ICSE Class 9 English Treasure Chest Poem The Night Mail Text-Based Questions
Multiple-choice questions (MCQs) with answers based, Reference to the context and short answers types questions and answers for students that can easily be remembered on the poem "The Night Mail" by W.H. Auden
The Night Mail Multiple Choice Questions
1. What does the poem celebrate?
(a) the mail train
(b) human connections
(c) the railway system
(d) none of the above
2. Where was the mail train heading?
(a) Paris
(b) London
(c) Glasgow
(d) Crawford
3. ‘Snorting noisily as she passes’. Which figure of speech is used here?
(a) personification
(b) alliteration
(c) metaphor
(d) sarcasm
4. Why does-no one wake up from their sleep as the train passes?
(a) They are intoxicated
(b) They sleep in sound-proof rooms.
(c) The train created no noise.
(d) They have become habituated to the train’s passing and ignore it.
5. Which of these is NOT carried by the train?
(a) letters
(b) news
(c) cheques
(d) furnaces
6. ‘For who can bear to feel himself forgotten?’ Which literary device is used here?
(a) simile
(b) metaphor
(c) rhetorical question
(d) irony
7. Which regions does the train pass through?
(a) The seabeach
(b) hills and plains
(c) mountains
(d) war zones
8. Select the correct option that displays the characteristics of the personified train correctly.
(a) kind
(b) aggressive
(c) methodical
(d) steady
9. Which of these is repeated numerous times in the poem?
(a) letters
(b) cheques
(c) postal orders
(d) sleeping people
10. Which types of letters are mentioned in the poem?
(a) chatty
(b) boring
(c) adoring
(d) all of the above
11. What is the main purpose of the Night Mail?
(a) To transport passengers across the country.
(b) To deliver mail to various destinations.
(c) To compete with other modes of transportation.
(d) To provide entertainment for people along the route.
12. What evidence from the poem suggests the Night Mail is reliable?
(a) It carries letters for both rich and poor.
(b) It travels through diverse landscapes.
(c) It arrives on time despite challenging terrain.
(d) It wakes people up in their sleep.
13. Why don’t the sheepdogs react to the Night Mail (stanza 6)?
(a) They are scared of the loud noises.
(b) They are too busy herding sheep.
(c) They are accustomed to the train’s regular passage.
(d) The train travels too fast for them to notice.
14. What happens in the farmhouse as the Night Mail passes?
(a) Everyone wakes up to check the mail.
(b) The train sounds its whistle loudly.
(c) A jug in the bedroom shakes.
(d) The farmhouse lights turn on.
15. The phrase “Pulling up Beattock” suggests the train is:
(a) Departing from a station
(b) Beginning a climb
(c) Reaching its destination
(d) Slowing down
16. What feeling does the poem suggest is universal?
(a) The fear of being forgotten
(b) The excitement of receiving mail
(c) The annoyance of being woken up at night
(d) The joy of travelling by train
17. The poem is set in:
(a) The United State
(b) France
(c) Scotland and England
(d) A fictional world
18. What is the main theme of the poem?
(a) The power of technology
(b) The dangers of night travel
(c) The importance of communication
(d) The beauty of the Scottish countryside
19. Identify the poetic device.
“Towards the fields of apparatus, the furnaces
Set on the dark plain like gigantic chessmen.”
