By Ralph Waldo Emerson
- Who are the two protagonists in the poem?
A) A tree and a bird
B) A mountain and a squirrel
C) A giant and a mouse
D) A rock and a rabbit
Answer: B) A mountain and a squirrel - What occurred between the mountain and the squirrel?
A) A race
B) A conversation about food
C) A quarrel
D) A celebration
Answer: C) A quarrel - What did the mountain call the squirrel?
A) Little Friend
B) Tiny Beast
C) Little Prig
D) Small Bun
Answer: C) Little Prig - Who is referred to as ‘the former’ in the poem?
A) The Squirrel
B) The Mountain
C) The Forest
D) The Weather
Answer: B) The Mountain - Who is referred to as ‘the latter’ in the poem?
A) The Mountain
B) The Squirrel
C) The Nut
D) The Year
Answer: B) The Squirrel - What is the nickname used for the squirrel in the poem?
A) Nutty
B) Furry
C) Bun
D) Prig
Answer: C) Bun - How does the squirrel describe the mountain’s size?
A) Doubtless very big
B) Extremely small
C) Average
D) Scary
Answer: A) Doubtless very big - What must be ‘taken in together’ to make a year?
A) All sorts of nuts and seeds
B) All sorts of animals
C) All sorts of things and weather
D) All sorts of rocks and trees
Answer: C) All sorts of things and weather - Besides a year, what else is made by ‘taking things in together’?
A) A forest
B) A sphere (the world)
C) A mountain track
D) A cloud
Answer: B) A sphere (the world) - What does the squirrel feel about ‘occupying his place’?
A) He feels ashamed
B) He thinks it is a disgrace
C) He thinks it is no disgrace
D) He wants to change his place
Answer: C) He thinks it is no disgrace
- The squirrel says, “If I’m not so large as you, You are not so…”
A) Large as I
B) Fast as I
C) Small as I
D) Wise as I
Answer: C) Small as I - What word does the squirrel use to describe his own agility?
A) Fast
B) Spry
C) Quick
D) Nimble
Answer: B) Spry - According to the squirrel, the mountain is not even _ so spry as he is.
A) Twice
B) Fully
C) Half
D) Mostly
Answer: C) Half - What does the squirrel acknowledge that the mountain makes for him?
A) A home
B) A squirrel track
C) A pile of nuts
D) A shade
Answer: B) A squirrel track - How does the squirrel describe the track the mountain makes?
A) Very rough
B) Very long
C) Very pretty
D) Very dangerous
Answer: C) Very pretty - What is the core observation the squirrel makes about skills?
A) Talents are the same
B) Talents differ
C) No one has talent
D) Only mountains have talent
Answer: B) Talents differ - How does the squirrel say all things are ‘put’ in the world?
A) Randomly
B) By accident
C) Well and wisely
D) Unfairly
Answer: C) Well and wisely - What is one thing the squirrel cannot carry on his back?
A) A nut
B) A forest
C) A rock
D) A year
Answer: B) A forest - What is one thing the mountain cannot do?
A) Grow a tree
B) Crack a nut
C) Make a track
D) Stay still
Answer: B) Crack a nut - Who is the author of this poem?
A) Robert Frost
B) William Wordsworth
C) Ralph Waldo Emerson
D) John Keats
Answer: C) Ralph Waldo Emerson
- What is the meaning of the word ‘Prig’ in the poem?
A) A small animal
B) A person who behaves as if they are superior to others
C) A type of mountain peak
D) A fast runner
Answer: B) A person who behaves as if they are superior to others - What does ‘Doubtless’ mean?
A) Maybe
B) Certainly / Without doubt
C) Unlikely
D) Never
Answer: B) Certainly / Without doubt - In the line ‘To occupy my place,’ what does ‘occupy’ mean?
A) To leave
B) To fill or inhabit
C) To destroy
D) To build
Answer: B) To fill or inhabit - What does the word ‘Disgrace’ mean in the poem?
A) Honor
B) Shame or loss of respect
C) A beautiful thing
D) Size
Answer: B) Shame or loss of respect - The word ‘Spry’ is best defined as:
A) Lazy
B) Active and lively
C) Sleepy
D) Heavy
Answer: B) Active and lively - What does ‘Deny’ mean in ‘I’ll not deny you make…’?
