SEBA Class 10 English Animals Important MCQs, Extra Questions & Previous Year Solved Questions
By Jamal Ali (M.Sc Physics, 5+ years teaching experience) · Reviewed by Editorial Board
SEBA Class 10 English Animals Important MCQs offer focused revision for the 2026–27 Assam Board examination by helping students examine Walt Whitman’s comparison between human beings and animals through objective questions. The poet admires animals for being calm, self-contained, contented, and free from the anxieties and greed that he associates with human life. Understanding this contrast is important because the poem is not simply about animals; it also makes students think about the qualities that human beings may have lost through civilisation.
Students can strengthen their preparation by attempting the interactive MCQ quiz, practising SEBA Class 10 English Animals Important Questions and relevant previous-year HSLC MCQs, and reading the explanation after each answer. Questions may cover the poet’s observations about animals, human behaviour, the meaning of the “tokens” retained by animals, and the poem’s central idea, along with assertion-reasoning, match-the-following, statement-based, and multiple-correct-option formats where appropriate. Students can first study the Animals poem solutions for a detailed understanding of the poem. They can then use the SEBA Class 10 Solutions for wider chapter-wise preparation before attempting the quiz, checking their score, and using the downloadable MCQ PDF for further revision.
SEBA Class 10 English Animals Important Questions | Chapter-wise PYQs
Before You Start
Practice SEBA Class 10 English MCQs with PYQs based on the latest syllabus. Answer chapter-wise questions, get instant results with detailed explanations, and improve your exam preparation for Final
Human beings have the mania of owning — HSLC 2011
Explanation
Walt Whitman writes: "Not one is demented with the mania of owning things." Unlike animals who live content with basic survival, human beings suffer from an insatiable obsession and material greed to acquire and hoard more and more worldly possessions.
In the poem ‘Animals’, Walt Whitman writes that animals do not discuss their duty to — HSLC 2024
Explanation
The poet remarks: "They do not make me sick discussing their duty to God." Animals do not engage in religious hypocrisy, artificial preachings, or display superficial piety about divine obligations, which Whitman finds exhausting in human society.
In the poem ‘Animals’, the speaker wonders where the animals got the _____ from. — HSLC 2024
Explanation
Whitman reflects: "I wonder where they get those tokens, / Did I pass that way huge times ago and negligently drop them?" Here, tokens represent pure, innate virtues like innocence, simplicity, honesty, and contentment which humans once possessed but carelessly lost over generations.
In the poem “Animals”, the poet claims that he can live with — HSLC 2025
Explanation
Disillusioned by the deceit, anxiety, and moral degradation prevalent in human civilization, Whitman begins the poem with the desire to turn away from mankind: "I think I could turn and live with animals, they are so placid and self-contain'd."
Identify the literary device used in this line from “Animals” — HSLC 2025
“ I think I could turn and live with animals….”
Explanation
Assonance is the repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds within nearby words. In the line "I think I could turn and live with animals", there is a clear prominence and repetition of the short vowel sound /ɪ/ and long vowel sound /aɪ/.
In the poem ‘Animals’, with whom does Walt Whitman feel more comfortable and at home?
Explanation
Disenchanted by the hypocrisy, greed, and anxiety of human society, Walt Whitman finds solace among animals. He feels far more at home, understood, and at peace in their company than he does among fellow human beings.
What two remarkable character traits of animals make the poet stand and look at them long and long?
Explanation
Whitman marvels at the animals because "they are so placid and self-contain'd." They remain fundamentally peaceful, calm, independent, and undisturbed by petty vanities or unfulfilled desires.
Assertion (A): Animals live in undisturbed peace and serenity.
Reason (R): Animals do not sweat and whine about their condition, nor do they stay awake weeping over past misdeeds.
Explanation
- Assertion Analysis: Animals inhabit an existence of deep tranquility and harmony with their natural surroundings (True).
- Reasoning Analysis: Unlike humans who continuously worry and complain about life, animals never complain about their condition or carry guilt, which directly explains their placid state (True, and explains A).
Unlike restless humans, what do animals never fret, sweat, or whine about?
Explanation
The poet emphasizes that animals accept their natural lot in life without complaint: "They do not sweat and whine about their condition." They never grumble or express bitterness over their circumstances.
According to Walt Whitman, what do human beings do late at night in the dark due to guilty consciences?
Explanation
Humans are tormented by their own misdeeds, greed, and moral corruption. Consequently, they lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins, whereas animals live innocently and sleep peacefully without remorse.
