DURGAPUR PUBLIC SCHOOL
CLASS-X
SUBJECT - English Communicative Question Bank
Session -2025-2026
1. The Gentleman of Verona
Short Questions (2 marks each)
1. How does A.J. Cronin's writing style in "Two Gentlemen of Verona" enhance the emotional impact
of the story?
2. How is the title of the story, "Two Gentlemen of Verona apt?
3. How does the story reflect the theme of sacrifice?
4. How do Jacopo and Nicola show their dedication and love for their family member in "Two
Gentlemen of Verona"?
5. How do Jacopo and Nicola serve an example of persistent individuals?
6. What do you learn about post-war Italy from the story?
7. Explain how the boys' actions redefine the meaning of 'gentleman'.
Long Questions (8 marks each)
1. How do the contrasting themes and narrative styles in Dhumketu's "The Letter" and A.J. Cronin's
"Two Gentlemen of Verona contribute to the overall tone and meaning of each story?
2. In the story, "Mrs. Pockletide's Tiger", the villagers selfishness is revealed when they are willing
to help in Mrs. Packletide's plan for some money. On the other hand, the two boys in the story
"Two Gentlemen of Verona" exhibits generosity through their actions. How does the theme of
these stories stand in contrast to each other?
3. The story "Mrs. Packletide's Tiger" features satire and social commentary about vanity and social
status, while "Two Gentlemen of Verona" by A.J. Cronin explores themes of sacrifice and
selflessness. How do these contrasting themes and narrative styles contribute to the overall tone
and meaning of each story?
2. Mrs Packletide’s Tiger
Short Questions (2 marks each)
1. Evaluate how Mrs. Packletide's character in "Mrs. Packletide's Tiger serve as a commentary on
social status and vanity in society.
2. Evaluate what the writer wishes to convey through the phrase "the tiger's silent grandeur" in "Mrs.
Packletide's Tiger".
3. How does the story use humour to critique vanity?
4. Evaluate how Mrs. Pockletide's character portrays a commentary on social pretension and the
desire for status.
5. What role does Miss Mebbin play in the story?
6. Explain the significance of the tiger dying of a heart attack.
7. What does the story say about social pretensions?
Long Questions (8 marks each)
1. Humour and irony are used effectively to convey the theme of vanity. Discuss.
2. Write a diary entry by Miss Mebbin after she blackmails Mrs. Packletide.
3. In the story, "Mrs Packletide's Tiger," Mrs. Packletide's actions reflect her selfish nature, while
the actions of the two boys towards their sister in "Two Gentlemen of Verona" reveal their
generous nature. Discuss how the characters' attitudes and behaviours in these stories influence
their outcomes and reveal their true natures.
3. The Letter
Short Questions (2 marks each)
1. Evaluate how "The Letter" by Dhumketu portrays the impact of separation on human emotions?
2. How does the postmaster’s attitude change during the story?
1
3. Interpret the use of 'post office' as a symbol. How does the place contribute to the portrayal of
the story's central themes?
4. Describe the emotional conflict faced by the postmaster.
5. How does the story "The Letter" explore the relationships between families in today's time?
6. Explain the significance of Ali’s disappearance and reappearance.
7. What message does the story convey about empathy and understanding?
Long Questions (8 marks each)
1. Discuss how the story explores human emotions and relationships through Ali and the
postmaster.
2. Write a letter from the postmaster to his friend expressing his regret and learning from Ali’s
experience.
3. How does the story use contrast between Ali and the postmaster to highlight its theme?
4. A Shady Plot
Short Questions (2 marks each)
1. How does the narrator's experiences in "A Shady Plot" reflect the challenges faced by individuals
in the world of publishing and writing?
2. What does the writer wish to convey through a ghostly whisper in the dead of night" in "A Shady
Plot"?
3. What role did the ghost play in the narrator’s writing process?
4. How does the story incorporate humour in a supernatural context?
5. Explain the narrator’s dilemma between the ghost and his wife.
6. How is the story, "A Shady Plot a commentary on pressure that accompany the creative process?
Long Questions (8 marks each)
1. Humour and supernatural elements are blended in the story. Discuss with examples.
2. Write a letter from the ghost to the Spirit Council explaining her actions in the human world.
3. How does the author use satire to comment on popular trends and writing?
5. Patol Babu – Film Star
Short Questions (2 marks each)
1. How do Patol Bobu's actions demonstrate his dedication to his role?
2. How did Patol Babu prepare for his role despite having just one word?
3. What does Patol Babu’s attitude towards acting reveal about his character?
4. Evaluate the meaning of the line spoken by Patol Babu "It's not the size of the part that matters,
but the dedication with which one performs it.”
