The Ball Poem Class 10 MCQs with Answers | SEBA & CBSE English First Flight

The Ball Poem Class 10 MCQs with Answers | SEBA & CBSE English First Flight

In this article, we provide you with the most important MCQs from “The Ball Poem” for Class 10 HSLC exams. These MCQs cover important lines, meanings, poetic devices, exam-level concepts, and frequently asked questions from SEBA and CBSE board exams. These MCQs will help to score full marks in the MCQ section.

1. The world, as mentioned in “The Ball Poem”, is one of— [HSLC 2023]
(A) balls
(B) friends
(C) fun
(D) possessions
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2. Why does the speaker in “The Ball Poem” say that he would not intrude on the boy? [HSLC 2024]
(A) Because he knows that another ball is worthless
(B) Because he knows that the boy would not listen to him
(C) Because he does not want to disturb the boy
(D) Because he does not know how to speak to the boy
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3. “He is learning well behind his desperate eyes…”
What is the opposite of the underlined word? [HSLC 2024]
(A) Disciplined
(B) Distressed
(C) Dolorous
(D) Cheerful
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See More: A Letter to God – MCQ Practice →

4. The small boy in “The Ball Poem” is experiencing— [HSLC 2025]
(A) realisation
(B) joy
(C) elation
(D) gladness
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5. With reference to “The Ball Poem”, choose the statement that correctly identifies the underlined words: “I would not intrude on him.” [HSLC 2025]
(A) The poet would not intrude on the boy.
(B) The passerby would not intrude on the boy.
(C) The boy would not intrude on the poet.
(D) The speaker would not intrude on the poet.
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6. What does the boy feel when he loses the ball as mentioned in “The Ball Poem”? [HSLC 2025]
(A) anxious
(B) sad
(C) stressed
(D) timid
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7. In “The Ball Poem”, the boy senses his first responsibility in a world of— [HSLC 2024]
(A) balls
(B) playthings
(C) people
(D) possessions
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8. What does the ‘harbour’ in “The Ball Poem” symbolise?
(A) A place of entertainment
(B) A safe place where childhood ends
(C) A location of danger
(D) A storehouse of toys
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Read More: A Tiger in the Zoo – MCQ Practice →

9. The poem mainly aims to teach children—
(A) How to protect their toys
(B) How to avoid emotional situations
(C) How to handle loss with maturity
(D) How to save money
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10. What does the poet believe about buying a new ball for the boy?
(A) It would cheer him immediately
(B) It would prevent him from learning a life lesson
(C) It would make him angry
(D) It would confuse the boy
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11. The phrase “All his young days” mainly refers to—
(A) His childhood memories
(B) His future dreams
(C) His friends
(D) His failures
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12. Which of the following best describes the poet’s attitude toward loss?
(A) It should be avoided
(B) It is unnecessary
(C) It shapes a person’s understanding of life
(D) It is always painful
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13. Which line from the poem shows the speaker’s empathetic distance from the boy?
(A) “Money is external.”
(B) “He senses first responsibility.”
(C) “I would not intrude on him.”
(D) “All his young days.”
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14. The ball in the poem is mainly a metaphor for—
(A) Wealth
(B) Childhood
(C) Friendship
(D) Hope
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15. Which phrase from the poem suggests the beginning of the boy’s emotional growth?
(A) “Merrily bouncing”
(B) “Ultimate shaking grief”
(C) “And no one buys a ball back”
(D) “I would not intrude”
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16. The loss of the ball marks the beginning of the boy’s—
(A) Habit of wasting time
(B) Understanding of emotional maturity
(C) Interest in new toys
(D) Desire to play again
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17. Choose the correct option that represents the object that was lost by the boy in “The Ball Poem”:
(A) Ball
(B) Ring
(C) Cap
(D) Box
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18. “All his young days into the harbor where his ball went.” Which poetic device is used in the sentence?
(A) Assonance
(B) Simile
(C) Metaphor
(D) Personification
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19. The poet of ‘The Ball Poem’ decides not to console the boy because –
(A) He is happy
(B) He is busy
(C) He is indifferent
(D) It will be of no use
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20. Losing the ball, the boy senses his first…
(A) Possibility
(B) Responsibility
(C) Carelessness
(D) Happiness
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21. “The epistemology of loss” — What is ‘epistemology’?
Epistemology is the study of the-
(A) Nature of understanding
(B) Nature of knowledge
(C) Nature of skill
(D) Nature of behaviour
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22. What does the poet of “The Ball Poem” want the boy to learn?
(A) There is no use of crying for another ball
(B) There is no use of wasting time on a small ball
(C) He should share his joys and sorrows with his parents
(D) Loss and gain is a part of life
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23. Why are the boy’s eyes desperate?
(A) Because he has lost his ball
(B) Because he has lost his money
(C) Because he is afraid of his parents
(D) Because he has no money to buy another ball
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24. How does the child react at the loss of the ball?
(A) Laugh
(B) Run away
(C) Starts crying
(D) Stand rigid
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25. What does the poet mean by “Money is external”?
(A) Money can buy only materialistic things
(B) Money can buy all happiness
(C) Money can buy all emotions
(D) Money can buy peace
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26. Fill in the blank:
An ultimate shaking ______ fixes the boy.
(A) Joy
(B) Terror
(C) Grief
(D) Shyness
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27. According to John Berryman, one day every man must know –
(A) How to laugh
(B) How to stand up
(C) How to live
(D) How to behave
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28. Assertion (A): The boy does not cry when he loses the ball.
Reason (R): He learns that loss is an inevitable part of life.
(A) Both A and R true, R explains A
(B) Both A and R true, R does not explain A
(C) A true, R false
(D) A false, R true
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29. The poet of “Ball poem” says that money is external because with it-
(A) We cannot buy everything
(B) We can live happily
(C) We can buy our lost things
(D) We can learn the meaning of loss
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30. In the poem ‘Animals’ who kneels to his ancestors?
(A) animals
(B) the poet
(C) humans
(D) both A and B
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31. “He is learning well behind his desperate eyes…” What is the meaning of ‘desperate’?
(A) hopeful
(B) hopeless
(C) cheerful
(D) angry
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32. Giving another ball to the boy is—
(A) Senseless
(B) Harmless
(C) Worthless
(D) Fruitful
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33. Why is money called external in “The Ball Poem”?
(A) It is man-made
(B) It replaces lost things
(C) We earn money through hard work
(D) It is a means of exchange
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34. The true theme of “The Ball Poem” is—
(A) we should take care of our things
(B) life is short
(C) we should cherish every moment
(D) both (B) and (C)
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35. “He is learning, well behind his desperate eyes in epistemology of loss…”
What do the underlined words mean?
(A) understanding the ball
(B) understanding pain
(C) understanding the nature of loss
(D) understanding the effects of loss
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36. Sometimes it is necessary to lose something to ourself in the possessions of world because —
(A) It makes us happy
(B) It makes us comfortable
(C) It makes us complicated
(D) It makes us responsible
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37. Why are the boy’s eyes desperate?
(A) in search of a thing
(B) because he is waiting for someone
(C) because he has lost his ball
(D) all of the above
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38. In “The Ball Poem” the boy feels his first responsibility in a world of—
(A) Imagination
(B) Possession
(C) Balls
(D) People
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39. The synonym of “rigid” in the line “As he stands rigid, trembling, staring down” is—
(A) Straight
(B) Flexible
(C) Bend
(D) Stiff
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40. The poet of “The Ball Poem” is—
(A) W. B. Yeats
(B) Walt Whitman
(C) W. Wordsworth
(D) John Berryman
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41. What does the boy learn by losing the ball?
(1) Loss is an unavoidable truth of life
(2) Material objects can be replaced
(3) Money buys happiness
(4) Losses can be prevented
(5) Life continues despite losses