(a) Metaphor
(b) Personification
(c) Simile
(d) Alliteration
20. Who among the following wrote the poem “The Night Mail”?
(a) William Wordsworth
(b) W. B. Yeats
(c) W. H. Auden
(d) P.B. Shelly
21. What is the primary subject of the poem?
(a) A train journey at night
(b) The beauty of the Scottish landscape
(c) The importance of postal communication
(d) The dreams of sleeping people
22. What does the night mail bring?
(a) Only letters
(b) Cheques, postal orders, and letters
(c) Parcels and gifts
(d) Newspapers and magazines
23. How does the train's passage affect the natural world?
(a) It scares the animals
(b) It wakes up the farmers
(c) It causes a gentle shaking in a bedroom
(d) It leaves a trail of smoke and fire
24. What is the train's destination?
(a) Edinburgh
(b) Glasgow
(c) Aberdeen
(d) London
25. What kind of letters does the train carry?
(a) Only personal letters
(b) Only business letters
(c) A wide variety of letters
(d) Only love letters
26. What emotions are associated with the arrival of the mail?
(a) Fear and anxiety
(b) Boredom and indifference
(c) Hope and anticipation
(d) Anger and frustration
27. What literary device is used in the line 'the steam tugs yelping down a glade of cranes'?
(a) Simile
(b) Metaphor
(c) Personification
(d) Alliteration
28. What is the overall tone of the poem?
(a) Melancholy and nostalgic
(b) Energetic and optimistic
(c) Humorous and light hearted
(d) Critical and sarcastic
29. What does the Night Mail deliver?
(a) Only letters for the rich
(b) Only government documents
(c) Letters, cheques, and postal orders
(d) Packages and groceries
30. What does the train pass silently?
(a) Cities and towns
(b) Sleeping countryside
(c) Busy markets
(d) Airports and harbours
31. Which line shows the poet's use of personification?
(a) “Sheep-dogs cannot turn her course”
(b) “The girl next door”
(c) “Letters from banks”
(d) “The cheque and the postal order”
32. What feeling does the last line of the poem express: “For who can bear to feel himself forgotten?”
(a) Anger
(b) Loneliness and emotional need
(c) Jealousy
(d) Confusion
33. How is the rhythm of the poem designed?
(a) To sound like waves crashing
(b) To mimic the ticking of a clock
(c) To resemble the motion of a train
(d) To copy the chirping of birds
34. Which of the following is an example of alliteration in the poem?
(a) “Snorting noisily”
(b) “Sheep-dogs cannot turn her course”
(c) “Fields of apparatus”
(d) “Letters with faces scrawled on the margin”
