A Considerable Speck – MCQs

1. Why is the speck visible to the poet?
   a) It is moving very fast
   b) It contrasts against the white sheet of paper
   c) It is very large
   d) The poet has exceptional eyesight
2. What does the poet initially intend to do with the speck?
   a) Observe it closely
   b) Move it away gently
   c) Stop it with a period of ink from his pen
   d) Let it move freely
3. What makes the poet change his mind about the speck?
   a) It becomes very large
   b) Something strange about it makes him think it is not dust but a living mite
   c) It disappears from the paper
   d) Someone tells him to spare it
4. How does the mite react when it sees the poet's pen?
   a) It attacks the pen
   b) It pauses with suspicion and then races wildly away
   c) It ignores the pen
   d) It crawls toward the pen
5. When the mite pauses at the wet ink, what does it do?
   a) It drinks the ink with pleasure
   b) It sleeps on the ink
   c) It either drank or smelt the ink, with loathing, and turned to fly
   d) It becomes stuck in the ink
6. What is remarkable about the mite despite its tiny size?
   a) Its beautiful colors
   b) Its loud sounds
   c) It has a complete set of feet and displays intelligence
   d) Its speed of movement
7. "It seemed too tiny to have room for feet, / Yet must have had a set of them complete" emphasizes:
   a) The mite's appearance
   b) How the mite's physical features express its determination to survive
   c) The poet's poor eyesight
   d) The ink's viscosity
8. What does "It faltered: I could see it hesitate" reveal?
   a) The mite is weak and dying
   b) The mite shows uncertainty and careful thinking about its next move
   c) The mite is enjoying the paper
   d) The poet is not paying attention
9. Where does the mite finally come to rest?
   a) At the edge of the paper
   b) In the middle of the open sheet, cowering down
   c) On the poet's pen
   d) In the wet ink
10. When the mite cowered down "in desperation to accept / Whatever I accorded it of fate," what does this show?
    a) The mite surrenders to the poet's power and its possible death
    b) The mite is resting peacefully
    c) The mite has won the struggle
    d) The mite is attacking the poet
11. "Plainly with an intelligence I dealt" means:
    a) The mite is stupid
    b) The poet is intelligent
    c) The poet recognizes the mite has intelligence and clear purpose
    d) The poet is deceiving the mite
12. What does the poet do with the mite at the end?
    a) He crushes it with his pen
    b) He lets it live, allowing it to lie on the paper, perhaps hoping it sleeps
    c) He throws it off the paper
    d) He traps it in ink
13. What does "I have a mind myself and recognize / Mind when I meet with it in any guise" reveal?
    a) The poet is very proud of his intelligence
    b) The poet can identify intelligence regardless of the form it takes, even in a tiny mite
    c) The poet thinks only he has a mind
    d) The poet is confused
14. "I have none of the tenderer-than-thou / Collectivistic regimenting love" refers to:
    a) The poet's coldness toward all living things
    b) The poet rejecting false sentimentality and herd mentality; he values individual thought
    c) The poet hating all living creatures
    d) The poet's preference for group conformity
15. What is the primary theme of the poem?
    a) The danger of insects
    b) The poet's writing process
    c) Recognition of intelligence and value in all living things, regardless of size
    d) The superiority of humans
16. The poem is written in what form?
    a) Free verse
    b) Rhyming couplets (AABBCC...)
    c) Terza rima
    d) Haiku
17. What literary device is prominent in "It ran with terror and with cunning crept"?
    a) Metaphor
    b) Simile
    c) Personification (giving human qualities to the mite's movement)
    d) Alliteration
18. The mite's movement across the paper represents:
    a) Random, meaningless activity
    b) A struggle for survival with purpose and intelligence
    c) A game or entertainment
    d) Accidental wandering
19. What does the white paper symbolize in the poem?
    a) A blank slate where observation and reflection occur
    b) The poet's mind
    c) A barrier between life and death
    d) The poet's indifference
20. How does the poet's perspective change throughout the poem?
    a) From indifference to recognition of the mite's intelligence and value
    b) From love to hatred
    c) From fear to comfort
    d) From stupidity to wisdom
21. The title "A Considerable Speck" is ironic because:
    a) The speck is actually very large
    b) What seems negligible (a speck) proves to be considerable (significant) due to its intelligence
    c) The poet doesn't think the speck is important
    d) It is a straightforward description
22. What does the poem ultimately argue about intelligence and value?
    a) Only large creatures have intelligence
    b) Intelligence and value exist in all living things, even the tiniest, and deserve respect
    c) Humans are the only intelligent beings
    d) Insects are superior to humans

Answers: 1-b, 2-c, 3-b, 4-b, 5-c, 6-c, 7-b, 8-b, 9-b, 10-a, 11-c, 12-b, 13-b, 14-b, 15-c, 16-b, 17-c, 18-b, 19-a, 20-a, 21-b, 22-b.