Important MCQs with Answer on Riders to the Sea
Class 12 3rd Semester English Suggestion 2026
1. Who is the author of the one act play Riders to the Sea?
A) W.B. Yeats
B) John Millington Synge
C) George Bernard Shaw
D) Sean O'Casey
Answer: B) John Millington Synge
2. John Millington Synge was a pioneering figure in which literary movement?
A) The Romantic Movement
B) The Irish Literary Revival
C) The Victorian Realist Movement
D) The Modernist AvantGarde
Answer: B) The Irish Literary Revival
3. What is the geographical setting of Riders to the Sea?
A) A fishing village in Cornwall
B) An island off the West of Ireland (Aran Islands)
C) A highland valley in Scotland
D) The southern coast of Wales
Answer: B) An island off the West of Ireland (Aran Islands)
4. Which items are part of the opening cottage kitchen scene?
A) Books, ledger tables, and a clock
B) Nets, oilskins, spinning wheel, and new white boards
C) Carpentry tools, iron chains, and saddles
D) Floral garlands, earthen pots, and musical pipes
Answer: B) Nets, oilskins, spinning wheel, and new white boards
5. What is Cathleen doing at the start of the play?
A) Washing clothes by the spring well
B) Kneading cake and spinning at the wheel
C) Searching for Michael along the seashore
D) Buying ropes from Connemara
Answer: B) Kneading cake and spinning at the wheel
6. How old is Cathleen?
A) About sixteen
B) About twenty
C) About twenty-five
D) About thirty
Answer: B) About twenty
7. Who brings the bundle of clothes to Nora?
A) The old watchman
B) The young priest
C) Eamon Simon
D) Colum Shawn
Answer: B) The young priest
8. What articles of clothing are contained in the bundle brought by Nora?
A) A woolen coat and trousers
B) A shirt and a plain stocking
C) A knitted vest and a cap
D) A flannel shirt and leather shoes
Answer: B) A shirt and a plain stocking
9. Where were the clothes taken from a drowned man?
A) In Galway
B) In Donegal
C) In Connemara
D) In Dublin
Answer: B) In Donegal
10. Why do the sisters want to examine the clothes in secret?
A) To sell them to a peddler
B) To avoid Maurya seeing them and crying herself to death
C) Because the priest forbade public mourning
D) To avoid paying taxes on salvaged items
Answer: B) To avoid Maurya seeing them and crying herself to death
11. What comfort does the young priest offer if the clothes belong to Michael?
A) That the family will receive compensation
B) That Michael received a clean burial by the grace of God
C) That Michael’s body will be brought back home
D) That the priest will hold a special mass in Galway
Answer: B) That Michael received a clean burial by the grace of God
12. Why is Bartley planning to go to the mainland?
A) To seek employment in the city
B) To sell horses at the Galway fair
C) To consult a doctor for Maurya
D) To join the merchant navy
Answer: B) To sell horses at the Galway fair
13. What reassurance did the young priest give Nora about Bartley's journey?
A) That the wind would subside by noon
B) That Almighty God would not leave Maurya destitute with no son living
C) That Bartley was the most experienced sailor on the island
D) That a large steamship would accompany them
Answer: B) That Almighty God would not leave Maurya destitute with no son living
14. How does Nora describe the state of the sea by the white rocks?
A) Perfectly calm and clear
B) Middling bad, with a great roaring in the west
C) Completely frozen over
D) Mild with gentle easterly breezes
Answer: B) Middling bad, with a great roaring in the west
15. Where do Cathleen and Nora hide the bundle of clothes when Maurya stirs?
A) Under the kitchen table
B) In the turf loft near the chimney gable
C) Inside the bread pot oven
D) In the pig pen outside
Answer: B) In the turf loft near the chimney gable
16. What is turf (peat) used for in the cottage?
A) Building wall foundations
B) Fuel for the fire and oven
C) Animal feed
D) Dyeing woolen fabrics
Answer: B) Fuel for the fire and oven
17. Why does Maurya believe Bartley will not travel on that day?
A) Because he has lost his horse
B) Because of the rising wind from the south and west, and the priest would stop him
