A Shady Plot MCQs with Answers from CBSE Class 10 English Literature Reader (Communicative) Book Chapter 4
A Shady Plot MCQs of Class 10 English Chapter 4, by Elsie Brown have been compiled for students to practice. Students of Class 10 can prepare the MCQs of Chapter 4 A Shady Plot from CBSE Class 10 English Literature Reader (Communicative) Book. Each question has four options.
For Correct Answers, see the answer key given at the end of the post.
Related:
- A Shady Plot Summary, Explanation
- A Shady Plot Question Answers
- A Shady Plot Character Sketch
- A Shady Plot Previous Years Question with Answers
Q1. Identify the character who wrote ghost stories.
A. John Hallock
B. Lavinia
C. Gladolia
D. Jenkins
Q2. Why could Hallock not contradict Jenkins?
A. Jenkins threatened him
B. Jenkins was the only publisher to print John’s stories
C. Jenkins had lent money to John
D. All of these
Q3. What does ‘dunned’ mean?
A. begged for alms
B. persistently ask for something that is overdue
C. requested for disclosing secret
D. requested for keeping secret
Q4. Lavinia tended to __________
A. shopping unnecessary things
B. taking a new fad and working it to death
C. writing ghost stories
D. reading suspense thrillers
Q5. What was the latest fad that Lavinia had taken up?
A. Zumba workouts
B. Ouija boards
C. Jewelry kitty
D. Candle-making
Q6. Who was Helen?
A. Jenkin’s wife
B. John’s house help
C. ghost
D. Lavinia’s friend
Q7. As per Helen’s description, which image best represents her?

Q8. What did Helen say to John?
A. We’re going to the market
B. We’re going for a party
C. We’re going to college
D. We’re going on strike
Q9. Who was going on strike?
A. The workers at Jenkin’s press
B. The Ouija board members
C. The members of The Writer’s Inspiration Bureau
D. None of these
Q10. Scout around means ________
A. Train soldiers
B. get training in scouts and guides
C. to go from place to place searching
D. None of these
Q11. Which of the following images best represents an Ouija board?

Q12. Who thinks- ” I groaned, and clutched my hair. The very idea of that horrible scarecrow so much as touching me!”
A. Helen
B. Lavinia
C. John
D. All of them
Q13. What is John’s full name?
A. John Hadwig
B. John Hollow
C. John Hallock
D. John Harrow
Q14. Who says – “that’s at an end. We’ve been called out of our beds a little too often in recent years, and now we’re through.”
A. Helen
B. Lavinia
C. John
D. All of them
Q15. “that’s at an end. We’ve been called out of our beds a little too often in recent years, and now we’re through.” What do ‘beds’ here refer to?
A. sleeping bed
B. Bed of roses
C. grave
D. None of them
Q16. Who is Gladolia?
A. a ghost
B. John’s sister
C. John’s wife
D. None of these
Q17. Gladolia is from _____
A. Mexico
B. India
C. Africa
D. Italy
Q18. Why did the members of The Writer’s Inspiration Bureau go on strike?
A. They wanted higher wages
B. They were being bothered by users of Ouija boards
C. They had helped writers to a great extent and now wanted a break
D. None of these
Q19. Who was Laura Hinkle?
A. a ghost
B. Lavinia’s friend
C. Lavinia’s sister
D. John’s friend
Q20. Who out of the following was NOT a member of Lavinia’s book club?
A. Helen
B. Hunt
C. Sprinkle
D. Hinkle
Q21. From where did Lavinia buy the Ouija board?
A. flea market
B. upmarket shop
C. bargain sale
D. it was a gift
Q22. John’s mind was going blank for a story because ________
A. He had hit the writer’s block
B. the ghosts who helped him with ideas were on strike
C. he was stressed due to Lavinia’s latest fad
D. he was uninterested in writing for Jenkins
Q23. Lavinia had hosted an Oujia board party in the _______ of her house.
A. study
B. little parlour
C. garden
D. big hall
Q24. Most of the members of Lavinia’s book club were _______
A. young
B. middle-aged
C. elderly
D. all of these
Q25. “They were sitting in couples, and between each couple was a Ouija board!” This means __ people were using one Ouija board.
A. 5
B. 2
C. unknown
D. 3
Q26. Identify the member who did not attend the Ouija board party and then, John had to replace her.
A. Hinkle
B. Wainright
C. Hunt
D. Sprinkle
Q27. ‘Inexorable’ means _____
A. unstoppable
B. stoppable
C. courageous
D. poisonous
Q28. How many Ouija boards had been put up at the party?
A. 2
B. 3
C. 5
D. 6
Q29. Which figure of speech is used – “That suitcase had an air of solid finality about it, and its lock leered at me brassily”
A. metaphor
B. simile
C. personification
D. none of these
Q30. Why did Lavinia carry a suitcase?
A. she was going to her grandmother
B. she was going on a business trip
C. she was going on a trip with members of her book club
D. All of these
Q31. What was scary about the manner in which Helen appeared?
A. She had devilish looks with a rotating neck and long sharp teeth
B. She appeared in parts
C. She wore a plain white sheet and held a candle
D. Her feet were turned backwards
Q32. Which of the following images best represents a ‘hoodoo’?

