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CTET 1 Mar 2026 Paper 1 English, Question 117

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.

Q117

By conviction, the father was ____________.

  1. (1) a confirmed atheist
  2. (2) a devotee of God
  3. (3) an upholder of reason and rationalityCorrect answer
  4. (4) a believer in destiny

Solution.

CBSE answer: (3)

Answer: (3) an upholder of reason and rationality

  1. The poem calls the father a 'sceptic, rationalist'.
  2. A rationalist trusts reason rather than blind faith.
  3. In panic he tries everything, even curses and blessings, but his basic conviction is reason.

Trap: 'sceptic' may suggest atheist, but the poem does not say he denies God, so option 1 goes beyond the text.