C) Because the fair in Galway was canceled
D) Because he is suffering from high fever
Answer: B) Because of the rising wind from the south and west, and the priest would stop him
18. Who did Nora hear confirming that Bartley would definitely go?
A) The village schoolmaster
B) Eamon Simon, Stephen Pheety, and Colum Shawn
C) The parish elders
D) The local cattle jobbers
Answer: B) Eamon Simon, Stephen Pheety, and Colum Shawn
19. What item does Bartley ask for immediately upon entering the cottage?
A) His new flannel coat
B) The bit of new rope bought in Connemara
C) His leather purse and pipe
D) The freshly baked cake
Answer: B) The bit of new rope bought in Connemara
20. Where had Cathleen hung the rope and why?
A) On the door hook to dry in the breeze
B) On a nail by the white boards, because the pig with black feet was eating it
C) In the loft to keep it away from salt water
D) Near the fireplace to soften the fibers
Answer: B) On a nail by the white boards, because the pig with black feet was eating it
21. Why does Maurya object to Bartley taking the new rope?
A) It was too expensive to use on a pony
B) It will be needed to lower Michael into a deep grave if his body is washed up
C) It belongs rightfully to the priest
D) It is already rotten from dampness
Answer: B) It will be needed to lower Michael into a deep grave if his body is washed up
22. Why does Bartley insist on taking the rope?
A) To tie the timber planks
B) To make a halter to ride down on the mare
C) To secure the boat's sails
D) To bind the bundles of kelp
Answer: B) To make a halter to ride down on the mare
23. Why can Bartley not afford to postpone his trip to Galway?
A) The boat sailing that day is the only one going for two weeks or beyond
B) His employer ordered him to leave immediately
C) The fair occurs only once every five years
D) He must deliver a legal petition to the magistrate
Answer: A) The boat sailing that day is the only one going for two weeks or beyond
24. Why did Maurya buy the fine white boards from Connemara?
A) To repair the kitchen roof
B) To make a coffin for Michael
C) To build a new fishing boat
D) To construct partitions for the bedroom
Answer: B) To make a coffin for Michael
25. What celestial omen does Maurya mention to warn Bartley of rough seas?
A) A falling meteor in the northern sky
B) A star up against the moon rising in the night
C) A total solar eclipse at dawn
D) A red rainbow over the bay
Answer: B) A star up against the moon rising in the night
26. What does Maurya say regarding the value of horses versus a son?
A) Horses bring wealth, but sons bring pride
B) What is the price of a thousand horses against a son where there is one son only?
C) A good horse is harder to find than a strong rower
D) Wealth from horses cannot feed an island family
Answer: B) What is the price of a thousand horses against a son where there is one son only?
27. What domestic chores does Bartley instruct Cathleen to manage while he is away?
A) Keep sheep off the rye, sell the black footed pig if the price is good, and gather weed for kelp
B) Spin wool for five new shawls and repair the fishing nets
C) Whitewash the kitchen walls and plant potatoes
D) Collect timber from the seashore and mend the boat
Answer: A) Keep sheep off the rye, sell the black footed pig if the price is good, and gather weed for kelp
28. What animals is Bartley taking with him to the pier?
A) Two white mares
B) The red mare and the gray pony
C) A black stallion and a donkey
D) Three young colts
Answer: B) The red mare and the gray pony
29. How long does Bartley estimate his journey might take depending on the wind?
A) Exactly one day
B) Two, three, or maybe four days if the wind is bad
C) Over two weeks
D) A full month
Answer: B) Two, three, or maybe four days if the wind is bad
30. What parting words does Bartley utter as he leaves the cottage?
A) "Farewell, mother and sisters."
B) "The blessing of God on you."
C) "Keep the fire burning till I return."
D) "Do not weep for Michael anymore."
Answer: B) "The blessing of God on you."
