22 August 2025
Through a Coloured Glass PRINT
MCQ - TICK THE CORRECT OPTION-
1. Who is the author of the autobiography 'My Days' from which
this text is an excerpt?
A) R. K. Narayan B) Julius Caesar C) Gowri Ramnarayan D) Dodu
2. What did the narrator's father have the personality of?
A) A strict headmaster B) A commander-in-chief C) A jovial friend D)
A stern father
3. How did the narrator's father ensure his family's safety at home?
A) He hired bodyguards. B) He had a well-worn route from his room.
C) He installed a security system. D) He taught them self-defence.
4. What did the narrator's father wear when he went to school on
his bicycle?
A) A snow-white turban B) A crown C) A helmet D) A cap
5. What hobby did the narrator's father enjoy at the officers' club?
A) Playing bridge B) Playing tennis C) Playing carrom D) Playing golf
6. What did the narrator's elder brother, R. K. Narayan, do for a
living?
A) Painter B) Cartoonist C) Novelist D) Headmaster
7. How did the narrator describe his mother?
A) A voracious reader B) A stern person C) A sports enthusiast D) A
bad cook
8. What was the narrator's mother's favourite hobby, as mentioned
in the text?
A) Buying litho prints of gods and human beings B) Playing chess C)
Playing tennis and badminton D) Reading magazines
9. What did the narrator's mother love to read and know about?
A) Sanskrit and Tamil literature B) English translations C) Myths and
legends D) All of the above
10. What did the word 'formidable' mean in the text?
A) Exciting B) Inspiring respect, fear, or dread C) Friendly D)
Interesting
11. What was the name of the non-existent town where R. K.
Narayan's stories were set? A) Mysore B) Madras C) Malgudi D)
Bengal
12. When did the narrator decide to become an artist?
A) When he was five years old B) When he was nine- or ten-years
old C) When he started school D) After he finished his BA
examinations
13. What did the narrator do to find interesting landscapes to
paint?
A) He travelled to different cities. B) He cycled ten miles around his
home. C) He took a train to the mountains. D) He looked at
illustrations in foreign magazines.
14. What was the name of the story about a boy struggling to find
money, which the narrator found very relatable?
A) Malgudi Days B) Swami and Friends C) Dodu, the Moneymaker D)
The Regal Cricket Club
15. What did the narrator earn by drawing cartoons for the local
papers?
A) Fame B) Pocket money C) A scholarship D) A new typewriter
16. The narrator's mother made a new kind of fuel for the boiler
using:
A) A special recipe B) A magazine recipe C) A copper vessel D) Her
imagination
17.What did the narrator's mother make from her own recipe?
A) Papads B) Cakes and biscuits C) Toothpowder D) All of the above
18. What was the worst thing about the narrator's school?
A) The teachers were terrible. B) The lessons were boring. C) He was
always punished. D) He had to sit on the floor.
19. What did the narrator's family do every evening to listen to
stories from their mother?
A) They would go to the cinema. B) They would gather around her
bed. C) They would sit in the living room. D) They would read books
together.
20. What was one of the subjects that the narrator's mother
excelled at?
A) English literature B) Cooking C) Tennis D) Chess
21. How did the narrator describe his school learning experience?
A) Interesting and useful B) Unnatural and bad for human beings C)
Fun and exciting D) Challenging but rewarding
22. What was the Mysore Dussehra festival known for?
A) Its fabulous procession with decorated elephants and horses B)
Its famous music festival C) Its delicious food D) Its colourful clothes
23. What did the narrator's father do at night when he returned
from the club?
A) He would read a book. B) He would light a lantern and walk
home. C) He would listen to his family's stories. D) He would rest in
his room.
24. What does the word 'impeccably' mean?
A) Perfectly; flawlessly B) In a messy way C) Hastily D) Carefully
25. How did the narrator describe his brother's writing?
A) He sympathized heartily in writing, but not in life. B) He
sympathized in life, but not in his writing. C) He was a bad writer. D)
He was a voracious reader.