5. What is the significance of the word ‘Oh’ in Patol Babu’s role?
6. What message does the story convey about passion and professionalism?
Long Questions (8 marks each)
1. How do the contrasting themes and narrative styles in "Patol Babu, Film Star" and "Virtually True"
shape the tone and meaning of each story?
2. Imagine you are Patol Babu. Write a diary entry describing your experience on the film set.
3. What does the story suggest about the importance of dedication, even in small roles?
6. Virtually True
Short Questions (2 marks each)
1. What was unique about the video games played by the narrator?
2. How was the narrator able to save Sebastian?
3. What role did technology play in the story?
4. How did the two characters communicate?
5. Why is the story titled “Virtually True”?
2
Long Questions (8 marks each)
1. Explore the theme of human connection through technology in “Virtually True.”
2. How do both stories, "A Shady Plot" and "Virtually True" illustrate that the interactions with the unusual
elements (games or ghosts) have a significant impact on the characters' lives.
3. The story "Virtually True" has elements of virtual reality and advanced technology that contrast with
the traditional ghostly occurrences in "Shady Plot". How do these contrasting themes and narrative styles
contribute to the overall tone and meaning of each story?
7. The Frog and the Nightingale
Short Questions (2 marks each)
1. How does the internal conflict manifest in "The Frog and the Nightingale"?
2. How does the use of the frog's criticism explore the theme of exploitation and manipulation in the
poem?
3. Interpret the use of the phrase "The frog crooked his own praises in conveying the theme of
manipulation and deception in "The Frog and the Nightingale".
4. Interpret imagery in the use of the line, For six hours, till she was shivering as an element to convey
the theme of deception in "The Frog and the Nightingale".
5. Analyse the frog's plans of taking advantage of the nightingale's talent in the poem "The Frog and the
Nightingale."
Long Questions (8 marks each)
1. The nightingale's willingness to sing through the night and her drive to make her performance perfect,
even at great personal cost, reflect her commitment to her art. Inspired by her skill, Patol Babu decides
to write her a letter and also shares how this skill of working hard is common in both of them. As Patol
Babu, write a letter to the nightingale.
2. Write the frog’s diary entry after the nightingale's death.
3. How does the poem warn against blind trust and lack of self-confidence?
8. Not Marble, Nor the Gilded Monuments (Shakespeare)
Short Questions (2 marks each)
1. Discuss how Shakespeare's sonnet "Not Marble, nor the Gilded Monuments" conveys the theme of
immortality through poetry?
2. How does Shakespeare address the impact of time on human achievements and memory in "Not
Marble, nor the Gilded Monuments"?
3. How does the poem glorify poetry?
4. How does Shakespeare contrast the enduring power of his poetry with the fleeting nature of physical
monuments in "Not Marble, nor the Gilded Monuments"?
6. How is immortality achieved in the poem?
7. Why does the poet believe the verse is more powerful than monuments?
Long Questions (8 marks each)
1. Explain how Shakespeare’s sonnet expresses the power of poetry over time.
2. Imagine a letter from the poet to a fellow writer explaining why he wrote this sonnet.
3. Do you think artistic expression can make someone immortal? Discuss with examples.
9. Ozymandias (Percy Bysshe Shelley)
Short Questions (2 marks each)
1. Interpret Shelley's use of imagery in "Ozymandias" that contributes to the theme of the transience of
power.
2. What is ironic about the inscription on the pedestal?
3. Discuss how Shelley's poem "Ozymandias" conveys the theme of the impermanence of power through
the portrayal of the ruined statue.
3
4. Discuss how Shelley's "Ozymandias" conveys the theme of immortality through the poem's depiction
of a ruined monument.
5. What message does the poem convey about power and pride?
6. Describe the condition of the statue in the desert.
7. How does the poem explore the theme of transience?
Long Questions (8 marks each)
1. Discuss how the poem “Ozymandias” shows the futility of human pride and glory.
2. Imagine you are the sculptor of Ozymandias’s statue. Write a monologue expressing your feelings
while creating it.