31. What fatal mistake does Maurya make as Bartley departs through the door?
A) She curses the Galway horse traders
B) She refuses to give him her blessing and utters an unlucky word
C) She throws water after him
D) She blows out the hearth fire
Answer: B) She refuses to give him her blessing and utters an unlucky word
32. What did the daughters forget to give Bartley before he left?
A) His tobacco pouch
B) His bit of freshly baked bread
C) His waterproof oilskins
D) His travel money
Answer: B) His bit of freshly baked bread
33. Where does Cathleen send Maurya to intercept Bartley and deliver the bread?
A) Down to the boat pier
B) Down to the spring well
C) Over by the churchyard
D) At the top of the black cliff
Answer: B) Down to the spring well
34. What walking stick does Nora give to Maurya to support her on the slippery stones?
A) An ash stick cut from the hills
B) The stick Michael brought from Connemara
C) An iron tipped staff belonging to her late husband
D) A cane made of fine willow
Answer: B) The stick Michael brought from Connemara
35. What tragic reflection does Maurya make about the young and old in their island life?
A) Old people teach wisdom to the young
B) In this place, the young men leave things behind for them that are old
C) Young people always outlive their parents
D) Old age brings comfort and wealth on the island
Answer: B) In this place, the young men leave things behind for them that are old
36. How were the clothes recovered in Donegal according to the priest's report?
A) Washed up naturally on the sandy beach
B) Caught by the oar of two men rowing with poteen past the black cliffs
C) Found trapped in a deepsea trawler's net
D) Discovered by coastal guards patrolling the harbor
Answer: B) Caught by the oar of two men rowing with poteen past the black cliffs
37. What is "poteen" as referenced in the text?
A) A local woolen fabric
B) Traditional illicit Irish distilled alcohol
C) A type of fishing bait
D) A ceremonial funeral bread
Answer: B) Traditional illicit Irish distilled alcohol
38. Why does Cathleen need a knife to open the bundle of clothes?
A) The package is sealed with lead wires
B) The string is perished with salt water and tied in a tight black knot
C) The cloth is frozen stiff
D) The priest sealed it with heavy resin
Answer: B) The string is perished with salt water and tied in a tight black knot
39. How does Nora definitively identify the stocking as Michael’s?
A) It has his initials embroidered on the cuff
B) She counts the stitches: three score stitches with four dropped, from the third pair she knitted
C) It is made of imported blue yarn
D) It was patched with flannel cloth
Answer: B) She counts the stitches: three score stitches with four dropped, from the third pair she knitted
40. What are the "black hags that do be flying on the sea"?
A) Mythical witches
B) Seabirds / cormorants
C) Dark storm clouds
D) Sailing pirate vessels
Answer: B) Seabirds / cormorants
41. What does Nora lament about Michael's physical remains?
A) That his body was buried without a priest
B) That nothing is left of a great rower and fisher but an old shirt and a plain stocking
C) That his silver ring was lost in the sea
D) That no monument will mark his northern grave
Answer: B) That nothing is left of a great rower and fisher but an old shirt and a plain stocking
