The portrait of a lady

 The Portrait of a Lady 

 by Khushwant Si

📘 MCQs (1–50)

1–10

1. Who is the author of The Portrait of a Lady?

A. R.K. Narayan

B. Khushwant Singh

C. Ruskin Bond

D. Premchand

Answer: B

2. Who is the central character in the story?

A. Mother

B. Grandmother

C. Sister

D. Teacher

Answer: B

3. The grandmother was described as:

A. Young and active

B. Old and wrinkled

C. Tall and strong

D. Fat and cheerful

Answer: B

4. Where did the narrator and grandmother live first?

A. City

B. Village

C. Town

D. Abroad

Answer: B

5. What did the grandmother always carry?

A. Stick

B. Rosary

C. Bag

D. Book

Answer: B

6. The grandmother used to say her prayers in a:

A. Loud voice

B. Musical tone

C. Monotonous sing-song

D. Whisper

Answer: C

7. What did the grandmother hope the narrator would learn?

A. English

B. Prayer

C. Math

D. Science

Answer: B

8. Who woke the narrator up in the morning?

A. Mother

B. Father

C. Grandmother

D. Teacher

Answer: C

9. What kind of school did the narrator attend in the village?

A. English school

B. Religious school

C. Boarding school

D. Government school

Answer: B

10. What was taught in the village school?

A. Science

B. English

C. Scriptures

D. History

Answer: C

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11–20

11. Why did the grandmother dislike the city school?

A. It was far

B. It taught music

C. It taught English and science

D. It was small

Answer: C

12. What subject shocked the grandmother?

A. English

B. Science

C. Music

D. History

Answer: C

13. Why was music unacceptable to the grandmother?

A. It was noisy

B. It was for beggars

C. It was difficult

D. It was modern

Answer: B

14. What change came after moving to the city?

A. They became closer

B. They saw less of each other

C. They moved back

D. They fought

Answer: B

15. What did the grandmother do in the city during the day?

A. Slept

B. Watched TV

C. Spun the wheel and prayed

D. Cooked

Answer: C

16. What did the grandmother feed daily?

A. Dogs

B. Cows

C. Sparrows

D. Cats

Answer: C

17. Where did the grandmother feed the sparrows?

A. Terrace

B. Garden

C. Courtyard

D. Kitchen

Answer: C

18. What happened when the narrator went abroad?

A. Grandmother cried

B. Grandmother was calm

C. She fell ill

D. She refused to talk

Answer: B

19. What did the grandmother do on the narrator’s return?

A. Prayed silently

B. Celebrated loudly

C. Ignored him

D. Slept

Answer: B

20. What unusual thing did she do that evening?

A. Sang songs

B. Stopped praying

C. Slept early

D. Cried

Answer: B

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21–30

21. What instrument did the grandmother use while celebrating?

A. Guitar

B. Drum

C. Harmonium

D. Shehnai

Answer: B

22. What happened the next day?

A. She went out

B. She fell ill

C. She cooked

D. She sang

Answer: B

23. What did the grandmother realize about her illness?

A. It was minor

B. It was serious

C. It was temporary

D. It was fake

Answer: B

24. What did she do before dying?

A. Talked a lot

B. Prayed quietly

C. Slept

D. Ate food

Answer: B

25. What happened after her death?

A. Sparrows disappeared

B. Sparrows mourned silently

C. Dogs barked

D. People cried loudly

Answer: B

26. What did the sparrows not do?

A. Eat

B. Fly

C. Sit

D. Chirp

Answer: A

27. What happened to the food offered to sparrows?

A. They ate it

B. It was taken away

C. It was thrown away

D. It disappeared

Answer: C

28. The grandmother was always dressed in:

A. White clothes

B. Red clothes

C. Blue clothes

D. Black clothes

Answer: A

29. The narrator’s grandfather’s portrait showed him as:

A. A soldier

B. A king

C. A saint

D. A farmer

Answer: C

30. The grandmother’s lips constantly moved in:

A. Anger

B. Prayer

C. Singing

D. Talking

Answer: B

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31–40

31. What separated the narrator and grandmother emotionally?

A. Distance

B. Education system

C. Money

D. Friends

Answer: B

32. The grandmother believed in:

A. Modern education

B. Religious values

C. Science

D. Technology

Answer: B

33. What did the narrator feel about his grandfather’s portrait?

A. Familiar

B. Strange

C. Funny

D. Sad

Answer: B

34. The grandmother’s relationship with narrator in childhood was:

A. Distant

B. Very close

C. Formal

D. Weak

Answer: B

35. What did the grandmother dislike about the narrator growing up?

A. His behavior

B. His studies

C. His independence

D. His friends

Answer: B

36. The sparrows symbolize:

A. Joy

B. Peace and mourning

C. Anger

D. Wealth

Answer: B

37. What is the tone of the story?

A. Humorous

B. Satirical

C. Emotional and nostalgic

D. Angry

Answer: C

38. The grandmother avoided:

A. Food

B. Talking unnecessarily

C. Prayer

D. Work

Answer: B

39. What did the grandmother value most?

A. Wealth

B. Fame

C. Religion and routine

D. Comfort

Answer: C

40. The story highlights:

A. Politics

B. Generation gap

C. War

D. Adventure

Answer: B

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41–50

41. The narrator studied in the city school in:

A. Hindi

B. Sanskrit

C. English medium

D. Odia

Answer: C

42. The grandmother was unhappy because:

A. She was ill

B. She lost control over narrator’s upbringing

C. She was poor

D. She was lonely

Answer: B

43. The narrator went abroad for:

A. Job

B. Business

C. Higher studies

D. Travel

Answer: C

44. The grandmother accepted death:

A. Fearfully

B. Calmly

C. Angrily

D. Sadly

Answer: B

45. Her final act was:

A. Sleeping

B. Talking

C. Praying

D. Eating

Answer: C

46. The story is written in:

A. First person

B. Third person

C. Second person

D. Mixed

Answer: A

47. The grandmother believed music was:

A. Holy

B. Useless

C. Noble

D. Scientific

Answer: B

48. The narrator’s childhood was influenced by:

A. Friends

B. Teachers

C. Grandmother

D. Society

Answer: C

49. The story ends with:

A. Celebration

B. Death and silence

C. Happiness

D. Reunion

Answer: B

50. The main theme is:

A. Love and affection

B. War

C. Politics

D. Science

Answer: A