WB SSC ENGLISH COUNSEL: 50 multiple‑choice questions (with answers) based on Sir Philip Sidney’s sonnet “Loving in Truth”

Tuesday, July 15, 2025

50 multiple‑choice questions (with answers) based on Sir Philip Sidney’s sonnet “Loving in Truth”:

How many lines does the poem contain?
A) 10 B) 12 C) 14 D) 16
Answer: C
What is the rhyme scheme?
A) ABAB CDCD EFEF GG B) AABB CCDD EEFF GG C) ABBA… D) Free verse
Answer: A
Which poetic form is used?
A) Elegy B) Sonnet C) Ode D) Ballad
Answer: B
What type of sonnet is it?
A) Petrarchan B) Shakespearean C) Spenserian D) Free
Answer: A (octet + sestet)
At which line does the sestet (final 6 lines) begin?
A) Line 7 B) Line 8 C) Line 9 D) Line 10
Answer: C
Which feature is seen in line endings ("truth," "wit," "ruth," "it")?
A) Consonance B) Imperfect rhyme C) Perfect rhyme D) Alliteration
Answer: C
What is the meter of the sonnet?
A) Iambic pentameter B) Trochaic tetrameter C) Iambic tetrameter D) Dactylic hexameter
Answer: A
How many feet per line?
A) 4 B) 5 C) 6 D) 3
Answer: B
The poem begins: “Loving in truth, and fain in verse my love to show.” The word “fain” means:
A) Proud B) Eager C) Angry D) Thoughtful
Answer: B
The term “iambic” refers to:
A) Stressed-unstressed pattern B) Unstressed-stressed pattern C) Always stressed D) Always unstressed
Answer: B

Sidney loves in truth—this implies?
A) Superficial B) Genuine C) Perfunctory D) Flamboyant
Answer: B
“Fain” indicates the poet is:
A) Reluctant B) Eager C) Apathetic D) Nervous
Answer: B
The speaker laments not mastering:
A) Painting B) Song C) Verse-writing D) Dance
Answer: C
“But, as it is, not skill’d in pen to pen…” – Here “pen to pen” means:
A) Verses upon verses B) Writing fights C) Two pens D) Love letters
Answer: A
The speaker’s remedy is to:
A) Write more B) Give up C) Fall silent D) Sing songs
Answer: C
The phrase “teach to paint the beauties she bequeaths” refers to:
A) Teaching at school B) Capturing her beauty in art C) Poetry D) Spellcasting
Answer: B
What does he hope her eyes will do?
A) Weep B) Approve his verse C) Blush D) Roll
Answer: B
“Mine own works blame I to this blot” – “blot” means:
A) Praise B) Mistake C) Beauty D) Secret
Answer: B
He prays for pardon or:
A) Ridicule B) Rejection C) Death D) Silence
Answer: D
A major theme is:
A) Jealousy B) Courtship frustration C) War D) Faith
Answer: B

“Behold, I can but write of love…”—Here “write of love” means:
A) Criticize love B) Describe his feelings C) Ignore love D) Mock love
Answer: B
The word “waste” in “waste of words” implies:
A) Recycling B) Worthless surplus C) Food remnants D) Punctuation
Answer: B
“Blame I to this blot”—“blame I” means:
A) I agree B) I acknowledge C) I reject D) I conceal
Answer: B
The poem uses an apostrophe by addressing:
A) A friend B) A lover C) Abstract concept D) Himself
Answer: B
The phrase “teach … to paint the beauties she bequeaths” shows:
A) Genetic inheritance B) Nature beauties C) He can’t capture her form properly D) Financial gifts
Answer: C
“Pardon” in this context is a:
A) Command B) Prayer C) Statement D) Threat
Answer: B
The poem metaphorically refers to “blots” as:
A) Splashes of ink (flaws in writing) B) Spots on the lover C) Spots on paper D) Tears
Answer: A
“When I desire to rhyme” – he struggles with:
A) Choosing words that sound alike B) Setting poetry to music C) Speaking D) Thinking
Answer: A
The tone at the start is:
A) Confident B) Frustrated C) Joyful D) Indifferent
Answer: B
Overall tone is:
A) Arrogant B) Apologetic & humble C) Romantic bravado D) Aggressive
Answer: B

The first person in the poem is:
A) A teacher B) The poet C) Her admirer D) The critic
Answer: B
“Pen to pen” suggests:
A) Handwriting B) Dialogue C) Engaging prose D) Continuous poetry
Answer: D
The poet’s regret:
A) He lacks passion B) He lacks art C) He lacks money D) He lacks friends
Answer: B
“Teach to ...spell” – “spell” implies:
A) Enchantment B) Spelling words C) Telling tales D) Singing
Answer: A (i.e., enchant)
He appeals to:
A) A god B) His lover C) His rival D) His future
Answer: B
The word “these foolish lines” indicates he views his own verses as:
A) Brilliant B) Foolish C) Promising D) Arrogant
Answer: B
“Let my tongue to prose conversion turn” – he’d prefer:
A) Ordinary speech B) Singing C) Dance D) Painting
Answer: A
He is aware his verse lacks:
A) Rhyme B) Wit C) Sincerity D) Volume
Answer: B
The main metaphor: writing as:
A) Gardening B) Mirror C) Painting D) Building
Answer: C
The poem’s purpose is to:
A) Flaunt skill B) Critique poetry C) Express inadequate love D) Set moral code
Answer: C

As a Renaissance poet, Sidney values:
A) God B) Reason C) Poetry as moral art D) Mine
Answer: C
“Rhyme” was historically linked to:
A) Magic B) Song C) Simple verse D) Prose
Answer: A
Sidney’s humility reflects Renaissance ideals of:
A) Humanism B) Religious rule C) Militarism D) Isolationism
Answer: A
“Teach me how to rhyme” shows:
A) Overconfidence B) Lack of formal training C) Insult D) Playfulness
Answer: B
The sonnet is primarily about:
A) Poetry mechanics B) Love failure C) Self-criticism D) Social satire
Answer: C
“In truth” contrasts with:
A) Lies B) Costume C) Youth D) Nature
Answer: A
The sestet begins with a call for:
A) Forgiveness B) Admiration C) Applause D) Wealth
Answer: A
Sidney compares his verse errors to:
A) Moral sins B) Ink blots C) Broken mirrors D) Fallen leaves
Answer: B
The tone in the final lines is:
A) Boastful B) Sincere & plaintive C) Comedic D) Dismissive
Answer: B
Ultimately, this poem is an early example of:
A) Metapoetry (poetry about writing poetry) B) Pastoral elegy C) Heroic couplet D) Narrative epic
Answer: A

WB SSC ENGLISH COUNSEL