42. Where do the sisters conceal Michael's clothes when they hear Maurya returning?
A) Under the mattress in the bedroom
B) In a hole in the chimney corner
C) Back in the turf loft
D) Inside the empty flour barrel
Answer: B) In a hole in the chimney corner
43. Why does Cathleen tell Nora to sit with her back to the door?
A) To block the cold wind from entering
B) So Maurya will not see that Nora has been crying
C) To watch the kettle boil
D) To spin wool more easily
Answer: B) So Maurya will not see that Nora has been crying
44. What is Maurya still holding in her hand when she returns from the spring well?
A) Michael's walking stick only
B) The cloth with the bread, untouched
C) A handful of wet seaweed
D) A piece of broken halter rope
Answer: B) The cloth with the bread, untouched
45. What supernatural folklore figure does Maurya invoke when describing her terrible vision?
A) The Banshee of the western hills
B) Bride Dara, who saw the dead man with the child in his arms
C) The Queen of Connacht
D) The phantom sailor of Galway
Answer: B) Bride Dara, who saw the dead man with the child in his arms
46. What terrifying sight did Maurya behold at the spring well?
A) A shipwreck crashing onto the rocks
B) Bartley riding the red mare, with Michael riding behind him on the gray pony
C) A ghost rising directly out of the well water
D) A dark shadow pulling Bartley off his saddle
Answer: B) Bartley riding the red mare, with Michael riding behind him on the gray pony
47. What was Michael wearing in Maurya's spectral vision?
A) His tattered old fishing rags
B) Fine clothes and new shoes on his feet
C) A white burial shroud
D) His waterproof oilskins
Answer: B) Fine clothes and new shoes on his feet
48. What happened when Maurya attempted to say "God speed you" to Bartley?
A) Bartley laughed at her
B) Something choked the words in her throat
C) A loud gust of wind blew her voice away
D) The pony reared up and drowned her voice
Answer: B) Something choked the words in her throat
49. How does Maurya respond to the priest's promise that God would spare her last living son?
A) She praises the young priest's deep wisdom
B) She remarks: "It's little the like of him knows of the sea"
C) She asks the girls to light five candles for the priest
D) She writes a message to the bishop
Answer: B) She remarks: "It's little the like of him knows of the sea"
50. How many male family members has Maurya lost to the sea prior to Bartley?
A) Four sons and a brother
B) A husband, a husband's father, and five sons (with Bartley becoming the sixth)
C) Two brothers and three sons
D) Three husbands and four sons
Answer: B) A husband, a husband's father, and five sons (with Bartley becoming the sixth)