Match the behaviors contrasting humans and animals as highlighted by Walt Whitman:
| Column A (Behavioral Trait) | Column B (Subject in the Poem) |
|---|---|
| (a) Discussing their duty to God | (1) Animals who treat all members as equals |
| (b) Demented with the mania of owning things | (2) Humans who display religious hypocrisy |
| (c) Not one kneels to another or ancestors | (3) Humans afflicted by endless materialistic greed |
Explanation
- a – 2 (Duty to God): A practice among humans who exhaust the poet with hollow theological preachings.
- b – 3 (Mania of owning): The destructive consumerist drive unique to mankind.
- c – 1 (No kneeling): A reflection of natural egalitarianism among animals where no caste or hierarchy exists.
What hollow topic of conversation among humans does the poet say makes him sick?
Explanation
Whitman dislikes the display of piety and theological arrogance found in humans. He observes that animals "do not make me sick discussing their duty to God," avoiding all forms of religious hypocrisy.
Not a single animal in the wild is dissatisfied or crazed with the mania of owning —
Explanation
Humans are consumed by consumerism and property accumulation. In sharp contrast, among animals, "not one is demented with the mania of owning things," as they remain content with what nature provides.
In animal society, to whom does not a single creature kneel in subservience or hero-worship?
Explanation
The poet highlights equality among animals: "Not one kneels to another, nor to his kind that lived thousands of years ago." There are no artificial class divides, rulers, or ancestral idolatry in their world.
What symbolic gifts or virtues does the poet wonder where the animals managed to obtain?
Explanation
The poet muses: "I wonder where they get those tokens." These tokens represent innate human virtues such as simplicity, honesty, peace, and innocence which animals continue to exhibit openly.
In the context of the opening stanza, what is the precise meaning of the adjective ‘placid’?
Explanation
The word placid describes a state of steady calm and composure. Animals are peaceful and untroubled, unaffected by the anxieties that plague human civilization.
In the phrase “demented with the mania of owning things”, what does the word ‘demented’ mean?
Explanation
The term demented means driven to madness or irrationality. Whitman argues that humans behave as if crazed by greed in their obsession with amassing worldly goods.
Read the following statements regarding animal psychology and choose the correct option:
Statement I: Animals continually complain and whine about their hard conditions.
Statement II: Animals are placid, self-contained, and at peace with themselves.
Explanation
- Statement I is Incorrect: Animals do not sweat or whine about their state of life.
- Statement II is Correct: Animals are naturally placid and self-contained, existing without dependence on external flattery.
Read the following statements regarding conscience and religion and choose the correct option:
Statement I: Human beings lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins.
Statement II: Animals hold assemblies to preach their duty toward God.
Explanation
- Statement I is Correct: Guilt and sin keep humans awake weeping in the night.
- Statement II is Incorrect: Animals do not preach or discuss duty to God; they live purely and simply.
Read the following statements regarding satisfaction and choose the correct option:
Statement I: Animals are constantly dissatisfied with their natural circumstances.
Statement II: Animals are completely free from the mania of owning worldly goods.
Explanation
- Statement I is Incorrect: The poem explicitly states: "Not one is dissatisfied."
- Statement II is Correct: Animals are not afflicted by consumerist greed and do not desire to amass possessions.
Read the following statements regarding the poet's perspective and choose the correct option:
Statement I: The poet genuinely admires the innocent simplicity and self-containment of animals.
Statement II: The poet severely criticizes the artificial greed, restlessness, and hypocrisy of human beings.
Explanation
Both statements are true: Whitman uses a sharp contrast to praise the unaffected simplicity of animals while denouncing the moral decay and greed found in modern human society.
Read the following statements regarding veneration and choose the correct option:
Statement I: Animals bow and kneel down before their ancient ancestors who lived thousands of years ago.
Statement II: Humans bow, worship, and kneel down before their ancestors and heroes from thousands of years ago.
Explanation
- Statement I is Incorrect: The poem clarifies that among animals, "not one kneels to another, nor to his kind that lived thousands of years ago."
- Statement II is Correct: It is humans who build monuments, bow to ancestors, and establish hierarchies through hero-worship.
What motivates the poet to declare that he could turn away from society and live alongside animals?
Explanation
Whitman wants to live among animals because they possess inner peace and simple contentment, completely devoid of the artificial complications and moral guilt that burden humanity.
