I Remember, I Remember – MCQs

1. The poet Thomas Hood remembers most fondly:
   a) His teenage years
   b) His childhood and the house where he was born
   c) His years in school
   d) His life as a young adult
2. What does the sun's entrance through the little window symbolize?
   a) The beginning of work
   b) The brightness and happiness of childhood
   c) The heat of summer
   d) The arrival of a new season
3. "He never came a wink too soon" - what does this suggest?
   a) The sun was always late
   b) The sun was perfectly punctual and never caused disturbance
   c) The sun was very bright
   d) The sun was unpredictable
4. The poet wishes "the night had borne my breath away" because:
   a) He is afraid of the dark
   b) He wants to escape the unhappiness of adulthood
   c) He enjoys sleeping at night
   d) He is tired from the day
5. Which flowers does the poet specifically remember?
   a) Sunflowers and daisies
   b) Roses, violets, lily-cups and lilacs
   c) Tulips and carnations
   d) Marigolds and jasmine
6. What does "flowers made of light" suggest?
   a) The flowers were luminescent
   b) The flowers were delicate, beautiful and seemed almost unreal to the child
   c) The flowers were lit by lamps
   d) The flowers were reflective
7. The laburnum tree planted by the poet's brother:
   a) Has died long ago
   b) Was planted on the brother's birthday
   c) Never bore fruit
   d) Was cut down
8. "The tree is living yet" emphasizes:
   a) The tree's biological survival only
   b) How the tree symbolizes a connection to the past despite time passing
   c) The tree's ability to withstand disease
   d) The tree's growth and strength
9. Where did the poet used to swing?
   a) In a playground
   b) In the school courtyard
   c) In the garden near the lilac bushes
   d) On a beach
10. "Thought the air must rush as fresh / To swallows on the wing" - this comparison shows:
    a) The poet's ornithological knowledge
    b) How the poet compared his feeling of freedom while swinging to a bird's flight
    c) The poet's desire to fly
    d) The poet's fear of heights
11. What does "My spirit flew in feathers then" mean?
    a) The poet wore feathered clothes
    b) The poet's spirit felt light, free and joyful in childhood
    c) The poet imagined being a bird
    d) The poet was afraid of flying
12. "That is so heavy now" refers to:
    a) The poet's physical weight
    b) The poet's spirit being weighed down by the burdens of adulthood
    c) The poet carrying heavy objects
    d) The poet's sadness about birds
13. "Summer pools could hardly cool / The fever on my brow" means:
    a) The poet had a physical fever
    b) The summer heat was extreme
    c) The poet was so excited and energetic that even cool water could not calm him
    d) The swimming pool was dirty
14. The "fir trees dark and high" represent:
    a) Tall buildings
    b) Objects of wonder and childhood imagination
    c) A forest where the poet got lost
    d) Trees that the poet was afraid of
15. The poet believed as a child that the fir trees':
    a) Roots were very deep
    b) Slender tops touched the sky (heaven)
    c) Branches were dangerous
    d) Leaves were the most beautiful in the world
16. "It was a childish ignorance" - what does the poet mean?
    a) Children are generally ignorant
    b) His belief that trees touched the sky was an innocent, childlike misunderstanding
    c) Ignorance is bad
    d) Children should know better
17. The poet says "But now 'tis little joy / To know I'm farther off from heav'n" because:
    a) He has moved to a lower altitude
    b) Growing older and wiser has distanced him from the innocence and wonder that made childhood feel closer to heaven
    c) Heaven is literally farther away
    d) He dislikes living on a plain
18. What is the overall theme of the poem?
    a) The beauty of nature
    b) How to plant trees
    c) Nostalgia for lost childhood innocence and the contrast between happy childhood and unhappy adulthood
    d) The importance of exercise
19. The rhyme scheme of the poem follows:
    a) AABB
    b) ABCBDEFE in each stanza (octave)
    c) ABAB
    d) Free verse
20. How many stanzas does the poem have?
    a) 2
    b) 3
    c) 4
    d) 5
21. The poem uses which literary device as a structural feature?
    a) Alliteration
    b) Refrain (repetition of "I remember, I remember")
    c) Metaphor
    d) Simile only
22. What is personified in the first stanza?
    a) The window
    b) The house
    c) The sun (referred to as "He")
    d) The day

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