By signing in you confirm you are 18 or older, or have your parent’s or guardian’s consent.

CTET 1 Mar 2026 Paper 1 English, Question 118

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.

Q118

The mother thanked God for ____________.

  1. (1) her quick recovery
  2. (2) sparing her childrenCorrect answer
  3. (3) being able to get a doctor in time
  4. (4) escaping the scorpion’s bite

Solution.

CBSE answer: (2)

Answer: (2) sparing her children

  1. Her only words are: 'Thank God the scorpion picked on me and spared my children.'
  2. She is grateful that the scorpion stung her and not her children.
  3. This shows a mother's selfless love.

Trap: she did not escape the bite, and the poem mentions no doctor.