What is the overarching literary tone adopted by Walt Whitman throughout the poem?
Explanation
The poem strikes a critical and reflective tone. Whitman reflects upon mankind's lost innocence while offering a candid critique of modern human shortcomings.
When the poet watches animals, what do they appear to bring and plainly show to him?
Explanation
The poet remarks: "They bring me tokens of myself, they evince them plainly in their possession." In animals, he rediscovers the pure virtues that human beings once held within themselves.
The term ‘mania’ in the poem specifically refers to the irrational human drive toward —
Explanation
The poet calls it the mania of owning things—an obsessive, endless desire to accumulate property and possessions, which ultimately robs humans of peace and contentment.
What is the central philosophical message conveyed through the poem ‘Animals’?
Explanation
The core message of the poem is that animals lead a much simpler, contented, and harmonious life. Humans have lost their essential virtues like innocence, equality, and peace in their pursuit of material possessions.
In the opening lines of the poem, how does the poet stand and gaze at the animals?
Explanation
Walt Whitman is so enchanted by the natural poise and calm independence of animals that he stands and looks at them long and long, captivated by their peaceful, unhurried existence.
Assertion (A): The poet wants to turn away from human society and live with animals.
Reason (R): Animals are placid, calm, and self-contained, living without anxiety or artificial pretense.
Explanation
- Assertion Analysis: Whitman explicitly declares his desire to turn and live among beasts (True).
- Reasoning Analysis: The poet's motive is directly rooted in the fact that animals are placid and self-contained, free from the restless agitation of men (True, and directly explains A).
Unlike guilt-ridden human beings, what do animals never lie awake in the dark weeping for?
Explanation
Animals possess pure, unburdened consciences. They "do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins," unlike humans whose misdeeds cause sleepless nights and remorse.
Assertion (A): Humans are perpetually dissatisfied, restless, and covetous.
Reason (R): Humans are demented with the mania of owning things and hoarding worldly possessions.
Explanation
- Assertion Analysis: Human beings are portrayed as chronically unhappy, greedy, and unfulfilled (True).
- Reasoning Analysis: This continuous discontent arises because mankind is gripped by the mania of owning things, creating endless consumerist greed (True, and explains A).
In animal society, not a single individual creature is demented with the mania of —
Explanation
Animals are completely free from the sickness of greed. Whitman observes that "not one is demented with the mania of owning things," taking only what they need for survival.
Assertion (A): Animals weep bitterly in the dark for their spiritual transgressions and sins.
Reason (R): Animals lie awake in the dark plagued by heavy moral guilt and troubled consciences.
Explanation
- Assertion Analysis: Animals do not commit sins, nor do they weep for transgressions (False).
- Reasoning Analysis: The poet explicitly affirms that animals do not lie awake in the dark feeling guilty; this habit belongs strictly to humans (False).
Contrasted with the natural simplicity of animals, human beings are depicted as complicated and —
Explanation
Whitman finds human beings artificial, hypocritical, and false to their own essential nature, unlike animals whose behavior is direct, honest, and completely sincere.
Match the key phrases from Whitman's ‘Animals’ with their corresponding interpretations:
| Column A (Poetic Phrase) | Column B (Contextual Interpretation) |
|---|---|
| (a) “Long and long” | (1) Innocence, simplicity, and truthfulness |
| (b) “Tokens of myself” | (2) Deep, spellbound contemplation and observation |
| (c) “Evince them plainly” | (3) Show and express virtues naturally without disguise |
Explanation
- a – 2 (“Long and long”): Emphasizes the poet's intense, prolonged gaze and deep observation of animal life.
- b – 1 (“Tokens of myself”): Refers to foundational virtues of innocence, peace, and simplicity.
- c – 3 (“Evince them plainly”): Demonstrates how animals openly reveal their genuine goodness without falsehood.
Why does the poet wholeheartedly accept the relationships and bonds demonstrated by animals?
Explanation
Whitman states: "They bring me tokens of myself, they evince them plainly in their possession, I accept them." The bonds beasts show are natural, honest, and uncorrupted by deceit or social expectations.
In the line “they evince them plainly in their possession”, what is the meaning of the word ‘evince’?
Explanation
The verb evince means to reveal, indicate, or show clearly. Animals openly manifest virtues of peace and innocence in their daily conduct without any deception.
What do the animals bring to the poet, showing them plainly in their possession?
Explanation
The poet sees that animals retain tokens of himself—reminding him of the essential human goodness, innocence, and contentment that civilization has gradually stripped away from mankind.