51. What were the names of Maurya's six sons?
A) Stephen, Shawn, Sheamus, Patch, Michael, and Bartley
B) Colum, Eamon, Stephen, Pheety, Michael, and Bartley
C) Simon, Shawn, Patrick, Peter, Michael, and Bartley
D) Liam, Sean, Sheamus, Colum, Michael, and Bartley
Answer: A) Stephen, Shawn, Sheamus, Patch, Michael, and Bartley
52. Where were Stephen and Shawn found after being lost in the great wind?
A) On the shores of Donegal
B) In the Bay of Gregory of the Golden Mouth
C) Off the cliffs of Moher
D) Near the harbor of Galway
Answer: B) In the Bay of Gregory of the Golden Mouth
53. How were the bodies of Stephen and Shawn brought home?
A) In two separate wooden carts
B) Carried up together on the one plank
C) Wrapped in fishing nets by the priest
D) On the backs of two island ponies
Answer: B) Carried up together on the one plank
54. What happened to Maurya's son Patch?
A) He fell from the high cliffs into the breakers
B) He was drowned out of a curragh that turned over
C) He died of fever during the Galway fair
D) He was lost on a merchant vessel in the Atlantic
Answer: B) He was drowned out of a curragh that turned over
55. What was Maurya doing when Patch's body was brought into the house years ago?
A) Baking bread by the fire
B) Sitting with Bartley as a baby lying on her knees
C) Gathering seaweed at the shore with Cathleen
D) Praying in the village chapel
Answer: B) Sitting with Bartley as a baby lying on her knees
56. What were the women who entered the house carrying Patch wearing over their heads?
A) Black lace veils
B) Red petticoats
C) White linen shawls
D) Knitted wool scarves
Answer: B) Red petticoats
57. In what was Patch's dripping body carried?
A) In a heavy canvas sack
B) In the half of a red sail
C) On a large wicker basket
D) Inside a wooden chest
Answer: B) In the half of a red sail
58. What sign alerts Nora that another body is being brought to the cottage?
A) Church bells tolling in the village
B) Water dripping from a carried load, leaving a track by the big stones
C) Gunshots fired from the harbor
D) A white flag raised above the pier
Answer: B) Water dripping from a carried load, leaving a track by the big stones
59. How did Bartley die?
A) His boat overturned in the easterly gale
B) The gray pony knocked him into the sea, washing him out into the surf on the white rocks
C) He fell from the pier while loading the horses
D) He was struck by lightning on the green head
Answer: B) The gray pony knocked him into the sea, washing him out into the surf on the white rocks
60. How is Bartley's corpse carried into the house?
A) In a wooden coffin made in Galway
B) Laid on a plank with a bit of a sail over it
C) Carried in the arms of four island fishermen
D) In a wicker handcart
Answer: B) Laid on a plank with a bit of a sail over it
61. What action do the island women perform as they kneel around the room?
A) Singing Latin hymns
B) Keening softly and swaying with a slow movement
C) Chanting scripture verses loudly
D) Reading from the Book of Common Prayer
Answer: B) Keening softly and swaying with a slow movement
62. What is the profound paradox in Maurya’s reaction upon losing her last son?
A) She becomes violently enraged at her daughters
B) She experiences a tragic, absolute peace because the sea can do no more harm to her
C) She resolves to sail across the sea to Galway herself
D) She denies that Bartley is dead and attempts to awaken him
Answer: B) She experiences a tragic, absolute peace because the sea can do no more harm to her
63. Why will Maurya no longer need to stay awake on stormy nights?
A) She has become completely deaf to the winds
B) She has no living sons left to worry about or pray for
C) She plans to move to the mainland city
D) The sea has become permanently calm
Answer: B) She has no living sons left to worry about or pray for
64. What is Samhain?
A) The Irish midsummer festival of the sun
B) The first day of November (All Saints' Day / the Feast of Souls)
C) The spring equinox celebration
D) The annual Galway horse fair day
Answer: B) The first day of November (All Saints' Day / the Feast of Souls)
65. Where is the Holy Water kept in the cottage kitchen?
A) Next to the hearth on the floor
B) A small sup on the dresser
C) In a ceramic bottle inside the turfloft
D) Hanging beside the front entrance door
Answer: B) A small sup on the dresser
66. What symbolic action does Maurya perform with Michael's clothes and the Holy Water?
A) She burns them in the fireplace
B) She drops Michael's clothes across Bartley's feet and sprinkles Holy Water over both
C) She buries the clothes in the kitchen floor
D) She hands them to the village elders to give to the poor
Answer: B) She drops Michael's clothes across Bartley's feet and sprinkles Holy Water over both
67. What essential item was forgotten when purchasing the white boards for the coffin?
A) The wooden handles
B) The nails
C) The waterproof varnish
D) The inner linen lining
Answer: B) The nails
68. Why did Maurya forget to purchase nails for the coffin?
A) She lacked sufficient money in Connemara
B) She is getting old and broken from grief
C) Nails were unavailable across the island
D) She expected the carpenter to provide them
Answer: B) She is getting old and broken from grief
69. What does Maurya do with the empty cup of Holy Water?
A) Throws it against the hearth stones
B) Puts the empty cup mouth downwards on the table
C) Hands it back to Cathleen to refill
D) Places it on Bartley's chest
Answer: B) Puts the empty cup mouth downwards on the table
70. What does Maurya's turning the cup upside down symbolize?
A) The abundance of fresh water on the island
B) The complete exhaustion of her family lineage and the finality of loss
C) Her defiance against the Christian church
D) A request for more bread and wine
Answer: B) The complete exhaustion of her family lineage and the finality of loss
71. For whose souls does Maurya pray at the conclusion of the drama?
A) Only Bartley and Michael
B) Bartley, Michael, Sheamus, Patch, Stephen, Shawn, herself, and everyone left living in the world
C) The young priest and the Galway merchants
D) The ancestors of the Aran Islands exclusively
Answer: B) Bartley, Michael, Sheamus, Patch, Stephen, Shawn, herself, and everyone left living in the world
72. What final philosophical realization does Maurya utter before the curtain falls?
A) "Vengeance belongs to the sea, and we must fight it."
B) "No man at all can be living for ever, and we must be satisfied."
C) "God has abandoned the poor islanders of the west."
D) "Wealth and horses will comfort our old age."