35. What do the “fields of apparatus” and “gigantic chessmen” refer to?
(a) Countryside fields
(b) Machinery and furnaces in Glasgow
(c) A railway station
(d) A children’s playground
36. What is the mood of the countryside as the train passes?
(a) Noisy and chaotic
(b) Peaceful and sleepy
(c) Busy and crowded
(d) Stormy and dangerous
37. What does the jug shaking in a bedroom suggest?
(a) An earthquake
(b) Someone dropped it
(c) The silent but powerful movement of the train
(d) A person woke up
38. What do the “silent miles of wind-bent grasses” emphasize?
(a) The speed of the train
(b) The barrenness of the land
(c) The quiet countryside and the lonely journey
(d) The railway lines
39. What does the poet mean by “blank-faced coaches”?
(a) Coaches filled with smiling passengers
(b) Coaches with advertisements on them
(c) Coaches without passengers, expressionless
(d) Decorated coaches
40. What literary device is used in “gigantic chessmen”?
(a) Simile
(b) Personification
(c) Alliteration
(d) Metaphor
41. Who are eagerly waiting for the letters?
(a) The birds and dogs
(b) Only children
(c) People across Scotland
(d) Train workers
42. What kinds of letters does the Night Mail carry?
(a) Only business letters
(b) Only love letters
(c) A variety — love, gossip, invitations, job applications
(d) Only newspaper prints
43. What does the train symbolize in the poem?
(a) British power
(b) Communication and connection
(c) Transportation system
(d) Industrial growth
44. Which poetic technique gives the poem its train‑like rhythm?
(a) Free verse
(b) Blank verse
(c) Regular meter and repetition
(d) Sonnet form
45. The Night Mail is described as moving with:
(a) Silence and secrecy
(b) Hesitation and slowness
(c) Power and determination
(d) Joy and laughter
46. What does the train carry besides letters?
(a) Parcels and telegrams
(b) Cheques and postal orders
(c) Newspapers and books
(d) Only personal notes
47. The poem portrays the train as:
(a) A destructive force
(b) A lonely traveler
(c) A unifying messenger
(d) A symbol of war
48. What emotion is linked to receiving letters?
(a) Fear and anxiety
(b) Hope and anticipation
(c) Anger and frustration
(d) Nostalgia and regret
49. The poem highlights the train’s impartiality by:
(a) Delivering only to cities
(b) Carrying letters for both rich and poor
(c) Ignoring rural areas
(d) Serving only government offices
50. Which natural image shows the countryside’s calmness?
(a) Stormy seas
(b) Wind‑bent grasses
(c) Snow‑covered peaks
(d) Desert sands
51. The poem suggests letters can be:
(a) Only government orders
(b) Love notes, gossip, invitations
(c) Only advertisements
(d) Only business contracts
52. The line “For who can bear to feel himself forgotten?” conveys:
(a) Joy of solitude
(b) Universal human need for recognition
(c) Fear of death
(d) Anger at society
53. The train’s journey through night emphasizes:
(a) Danger of travel
(b) Secrecy
(c) Reliability despite darkness
(d) Celebration of festivals
54. The train’s impartiality reflects:
(a) Industrial dominance
(b) Equality in communication
(c) Class divisions
(d) Political propaganda
55. The countryside is depicted as:
(a) Busy and chaotic
(b) Peaceful and sleepy
(c) Stormy and dangerous
(d) Crowded and noisy
56. The train’s journey symbolizes:
(a) Communication and connection
(b) Military strength
(c) Industrial progress
(d) Economic growth
57. The poem’s imagery blends:
(a) Nature and machinery
(b) War and peace
(c) Love and betrayal
(d) Past and future
58. The train’s whistle is described as:
(a) Silent and unnoticed
(b) Gentle and soothing
(c) Snorting noisily
(d) Loud and frightening
59. The poem emphasizes the train’s:
(a) Luxury and comfort
(b) Danger and risk
(c) Speed and efficiency
(d) Beauty and elegance
60. The letters carried include:
(a) Only personal diaries
(b) Only political propaganda
(c) Job applications and invitations
(d) Only advertisements
61. The poem’s central theme is:
(a) Fear of being forgotten
(b) Importance of communication
(c) Beauty of machinery
(d) Joy of travel
62. The train is unaffected by:
(a) Policemen
(b) Farmers
(c) Children
(d) Sheepdogs
63. The poem portrays letters as:
(a) Lifelines of human connection
(b) Mere pieces of paper
(c) Government propaganda
(d) Business contracts only
64. The train’s impartial delivery reflects:
(a) Democracy of communication
(b) Industrial dominance
(c) Political neutrality
(d) Economic growth
65. The poem ends with:
(a) A humorous anecdote
(b) A rhetorical question about being forgotten
(c) A celebration of industrial progress
(d) A description of the train’s arrival
Answers-
- (b) human connections
- (c) Glasgow
- (a) personification
- (d) They have become habituated to the train’s passing and ignore it.
- (d) furnaces
- (c) rhetorical question
- (b) hills and plains
- (d) steady
- (a) letters
- (d) all of the above
- (b) To deliver mail to various destinations.
- (c) It arrives on time despite challenging terrain.
- (c) They are accustomed to the train’s regular passage.
- (c) A jug in the bedroom shakes.
- (b) Beginning a climb
- (a) The fear of being forgotten
- (c) Scotland and England
- (c) The importance of communication
- (c) Simile
- (c) W. H. Auden
- (c) The importance of postal communication
- (b) Cheques, postal orders, and letters
- (c) It causes a gentle shaking in a bedroom
- (b) Glasgow
- (c) A wide variety of letters
- (c) Hope and anticipation
- (c) Personification
- (b) Energetic and optimistic
- (c) Letters, cheques, and postal orders
- (b) Sleeping countryside
- (a) “Sheep-dogs cannot turn her course” (The train is given a will of its own, like a person.)
- (b) Loneliness and emotional need
- (c) To resemble the motion of a train
- (a) “Snorting noisily”
- (b) Machinery and furnaces in Glasgow
- (b) Peaceful and sleepy
- (c) The silent but powerful movement of the train
- (c) The quiet countryside and the lonely journey
- (c) Coaches without passengers, expressionless
- (d) Metaphor
- (c) People across Scotland
- (c) A variety — love, gossip, invitations, job applications
- (b) Communication and connection
- (c) Regular meter and repetition
- (c) Power and determination
- (b) Cheques and postal orders
- (c) A unifying messenger
- (b) Hope and anticipation
- (b) Carrying letters for both rich and poor
- (b) Wind‑bent grasses
- (b) Love notes, gossip, invitations
- (b) Universal human need for recognition
- (c) Reliability despite darkness
- (b) Equality in communication
- (b) Peaceful and sleepy
- (a) Communication and connection
- (a) Nature and machinery
- (c) Snorting noisily
- (c) Speed and efficiency
- (c) Job applications and invitations
- (b) Importance of communication
- (d) Sheepdogs
- (a) Lifelines of human connection
- (a) Democracy of communication
- (b) A rhetorical question about being forgotten