Q33. “You are concealing something from me.” What does ‘concealing’ mean?
A. telling
B. hiding
C. threatening
D. stealing
Q34. Lavinia tells Gladolia to use the Ouija board for _____________
A. chopping vegetables
B. calling ghosts
C. kindling wood
D. none of these
Q35. Which of the following is an allusion used in the story?
A. Helen of Troy
B. ghost of a stenographer
C. the duckiest, darlingest Ouija board
D. I were some peculiar insect.
Q36. “This writing business is delightful, isn’t it?” I said sarcastically at last, out loud, too. You see, I had reached the stage of imbecility when I was talking to myself.
What does ‘imbecility’ mean?
A. the quality of being extremely intelligent
B. the quality of being extremely superstitious
C. the quality of being extremely powerful
D. the quality of being extremely stupid
Q37. “I stared at them in a sort of dreadful fascination, and then something about their gait attracted my attention and I recognized them.” Choose a synonym for ‘gait’.
A. appearance
B. speech
C. walk
D. dance
Q38. “I leaped from my chair with unaccustomed agility and sprang in front of my wife.”
Why did the narrator do so?
A. to stop her from going
B. to prevent her from seeing Helen
C. to stop her from seeing outside the window
D. None of these
Q39. Which figure of speech is used – “John,” Lavinia demanded like a ward boss, “you are hiding somebody in here! Who is it?”
A. metaphor
B. simile
C. personification
D. none of these
Q40. “I’ve got the bulliest plot for a ghost story!” I cried.
What kind of plot did John get?
A. scariest
B. unusual
C. best
D. strange
Q41. John thought that Lavinia would _____ on seeing Helen.
A. scream
B. swoon
C. smile
D. none of these
Q42. How did Lavinia react on seeing Helen?
A. scream
B. swoon
C. smile
D. none of these
Q43. Then my Lavinia turned waspishly to me again. “John, there’s not a bit of use trying to
deceive me. What is it you are trying to conceal from me?”
Which of the following best describes Lavinia’s feelings?
A. she was annoyed
B. she was sad
C. she was irritated
D. None of these
Q44. Just then the door opened and Gladolia called, “Mis’ Hallock! Mis’ Hallock! I’ve come to
tell you I’se done lef’ dis place.”
What does Gladolia say?
A. there is a leaf at the place
B. she has kept a leaf at the place
C. she is done and is leaving the place
D. None of these
Q45. “Lavinia cast a cold eye upon me. “You are acting very queerly,” she sniffed. “You are concealing something from me.”
Cold eye means-
A. low temperature of eye
B. eyes were frozen
C. emotionless look
D. None of these
Q46. Why did Galdolia want to leave the job?
A. she was underpaid
B. she was scared of hoodoos
C. she wanted to shift to another city
D. None of these
Q47. What help did Lavinia seek from John at her Ouija board party?
A. to couple with Mrs Hinkle at the ouija board
B. to buy a few ouija boards for the party
C. to allow her to host the party
D. to order food and drinks for the guests
Q48. Identify the figure of speech used- “…and the next thing I knew I was sitting with the thing on my knees and Miss Laura Hinkle opposite, grinning in my face like a flirtatious crocodile.”
A. metaphor
B. simile
C. personification
D. none of these
Q49. “Misto Hallock, de Missus sho t’inks you’s lost! She say she done ‘phone you dis mawnin’ to be home early, but fo’ de lawd’s sake not to stop to argify now, but get ready fo’ de company an’ come on down.”
Mawnin’ means –
A. mowing
B. morning
C. mourning
D. none of these
Q50. “Misto Hallock, de Missus sho t’inks you’s lost! She say she done ‘phone you dis mawnin’ to be home early, but fo’ de lawd’s sake not to stop to argify now, but get ready fo’ de company an’ come on down.”
Argify means
A. arrange
B. arrest
C. argue
D. order
Answer key
| 1 | A | 26 | B |
| 2 | B | 27 | A |
| 3 | B | 28 | C |
| 4 | B | 29 | C |
| 5 | B | 30 | A |
| 6 | C | 31 | B |
| 7 | D | 32 | B |
| 8 | D | 33 | B |
| 9 | C | 34 | C |
| 10 | C | 35 | A |
| 11 | A | 36 | D |
| 12 | C | 37 | C |
| 13 | C | 38 | B |
| 14 | A | 39 | B |
| 15 | C | 40 | C |
| 16 | D | 41 | B |
| 17 | C | 42 | C |
| 18 | B | 43 | C |
| 19 | B | 44 | C |
| 20 | A | 45 | C |
| 21 | C | 46 | B |
| 22 | B | 47 | A |
| 23 | B | 48 | B |
| 24 | C | 49 | B |
| 25 | B | 50 | C |
Also See:
- CBSE Class 10 English Communicative Important Questions
- CBSE Class 10 English Literature Reader (Communicative) Lesson Notes, Summary
- CBSE Class 10 English Communicative word meaning
- CBSE Class 10 English Communicative Study Guide
- Character Sketch of Class 10 English Communicative
- Descriptive Writing Class 10 Format, Examples
- Class 10 Communicative English Syllabus
- Email Writing Class 10, 12 Formal, Informal Email Writing Format
- Article Writing for Class 10