Answer: B) "No man at all can be living for ever, and we must be satisfied."
73. The primary antagonist in Riders to the Sea is:
A) The young priest
B) The destructive and merciless Sea
C) The Galway horse jobber
D) The harsh landlord of the island
Answer: B) The destructive and merciless Sea
74. What dramatic genre best defines Synge's Riders to the Sea?
A) Romantic Comedy
B) One act Poetic Folk Tragedy
C) Historical Melodrama
D) Social Satire
Answer: B) One act Poetic Folk Tragedy
75. How does Maurya view the young priest's understanding of human survival?
A) Deeply accurate and inspired by God
B) Naive and ignorant of the ruthless realities of the sea
C) Highly practical for island fishermen
D) Superior to the folklore of the old women
Answer: B) Naive and ignorant of the ruthless realities of the se
76. What color imagery is prominently associated with tragedy and death throughout the play?
A) Green and gold
B) White (boards/rocks), red (mare/sail/petticoats), and gray (pony)
C) Blue and yellow
D) Purple and silver
Answer: B) White (boards/rocks), red (mare/sail/petticoats), and gray (pony)
77. In the supernatural vision, the gray pony can be interpreted as an archetype of:
A) Worldly wealth and status
B) The pale horse of Death
C) Divine protection and guidance
D) Safe passage across the waters
Answer: B) The pale horse of Death
78. What is the purpose of the traditional Irish "keen" in the play?
A) A celebratory wedding song
B) A ritualized, vocal lamentation for the dead
C) A prayer chanted to bring rain to crops
D) A rhythmic work song for spinning wool
Answer: B) A ritualized, vocal lamentation for the dead
79. How long had Michael been missing in the sea before the clothes were identified?
A) Three days
B) Nine days
C) Fifteen days
D) A whole month
Answer: B) Nine days
80. Why is a "clean burial" considered so significant for the islanders?
A) It avoids paying parish burial fees
B) It provides spiritual dignity, closure, and consecrated rest for a drowned body
C) It allows the family to inherit the deceased's land
D) It prevents infectious diseases from spreading
Answer: B) It provides spiritual dignity, closure, and consecrated rest for a drowned body