3. In the poems "The Frog and the Nightingale" and "Ozymandias", discuss how the characters attitudes
towards power and influence contribute to their respective outcomes.
10. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
Short Questions (2 marks each)
1. Interpret imagery and symbolism in "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner", as elements that contribute to
the poem's overarching themes of retribution and redemption?
2. Evaluate how does the Mariner's recounting of the ship's journey affect the Wedding-Guest's
emotional response.
3. What punishment did the mariner suffer for killing the albatross?
4. Why is the albatross hung around the mariner’s neck?
5. How does Coleridge explore the theme of isolation in "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner"?
Long Questions (8 marks each)
1. Analyse how “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” explores sin, guilt, and redemption.
2. Imagine that Patol Babu from the story. "Patol Babu, Film Star has been asked to play the role of the
ancient mariner from the poem, "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner". How will his actions differ from those
of a Mariner? If he had to give one piece of advice to the mariner, what advice would he give him?
3. Discuss how the portrayal of influence in Shakespeare's "Not Marble nor the Gilded Monuments and
Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner contributes to their respective themes of immortality and
redemption.
11. Snake (D.H. Lawrence)
Short Questions (2 marks each)
1. What dilemma does the poet face when he sees the snake?
2. Interpret the role of imagery in the snake flickering its tongue and looking around like "God".
3. Discuss how does the poem "Snake" convey the theme of inner turmoil.
4. Interpret imagery in the line "a sort of horror, a sort of protest as an element to convey the internal
conflict in "Snake" by D.H. Lawrence.
5. Discuss the theme of guilt and regret in "Snake".
6. How does Lawrence's portrayal of the snake's departure emphasize the speaker's feelings of regret?
7. Why does the poet call his act "paltry, vulgar, and mean"?
Long Questions (8 marks each)
1. Discuss how the poems "The Frog and the Nightingale" and "The Snake," reveal deeper truths about
human nature.
2. In both, "Snake" and the story, "Patol Babu, Film Star", there's a strong sense of struggle between
personal instincts and external expectations. As Patol Babu, write a letter to the poet of the poem,
advising him to defy societal expectations.
3. How does D.H. Lawrence use symbolism to present the snake and the poet’s inner conflict?
12. The Dear Departed
4
Short Questions (2 marks each)
1. Analyse the reasoning behind the characters motivations in "The Dear Departed for their actions.
2. Analyse the use of dramatic irony to enhance the themes of greed and hypocrisy in "The Dear
Departed".
3. How do the daughters behave when they think their father is dead?
4. What role does Victoria play in revealing the truth?
5. Analyse Stanley Houghton's primary purpose in employing satire in the play "The Dear Departed".
6. Discuss the use of irony in "The Dear Departed by Stanley Houghton, to reveal the characters'
attitudes towards their deceased relative.
Long Questions (8 marks each)
1. Explore how the play criticises the loss of family values in modern society.
2. Imagine Abel Merryweather writes a letter to a friend after the events of the play. Write that letter.
3. Both the poem "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" and the play "The Dear Departed" revolves around
the common theme of social and moral commentary. Elaborate.
13. Julius Caesar
Short Questions (2 marks each)
1. Analyse how does foreshadowing through the use of metaphor reflect the impending tragedy in "Julius
Caesar"?
2. Analyse Shakespeare's primary purpose in using dramatic irony in "Julius Caesar".
3. Analyse, how in "Julius Caesar" does the use of rhetorical question enhance Mark Antony's persuasive
speech?
4. What is the significance of Caesar’s will in Antony’s speech?
5. How does the crowd react after Antony’s speech?
6. Analyse how the supernatural events contribute to the play's atmosphere of foreboding in "Julius
Caesar".
7. Who emerges as the more persuasive speaker – Brutus or Antony?
Long Questions (8 marks each)
1. In comparing the poem "Not Marble nor the Gilded Monuments" by William Shakespeare with
Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar, how do the themes of enduring legacy and the Impermanence of power
reflect different perspectives on human achievements and ambitions?
2. Compare the characters of Brutus and Antony based on their speeches and intentions.
3. Examine how the themes of deception and manipulation are portrayed in "The Rime of the Ancient
Mariner" and "Julius Caesar. How do these themes influence the development of characters and the
unfolding of the plot in each work?
