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CTET 1 Mar 2026 Paper 1 English, Question 116

Topic: Poem comprehension

Passage

Read the poem given below and answer the questions that follow (Q. Nos. 115 to 120) by selecting the correct/most appropriate options.

My mother twisted through and through
groaning on a mat
My father, sceptic, rationalist,
trying every curse and blessing,
powder, mixture, herb and hybrid.
He even poured a little paraffin
upon the bitten toe and put a match to it.
I watched the flame feeding on my mother
I watched the holy man perform the rites
to tame the poison with an incantation.
After twenty hours
it lost its sting.
. . . .
. . . .
. . . .
My mother only said
Thank God the scorpion picked on me
and spared my children.

Q116

What was the condition of the mother ?

  1. (1) She was in acute pain.Correct answer
  2. (2) She had high fever.
  3. (3) She had recovered from illness.
  4. (4) She was hale and hearty.

Solution.

CBSE answer: (1)

Answer: (1) She was in acute pain.

  1. The mother 'twisted through and through, groaning on a mat' after the bite on her toe.
  2. Twisting and groaning show intense pain.
  3. The poison lost its sting only after twenty hours.

Trap: fever is not mentioned, and recovery comes only at the end, not as her condition while suffering.