26. What did the narrator do when he failed his exams?
A) He was scolded by his mother. B) He was punished by the
headmaster. C) He was encouraged to keep trying. D) He was told by
his mother to attend school to pass the next exam.
27. What did the narrator do when he was five years old?
A) He went to school. B) He dropped out of school. C) He started
painting. D) He began his BA examinations.
28. Who were the 'open-mouthed' crowds that watched the
Dussehra procession?
A) Foreigners B) Children C) Europeans D) The local people
29. What did the narrator's father's nose and posture resemble?
A) A sharp nose and a lion-like posture B) A bent nose and a tired
posture C) A big nose and a slouched posture D) A small nose and a
straight posture
30. What was the name of the newspaper where the narrator
published his first cartoon?
A) The Free Press Journal B) The Times of India C) The Hindu D) The
Blitz
31. What does the author mean when he says his father had "the
personality of a commander-in-chief rather than a headmaster"?
a) His father was actually a military officer
b) His father was strict, authoritative, and maintained discipline like a
military leader
c) His father wanted to join the army
d) His father taught military history
32. The phrase "moved in fixed orbits at home" suggests that the
father:
a) Was interested in astronomy
b) Had a circular house
c) Followed a very regular, predictable routine
d) Liked to exercise by running in circles
33. What is the most likely reason the author describes his mother
as having a "hectic life"?
a) She was always worried about money
b) She was managing a large household with many responsibilities
c) She was frequently ill
d) She worked outside the home
34. When the author mentions his mother "never stepped into
school or college" but knew about "Sanskrit and Tamil literature,"
this emphasizes:
a) The lack of educational opportunities for women then
b) Her natural intelligence and self-taught knowledge
c) The importance of traditional learning
d) All of the above
35. The word "voracious" when describing the mother as a reader
means:
a) She read very slowly
b) She read with great enthusiasm and appetite
c) She only read religious books
d) She read aloud to others
36. What does the author's early fascination with looking through
"broken glass pieces" symbolically represent?
a) His destructive nature as a child
b) His future interest in visual arts and seeing the world differently
c) His poor eyesight
d) His love for colorful objects
37. The phrase "communication with my surroundings" in relation
to the colored glass incident suggests:
a) The author was talking to the glass
b) This was his first artistic or creative awakening
c) He was trying to send messages
d) He was learning about science
38. When the author says his father was "formidable," he means
his father was:
a) Very tall and strong
b) Inspiring respect through being impressively powerful or intense
c) Friendly and approachable
d) Frequently absent from home
39. The description of the father leaving for school "impeccably
dressed" and returning at "nine at night" suggests:
a) He was very social and enjoyed parties
b) He was dedicated to his work and maintained high standards
c) He didn't like being at home
d) He had poor time management
40. What can be inferred about the family's social status from the
text?
a) They were very poor
b) They belonged to the working class
c) They were well-educated and relatively well-off
d) They were extremely wealthy
41. The mother's hobby of buying "litho prints of gods and human
beings" and decorating them shows:
a) Her religious devotion only
b) Her artistic sensibility and creativity
c) Her wasteful spending habits
d) Her superstitious nature
42. When the author mentions his mother was "the unbeaten local
chess champion," this detail serves to:
a) Show she was competitive
b) Highlight her intelligence and strategic thinking
c) Prove she had too much free time
d) Indicate the family's gaming interests
43. The author's tone when describing his parents can best be
characterized as:
a) Critical and resentful
b) Respectful and affectionate
c) Indifferent and detached
d) Humorous and mocking
44. What does the author mean by saying "you need not hate the
person you dread"?
a) Fear and hatred are the same emotion
b) It's possible to respect someone while being afraid of their
authority
c) Children should not have emotions about parents
d) Fear always leads to hatred
45. The detailed description of the family routine and
characteristics serves to:
a) Show how boring the author's childhood was
b) Criticize the traditional family structure
c) Paint a vivid picture of his formative environment
d) Prove that strict parenting is best