How does the poet speculate that humans lost these tokens of innocence and virtue?
Explanation
Whitman wonders: "Did I pass that way huge times ago and negligently drop them?" He muses that ancestors of modern man abandoned their natural virtues as they built an artificial civilization.
Read the following statements regarding animal satisfaction and choose the correct option:
Statement I: Animals are burdened with respectability and unhappiness across the earth.
Statement II: Animals are completely satisfied and at peace with their natural lives.
Explanation
- Statement I is Incorrect: The poem clarifies: "Not one is respectable or unhappy over the whole earth."
- Statement II is Correct: Animals are fundamentally contented and satisfied with what nature provides.
Read the following statements regarding religion and choose the correct option:
Statement I: Humans make the poet sick by constantly discussing their duty to God.
Statement II: Animals preach and deliver sermons discussing their duty to God.
Explanation
- Statement I is Correct: Whitman is exhausted by human self-righteousness regarding their duty to God.
- Statement II is Incorrect: Animals do not hold religious discussions or practice theological posturing.
Read the following statements regarding animal contentment and choose the correct option:
Statement I: Animals are placid and self-contained in their existence.
Statement II: Animals sweat and whine continually about their condition.
Explanation
- Statement I is Correct: Animals are naturally serene, balanced, and self-contained.
- Statement II is Incorrect: The text explicitly states: "They do not sweat and whine about their condition."
Read the following statements regarding the poet's critique and choose the correct option:
Statement I: The poet sharply criticizes human greed, materialism, and consumerism.
Statement II: The poet expresses great admiration for human religious hypocrisy.
Explanation
- Statement I is Correct: Whitman denounces human greed as a mad mania of hoarding property.
- Statement II is Incorrect: Far from admiring hypocrisy, human religious displays make him feel literally "sick."
What is Walt Whitman’s primary attitude towards animals throughout the poem?
Explanation
The poet’s tone is characterized by deep admiration. He views animals as models of dignity, inner balance, equality, and uncorrupted virtue.
What does the repetition of the word in the phrase “stand and look at them long and long” emphasize?
Explanation
The poetic repetition in "long and long" conveys deep, mesmerized observation, revealing that the poet stands transfixed, reflecting upon their untroubled lives.
What does the poem imply modern civilization has ultimately done to human beings?
Explanation
Whitman implies that artificial social conventions have corrupted human nature, turning people into greedy, anxious creatures who are false to their true selves.
According to the poet, not a single animal is respectable or unhappy over the whole —
Explanation
The text concludes its comparison of social hierarchies by stating: "Not one is respectable or unhappy over the whole earth." All animals share equal dignity without artificial classes.
What is the central philosophical contrast developed throughout the poem ‘Animals’?
Explanation
The poem rests on a primary contrast: the anxious, greedy, and hypocritical world of humans set directly against the serene, egalitarian, and contented world of animals.
🎉 Congratulations!
You have successfully completed this quiz.
🎓 Generate Your Personalized Certificate
Enter your full name exactly as you want it to appear on your certificate.
A. Previous Year Questions with Answer
Q.1 Choose the meaning of the underlined words from the alternatives given in the brackets : — [HSLC ’20]
(a) ______ they are so placid and self-contained.
(irritated/ troublesome/ unruffled)
Answer: unruffled.
Q.2 Choose the meaning of the underlined words from the alternatives given in the brackets : — [HSLC ’18]
(a) I think I could turn and live with the animals, they are so placid and self-contained.
(angry/ calm and peaceful/ harmful)
Answer: calm and peaceful.
Q.3 Choose the meaning of the underlined words from the alternatives given in the brackets : — [HSLC ’18]
(b) Not one is dissatisfied, not one is demented with the mania of owning things.
(feeling unhappy / feeling displeased / behaving crazily for being upset)
Answer: behaving crazily for being upset.
Q.4 Choose the meaning of the underlined words from the alternatives given in the brackets : — [HSLC ’16]
(a) They do not sweat and whine about their condition.
(sing loudly / complain in an annoying voice / cry in joy)
Answer: cry in joy.
Q.5 Choose the meaning of the underlined words from the alternatives given in the brackets : — [HSLC ’16]
(b) I wonder where they get those tokens.
(feel happy / feel sorry / feel very surprised)
Answer: feel very surprised.
Q.6 Who is the poet of the poem ‘Animals’? [HSLC ’23]
Answer: Walt Whitman.
