Animals
19. What is the attitude of the animals toward their life?
Ans: (B) Calm, peaceful, and self-confident.
20. What makes the poet feel “sick”?
Ans: (A) Humans discussing their duty to God (often with hypocrisy).
21. Which creature is never dissatisfied?
Ans: (B) animals
22. What do humans do that animals don’t?
Ans: (D) All of the above (Greed, jealousy, and restlessness).
Part II: Thinking About the Poem
- What is the poet ‘turning’ from?
In the first line, the poet expresses a desire to “turn.” He wants to turn away from the complicated, hypocritical, and restless world of human beings. He wishes to leave behind the society of men to live in the simpler, more honest world of animals. - Mention three things that humans do and animals don’t.
Complaining: Humans “sweat and whine” about their difficult conditions, whereas animals accept their lives as they are.
Guilt: Humans lie awake at night weeping for their sins; animals have a clear conscience and do not worry about moral failures.
Materialism: Humans suffer from the “mania of owning things,” while no animal is obsessed with possessing material wealth.
- Do humans kneel to other humans who lived thousands of years ago?
Yes, humans often practice hero-worship or religious devotion toward ancestors, saints, or historical figures. We build monuments and perform rituals for those who lived long ago. Whitman points out that animals do not do this; they treat each other as equals, and no one is considered “holy” or superior based on the past. - What are the ‘tokens’ the poet speaks of?
The “tokens” represent the innate virtues of living beings—qualities like innocence, kindness, simplicity, and contentment. The poet suggests that humans possessed these virtues long ago but “dropped” them (lost them) in civilization’s race for power and wealth. Animals, however, have “kept” these tokens and continue to show them naturally.