Options

(A) 1, 2 and 5
(B) 2 and 4
(C) 1, 2, 4 and 5
(D) 3 and 5
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42. “The boy is learning how to stand up.” This means he is learning to be ______ in the face of difficulties. 
(A) Patient
(B) Resilient
(C) Defensive
(D) Judgemental
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43. “Money is external.” What does it mean?
(A) Money helps us purchase materials that make life worth living
(B) Money promotes materialism
(C) Money only impacts a person’s outer life
(D) Money buys materialistic things and can be earned again
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44. How does the child react at the loss of the ball?
(A) Stands rigid
(B) Trembles
(C) Stares
(D) All of them
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45. One dime is equal to—
(A) Five cents
(B) Ten cents
(C) Fifteen cents
(D) Twenty cents
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46. Epistemology is the study of—
(A) Behaviour
(B) Knowledge
(C) Emotion
(D) All of them
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47. “The boy is learning how to stand up…” This means he is becoming—
(A) Patient
(B) Resilient
(C) Defensive
(D) Judgemental
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48. What does the boy learn by losing the ball?

1. Loss is the unavoidable truth of life
2. Material objects can be replaced
3. Money buys happiness
4. Losses in life can be prevented with care

Life continues despite losses
(A) (1), (2) and (5)
(B) (2) and (4)
(C) Only (1)
(D) (3) and (5)
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49. According to the poet, from whom do we mostly learn about loss? 
(A) Elders
(B) Experiences
(C) Books
(D) Teachers
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50. What is the boy’s reaction at the loss of the ball?
(A) Stands rigid and trembling
(B) Smiling
(C) Least affected
(D) Asks poet for a dime
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51. The poet does not offer a new ball to the boy because he wants him to learn the value of—
(A) Responsibility
(B) Loss
(C) Money
(D) Ability
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52. What is the boy’s reaction at the loss of the ball?
(A) The boy is least affected
(B) The boy asks his parents to get him another ball
(C) The boy keeps searching for the ball
(D) The boy trembles and is devastated at the loss of the ball
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53. Identify the literary device in “And no one buys a ball back.”
(A) Metaphor
(B) Simile
(C) Alliteration
(D) Anaphora
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54. “Money is external.” What does the poet mean by this line?
(A) Money shouldn’t be spent
(B) Money is always meant to be spent
(C) Money should be spent wisely
(D) Money is worthless
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55. Which word from the stanza means ‘money’?
(A) Possession
(B) Intrude
(C) Worthless
(D) Dime
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56. Giving another ball to the boy is—
(A) Senseless
(B) Harmless
(C) Worthless
(D) Fruitful
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57. The merrily bouncing of the ball down the street is symbolic of—
(A) Loss of experience
(B) Loss of innocence
(C) Loss of childhood
(D) Both B and C
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58. Why are the boy’s eyes “desperate”?
(A) He is hopeful
(B) He is angry
(C) He has lost his ball
(D) He is confused
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59. Losing the ball, the boy senses his first—
(A) Duty
(B) Carelessness
(C) Responsibility
(D) Happiness
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60. The boy in “The Ball Poem” is experiencing—
(A) Joy
(B) Realisation
(C) Elation
(D) Gladness
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