A) Accept
B) Refuse to admit the truth
C) Believe
D) Forget
Answer: B) Refuse to admit the truth - What is a ‘Sphere’ as used in the poem?
A) A circle
B) The Earth or the world
C) A nut
D) A mountain
Answer: B) The Earth or the world - In ‘wisely put,’ the word ‘put’ refers to:
A) Thrown
B) Arranged or created
C) Hidden
D) Dropped
Answer: B) Arranged or created - What is the opposite of ‘former’?
A) First
B) Latter
C) Middle
D) Last
Answer: B) Latter - What is the opposite of ‘spry’?
A) Energetic
B) Lethargic or slow
C) Small
D) Quick
Answer: B) Lethargic or slow - What literary device is used when the mountain and squirrel talk?
A) Simile
B) Personification
C) Metaphor
D) Alliteration
Answer: B) Personification - The quarrel was between a very _ object and a very _ creature.
A) Large, small
B) Hot, cold
C) Fast, slow
D) Old, young
Answer: A) Large, small - The poem suggests that in nature, everything has a _ purpose.
A) Useless
B) Specific
C) Big
D) Hidden
Answer: B) Specific - ‘Bun’ is a name often given to a squirrel because of its:
A) Color
B) Tail or shape
C) Speed
D) Voice
Answer: B) Tail or shape - The mountain calling the squirrel ‘Little Prig’ shows the mountain’s:
A) Kindness
B) Arrogance/Superiority
C) Wisdom
D) Fear
Answer: B) Arrogance/Superiority
- What is the main theme of the poem?
A) Big things are better than small things
B) Every creature has its own importance and talent
C) Mountains are stronger than animals
D) Quarrels are good for nature
Answer: B) Every creature has its own importance and talent - Why does the squirrel mention ‘weather’?
A) To complain about the rain
B) To show that a whole year needs all types of days
C) Because he is cold
D) To tell the mountain to move
Answer: B) To show that a whole year needs all types of days - The squirrel’s tone can be described as:
A) Angry and screaming
B) Logical and self-assured
C) Scared and trembling
D) Sad and apologetic
Answer: B) Logical and self-assured - When the squirrel says ‘Talents differ,’ he means:
A) Some people have no talent
B) Everyone is good at the same thing
C) Different beings have different abilities
D) Only he is talented
Answer: C) Different beings have different abilities - The poem teaches us that we should not _ others based on their size.
A) Help
B) Judge
C) Feed
D) Watch
Answer: B) Judge - What does the mountain provide for the squirrel’s movement?
A) Food
B) A track
C) Water
D) Protection from wind
Answer: B) A track - The mountain is stationary, while the squirrel is _.
A) Heavy
B) Mobile/Spry
C) Silent
D) Huge
Answer: B) Mobile/Spry - The squirrel admits he cannot carry a forest, which shows his:
A) Dishonesty
B) Realism/Honesty
C) Weakness
D) Laziness
Answer: B) Realism/Honesty - Which phrase shows that the world is a balanced place?
A) “Had a quarrel”
B) “All is well and wisely put”
C) “Little Prig”
D) “Doubtless very big”
Answer: B) “All is well and wisely put” - The mountain’s inability to crack a nut proves that:
A) It is not hungry
B) Being big doesn’t mean you can do everything
C) Nuts are too strong
D) Squirrels are mean
Answer: B) Being big doesn’t mean you can do everything - How does the squirrel feel about being small?
A) He wants to be a mountain
B) He is content and sees no shame in it
C) He is very sad
D) He is jealous of the mountain
Answer: B) He is content and sees no shame in it - The ‘sphere’ mentioned in the poem is made up of:
A) Just mountains
B) Just squirrels
C) All sorts of things and weather
D) Only good things
Answer: C) All sorts of things and weather - The squirrel’s reply is a response to the mountain’s:
A) Kind words
B) Insult
C) Silence
D) Help
Answer: B) Insult - In the poem, the mountain is used to represent _ and the squirrel represents _.
A) Fast, Slow
B) Magnitude/Size, Skill/Agility
C) Evil, Good
D) Winter, Summer
Answer: B) Magnitude/Size, Skill/Agility - The ultimate conclusion of the poem is that everyone is _ in the scheme of nature.
A) Useless
B) Equal in importance
C) Competing
D) Small
Answer: B) Equal in importance