Q.7 Why would the poet like to turn and live with the animals? [HSLC ’23]
Answer: Because animals do not complain about their conditions like human beings. They do not have the craze of possessing materialistic things.
B. Extra Questions as per HSLC Pattern with Answers
SEBA Class 10 English Animals Important MCQs for ASSEB Examination Preparation
Animals by Walt Whitman is a reflective poem in which the poet compares the behaviour of animals with human beings. Whitman finds animals calm, contented, self-contained, and free from many of the worries that trouble people. They do not complain about their condition or spend their lives chasing material possessions. This simple comparison makes the poem more than a description of animals; it becomes a criticism of several human weaknesses such as greed, dissatisfaction, guilt, and excessive concern with material things. These ideas are important for students because questions can test both the details of the poem and its underlying message.
The poet's admiration for animals forms the central idea of Animals MCQs Class 10. Whitman wishes that he could live among animals because they appear peaceful and satisfied with their lives. He observes that they do not lie awake at night worrying about their duties or discussing their sins. They also do not make him feel dissatisfied with himself. Instead, they possess qualities that human beings seem to have lost. Students should therefore understand the comparison carefully: the poet is not simply saying that animals are better in every respect, but is highlighting their simplicity, contentment, honesty, and freedom from unnecessary desires.
Another important part of the poem is the poet's reference to the “tokens” that animals may have preserved. This suggests that animals still possess certain qualities that humans once had but gradually lost. The poem encourages readers to think about how civilisation and material desires may have changed human behaviour. Its reflective tone, repetition, direct address, and contrast between human and animal life make it useful for questions on poetic devices, interpretation, vocabulary, central idea, and theme. Students should revise these aspects together rather than memorising isolated answers.
For effective ASSEB/SEBA preparation, students should read the poem carefully before attempting important MCQs and previous-year HSLC questions. The interactive quiz can help them check whether they remember the poet's observations, the qualities attributed to animals, the weaknesses associated with humans, and the significance of the poem's ending. Objective practice may include conventional MCQs as well as assertion-reasoning, statement-based, match-the-following, and multiple-correct-option questions. Reading the explanation after every attempt is particularly useful because it helps students understand why an option is correct instead of simply remembering the answer. The poem can also support descriptive answers when students understand the comparison at a deeper level.
With preparation covering both the 45-mark MCQ component and 45 marks for theory, students should use objective practice as a way to strengthen their overall understanding of the English textbook. After completing the quiz, they can check their score, revisit incorrect answers, and use the downloadable MCQ PDF for another round of revision. For additional objective practice, the Assam Board MCQs collection can be useful, while the SEBA Class 10 English Important Extra Questions and PYQs can provide further examination-oriented practice. A combination of careful reading, explanation-based revision, and repeated MCQ practice can make preparation more confident and purposeful.
Frequently Asked Questions – Animals
1. Why does the poet wish to live with animals?
The poet admires animals because they appear calm, contented, self-contained, and free from many of the worries and dissatisfaction that affect human beings. Their simple way of living attracts him.
2. What human qualities does the poet dislike?
The poet is critical of human beings for complaining about their condition, worrying excessively, feeling guilty about their actions, and constantly chasing material possessions. He contrasts these weaknesses with the simplicity of animals.
3. What does Whitman mean by the “tokens” that animals have retained?
The “tokens” suggest certain good qualities that human beings may once have possessed but have gradually lost. The poet believes that animals still retain these qualities, such as contentment, simplicity, and freedom from unnecessary desires.
4. What is the central message of the poem Animals?
The poem encourages readers to reflect on human dissatisfaction and materialism by comparing them with the peaceful and uncomplicated lives of animals. Whitman suggests that people can learn from the contentment and simplicity they observe in animals.
🎓 About Assam Eduverse
Assam Eduverse is a reliable educational platform offering quality study resources for students following SEBA, AHSEC (ASSEB), SCERT, and CBSE.
The platform offers chapter-wise notes, solutions, MCQs, important questions, and previous year papers for Classes 9–12. Resources are prepared according to the latest Assam Board syllabus and updated to match current exam patterns.
These study resources help students build clear concepts, practise effectively, and prepare confidently for board examinations. Materials are available in both Assamese and English medium to meet different learning needs.
Explore MCQs, study materials, solutions, and exam preparation guides for effective revision and exam preparation. 📘 Visit Assam Eduverse for free Assam Board solutions, notes, and study materials created by subject experts.