MCQs - "The Old Playhouse" by Kamala Das

1. What is the overall mood or tone of the poem "Old Play House"?
A. Hopeful and optimistic
B. Melancholic and protesting
C. Angry and resentful
D. Humorous and light-hearted

2. What is the central theme of Kamala Das’s An Old Playhouse?
A. Nostalgia for childhood
B. Frustration and loss of identity in a stifling marriage
C. The beauty of nature
D. Celebration of marriage

3. Who is the speaker/writer of the poem "Old Play House"?
A. Kamala Das
B. Her husband
C. Her lover
D. Her friend

4. What is the main message of the poem "Old Play House"?
A. Love can be fleeting and painful
B. Marriage can be suffocating and restrictive
C. Divorce is the only solution to a failed relationship
D. Time heals all wounds

5. The poem is written in which poetic form?
A. Sonnet
B. Villanelle
C. Free verse
D. Ballad

6. This poem belongs to Kamala Das's collection:
A. Summer in Calcutta 1965
B. The Old Playhouse and Other Poems 1973
C. My Story 1972
D. Only the Soul Knows How to Sing

7. In ‘The Old Playhouse’, Kamala accuses her husband for?
A. Domesticating her like a swallow
B. Respecting her freedom and identity
C. Loving her unconditionally
D. Encouraging her to pursue her dreams

8. The poem reflects Kamala Das's rebellion against:
A. British colonialism
B. Gender roles in Indian marriage
C. Religious conversion
D. Literary censorship

9. In ‘The Old Playhouse’, Kamala is viewed by her husband as ..............
A. A source of emotional support
B. An object of physical entertainment
C. An equal in the relationship
D. A partner for self-discovery

10. Kamala Das compares herself to ……………, to emphasize her loss of freedom?
A. A caged tiger
B. A tamed swallow
C. A wounded deer
D. A trapped sparrow

11. The Old playhouse consists of
A. 30 lines in 2 stanzas
B. 40 lines in 1 stanza
C. 30 lines in 1 stanza
B. 40 lines in 2 stanzas

12. What was the primary cause of Kamala Das’s disturbed marital life in ‘The Old Playhouse’?
A. Her religious views
B. Her husband’s overpowering nature
C. Financial difficulties
D. Her personal ambitions

13. What did Kamala Das lose due to her husband’s behaviour in the poem?
A. Her wealth and status
B. Her individuality and self-respect
C. Her family connections
D. Her creative talents

14. How does Kamala Das use the image of “Narcissus” in the poem?
A. To praise her husband’s beauty
B. To highlight her own vanity
C. To criticize her husband’s self-centered love
D. To symbolize mutual love

15. How does the speaker describe her husband’s approach to love-making in the poem?
A. Tender and affectionate
B. Mechanical and suffocating
C. Passionate and mutual
D. Loving and caring

16. What is the significance of the “mirror” imagery in The Old Playhouse?
A. It reflects the husband’s narcissistic ego
B. It symbolizes the speaker’s loneliness and shattered identity
C. It represents the couple’s shared dreams
D. It signifies the speaker’s desire for fame

17. What does the speaker mean by “I ate the magic loaf and became a dwarf” in the poem?
A. She gained wisdom but lost her ambition
B. She was diminished under her husband’s oppressive ego
C. She embraced her role as a housewife willingly
D. She lost her physical strength due to household duties

18. What does speaker in ‘The Old Playhouse’ accuse her husband of?
A. Domesticating her like a swallow
B. Respecting her freedom and identity
C. Loving her unconditionally
D. Encouraging her to pursue her dreams

19. What does the metaphor ‘old playhouse filled with impenetrable darkness’ refer to?
A. The husband’s mind
B. The speaker’s childhood home
C. The speaker’s mind after marital strife
D. A literal abandoned theater

20. How is the husband’s love described in the poem?
A. Selfless and nurturing
B. Fatal doses that could ultimately kill her
C. Emotionally supportive
D. Liberating and empowering

21. What does the speaker long for by the end of the poem?
A. Reconciliation with her husband
B. Freedom from her loveless marriage
C. A return to her childhood home
D. A deeper spiritual connection

22. Why does the poetess call herself ‘an old playhouse with all its lights put out’?
A. To describe her physical appearance
B. To indicate her love for theatre
C. To express her loss of freedom and vitality due to her husband’s dominance
D. To symbolize her childhood memories

23. What is the opening line of the poem?
A. The strong man's technique is/ Always the same, he serves his love in lethal doses
B. You planned to tame a swallow, to hold her
C. Beneath your monstrous ego, I ate the magic loaf and became a dwarf.
D. you embalmed My poor lust with your bitter-sweet juices. You called me wife

24. What is the Closing line of the poem “The old Playhouse”?
A. You dribbled spittle into my mouth, you poured, Yourself into every nook and cranny
B. I lost my will and reason, to all your, Questions I mumbled incoherent replies
C. An end, a pure, total freedom, it must will the mirrors/ To shatter and the kind night to erase the water.
D. There is/ No more singing, no more dance, my mind is an old/ Playhouse with all its lights put out.

25. The figures of speech in the line: “Love is Narcissus at the water’s edge”
A. Simile
B. Metaphor
C. Paradox
D. Chiasmus

26.Who is ‘you’ in the line: "You planned to tame a swallow"
A. Speaker
B. Speaker's friend
C. Speaker's lover
D. Speaker's husband

27. Which of the following is false about Narcissus’
A. He is a Greek myth, very handsome
B. He fell in love with his own image in water
C. Unable to eat or drink, succumbs to death.
D. He became a beautiful playhouse

28. Which phrase is not used in the poem?
A. incoherent mutterings
B. long summer of your love
C. shallow convulsions
D. incoherent replies

29. The lines "I was taught to break saccharine into your tea / and to offer at the right moment the vitamins" primarily highlight:
A. The speaker’s expertise in culinary arts
B. A nostalgic memory of drinking tea
C. The husband’s medical dependency
D. The performative, gender roles of women

30. In The Old Playhouse, the word "lethal" is used in the sense of:
A. Dangerous and harmful
B. Exciting and passionate
C. Short-lived and temporary
D. Holy and sacred

Answers:
1. B	2. B	3. A	4. B	5. C	6. B	7. A	8. B	9. B	10. B
11. C	12. B	13. B	14. C	15. B	16. B	17. B	18. A	19. B	20. B
21. B	22. C	23. B	24. C	25. A	26. D	27. D	28. A	29. D	30. A