81. What role do Cathleen and Nora primarily represent in the drama?
A) Rebels defying island traditions
B) The younger generation coping with domestic survival amid tragic fate
C) Outsiders visiting the island from the mainland
D) Wealthy landowners managing island estates
Answer: B) The younger generation coping with domestic survival amid tragic fate
82. What is the dominant philosophical theme that permeates Riders to the Sea?
A) Existential fatalism and the inevitable triumph of Nature over Man
B) Social advancement through urban migration
C) The conflict between scientific industrialization and agriculture
D) Political liberation from foreign rule
Answer: A) Existential fatalism and the inevitable triumph of Nature over Man
83. Which town on the Irish mainland is the main hub for trading island horses?
A) Cork
B) Galway
C) Belfast
D) Limerick
Answer: B) Galway
84. What type of boat is explicitly mentioned as turning east at the green head?
A) A steam ferry
B) A hooker
C) A naval cutter
D) A longboat
Answer: B) A hooker
85. What is a "curragh" as used by the Aran fishermen?
A) A traditional canvas or hide covered wooden framed boat
B) A large multi-masted merchant vessel
C) A stone pier built into deep water
D) A specialized fishing spear
Answer: A) A traditional canvas or hide covered wooden framed boat
86. What reason did Bartley give for hurrying to catch the boat?
A) He wanted to avoid Maurya's tears
B) The fair would be a good fair for horses and boats were infrequent
C) He had a debt to pay in Galway before sundown
D) The weather was predicted to worsen into a hurricane
Answer: B) The fair would be a good fair for horses and boats were infrequent
87. Why did the pig with black feet chew the Connemara rope?
A) The rope was made of salted hemp fibers
B) The rope was left carelessly on the kitchen floor
C) The pig was starved
D) It had fallen into the pig trough
Answer: B) The rope was left carelessly on the kitchen floor
88. What happens to the language and speech cadence of the characters in the drama?
A) It uses standard high Victorian English
B) It mirrors Hiberno English, blending Irish syntactic rhythm with poetic English
C) It uses rhyming couplets throughout
D) It consists entirely of silent pantomime
Answer: B) It mirrors Hiberno English, blending Irish syntactic rhythm with poetic English
89. What does Bartley change before walking out to the pier?
A) He takes off his old coat and puts on a newer one of the same flannel
B) He changes his leather boots for sea sandals
C) He puts on Michael's woolen scarf
D) He removes his hat and leaves his purse
Answer: A) He takes off his old coat and puts on a newer one of the same flannel
90. Who is Column in the play?
A) The young parish priest
B) An old island man who helps with funeral arrangements
C) A horse dealer from Galway
D) A fisherman from Donegal
Answer: B) An old island man who helps with funeral arrangements
91. What food does Cathleen offer the men to eat while making the coffin?
A) Stale salted fish
B) A new cake baked at the fire
C) Boiled potatoes and butter
D) Honey and dried apples
Answer: B) A new cake baked at the fire
92. Why did Nora drop four stitches while knitting the second stocking?
A) She was distracted by the storm outside
B) It was a simple human mistake in her knitting count
C) She ran out of black wool yarn
D) Cathleen took the needles away
Answer: B) It was a simple human mistake in her knitting count
93. What does Maurya foresee eating in the long winter nights after Samhain?
A) Feast meals prepared by the village
B) A bit of wet flour and maybe stinking fish
C) Fresh bread and honey from Galway
D) Meat preserved by the cattle dealers
Answer: B) A bit of wet flour and maybe stinking fish
94. How does Maurya characterize the men in her household before their deaths?
A) Wealthy landowners and merchants
B) Six fine, strong men who were great rowers and fishers
C) Timid farmers afraid of the tides
D) Scholars and priests of the church
Answer: B) Six fine, strong men who were great rowers and fishers
95. What visual contrast is emphasized between Maurya and her daughters?
A) Maurya wears bright clothes while the girls wear black
B) Maurya embodies crushed old age and fatalistic grief, while the daughters represent youthful labor and fragile hope
C) Maurya desires to sail while the daughters fear the water
D) Maurya speaks only Irish while the daughters speak only English
Answer: B) Maurya embodies crushed old age and fatalistic grief, while the daughters represent youthful labor and fragile hope
96. What does the white color of the coffin boards suggest in the play?
A) Joyful celebration and luxury
B) Untimely death, purity of youth, and stark tragedy
C) Military victory and bravery
D) Wealth and aristocratic status
Answer: B) Untimely death, purity of youth, and stark tragedy
97. What emotion replaces Maurya's panic and sorrow when Bartley's dead body is laid on the table?
A) Intense fury and madness
B) Resigned calm, solemn dignity, and spiritual release
C) Bitter hatred toward her daughters
D) Complete disbelief and denial
Answer: B) Resigned calm, solemn dignity, and spiritual release
98. Assertion (A): Maurya stops weeping and praying frantically after Bartley's death.
Reason (R): The sea has taken all her sons and men, leaving nothing more that it can take from her.
A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.
B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A.
C) A is true, but R is false.
D) A is false, but R is true.
Answer: A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.
99. Assertion (A): The young priest's promise that God would spare Bartley proved false.
Reason (R): Synge portrays the primal, destructive power of the Sea as indifferent to conventional religious optimism.
A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.
B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A.
C) A is true, but R is false.
D) A is false, but R is true.
Answer: A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.
100. The dramatic climax of Riders to the Sea is reached when:
A) Nora counts the dropped stitches on Michael's stocking
B) Maurya witnesses the supernatural apparition of Michael riding behind Bartley
C) Bartley's drowned body is carried into the kitchen on a plank
D) The young priest brings the salvaged bundle from Donegal
Answer: C) Bartley's drowned body is carried into the kitchen on a plank
