Advice to Youth – MCQs (25 Questions)
Choose the correct option for each question.
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When was "Advice to Youth" by Mark Twain written?
a) 1875
b) 1882
c) 1890
d) 1895 -
What is the primary literary device used in "Advice to Youth"?
a) Metaphor
b) Allusion
c) Satire and irony
d) Symbolism -
Why did Mark Twain write "Advice to Youth"?
a) To genuinely teach youth proper behavior
b) He was asked to give a didactic talk to young people
c) To entertain at a public gathering
d) To promote his books -
What is Twain's first piece of satirical advice to youth?
a) Always read good books
b) Respect your superiors at all times
c) Obey your parents only when they are present
d) Handle firearms with care -
What does Twain mock about parental authority?
a) Parents are always right
b) Parents think they know better than their children but often do not
c) Parents should control all aspects of youth's life
d) Parents never understand youth -
How does Twain advise youth to handle someone who offends them?
a) Respond immediately with violence
b) Ignore the offense completely
c) Wait for the perfect moment to retaliate, perhaps with a brick
d) Report the offense to authorities -
What is Twain's attitude toward lying?
a) Lying is always wrong and should never happen
b) Lying is acceptable in all circumstances
c) Lying is a "beautiful art" requiring skill and careful training
d) Lying is unnecessary in modern society -
What does Twain say happens when a lie is discovered?
a) People will forgive you immediately
b) You lose trust but can regain it quickly
c) You can never be in the eyes of the good and pure what you were before
d) It has no lasting consequences -
What type of lie does Twain warn against?
a) A well-planned lie
b) A single clumsy and ill-finished lie born of incomplete training
c) A lie told in jest
d) A lie to protect someone else -
What is Twain's advice regarding firearms?
a) Young people should use guns frequently
b) Firearms are harmless and require no caution
c) Handle firearms carefully; they cause more havoc when misused than in actual wars
d) Only adults should ever touch firearms -
What does Twain say about early rising?
a) Youth should go to bed early and wake at dawn
b) Sleeping in is essential for health
c) He sarcastically jokes about waking up at "half past nine" with the lark
d) Morning routines do not matter -
What type of books does Twain sarcastically recommend to youth?
a) Adventure novels and exciting stories
b) Dry, moralistic books like Robertson's Sermons
c) Only science and mathematics textbooks
d) Comic books and entertainment -
Which book does Twain include in his recommendations?
a) The Innocents Abroad (his own work)
b) Robinson Crusoe
c) Pride and Prejudice
d) Moby Dick -
What does Twain criticize in his closing statement?
a) The youth of his generation
b) That following conventional advice makes one resemble "everybody else"
c) The education system
d) Modern technology -
What is the ironic significance of the essay's title?
a) It accurately describes the content
b) It promises genuine advice but delivers satire instead
c) It is meant to confuse readers
d) It has no connection to the content -
Who is Twain's intended audience for this speech?
a) Parents only
b) Teachers and educators
c) Young people (youth)
d) Political leaders -
What does Twain suggest about the nature of truth?
a) Truth is mighty and always prevails
b) Truth is easily repudiated; a good lie is immortal
c) Truth and lies are equally powerful
d) Truth is irrelevant in society -
What superstition does Twain reference?
a) That guns are cursed
b) That parents know best
c) That lying brings bad luck
d) That books have magical powers -
What is Twain's underlying message to youth?
a) Blindly obey all adults
b) Question authority and think critically for themselves
c) Ignore all advice from elders
d) Follow societal norms without thinking -
How does Twain use humor in the essay?
a) Through simple jokes and puns
b) Through exaggeration and absurd suggestions that expose societal absurdity
c) Through slapstick comedy
d) Through dark and offensive content -
What form did Twain's "Advice to Youth" originally take?
a) A written letter
b) A newspaper article
c) A speech (didactic talk)
d) A private journal -
What historical event may have influenced Twain's essay?
a) The Civil War
b) The prohibition of alcohol in Kansas in 1881
c) The invention of the railroad
d) American independence -
What does Twain criticize about societal conformity?
a) He celebrates it as positive
b) He suggests it produces followers rather than thinkers
c) He believes it has no effect on youth
d) He only criticizes some forms -
What type of satire does "Advice to Youth" exemplify?
a) Menippean satire
b) Horatian satire
c) Juvenalian satire
d) Political satire -
What is Twain's overall goal in writing this essay?
a) To provide literal guidance to youth
b) To expose hypocrisy of adults and encourage critical thinking in youth
c) To entertain without deeper meaning
d) To promote traditional values
Answer Key
i) b – 1882
ii) c – Satire and irony
iii) b – He was asked to give a didactic talk to young people
iv) c – Obey your parents only when they are present
v) b – Parents think they know better than their children but often do not
vi) c – Wait for the perfect moment to retaliate, perhaps with a brick
vii) c – Lying is a "beautiful art" requiring skill and careful training
viii) c – You can never be in the eyes of the good and pure what you were before
ix) b – A single clumsy and ill-finished lie born of incomplete training
x) c – Handle firearms carefully; they cause more havoc when misused than in actual wars
xi) c – He sarcastically jokes about waking up at "half past nine" with the lark
xii) b – Dry, moralistic books like Robertson's Sermons
xiii) a – The Innocents Abroad (his own work)
xiv) b – That following conventional advice makes one resemble "everybody else"
xv) b – It promises genuine advice but delivers satire instead
xvi) c – Young people (youth)
xvii) b – Truth is easily repudiated; a good lie is immortal
xviii) b – That parents know best
xix) b – Question authority and think critically for themselves
xx) b – Through exaggeration and absurd suggestions that expose societal absurdity
xxi) c – A speech (didactic talk)
xxii) b – The prohibition of alcohol in Kansas in 1881
xxiii) b – He suggests it produces followers rather than thinkers
xxiv) c – Juvenalian satire
xxv) b – To expose hypocrisy of adults and encourage critical thinking in youth