Class VIII -Subject: English

Worksheet : The Happy Prince by Oscar Wilde

Story: “The Happy Prince” is himself a statue meant to decorate the

city, and through him, the story explores the relationship between art
and usefulness. It is an allegory which includes self-sacrifice, mercy,
repression, compassion, concern, kindness, friendship, love, charity,
poverty, inequality, greed and riches. The statue, erected on a pedestal
could see the miseries of the poor people, the homeless, their hunger
and starvation. The Prince represents a Christlike figure, who chooses
to sacrifice all his adornments to alleviate the sufferings of the poor
and downtrodden. 
QI. Answer the following MCQS:
1.Why did Happy Prince send the sapphire to a young writer and the
matchgirl?
A) to send hope and make them happy
B) to show them his power
C) to surprise them with riches
D) to help them as God

2.What did the swallow notice while flying over the city?
A) plight of the poor and greed of the rich
B) many people and their plight
C) many rich and poor people
D) snow spread in winter

3.Name the most precious things in the story that the angel took to
give to God.
A) leaden heart of Happy Prince and the dead Swallow
B) Prince and his assets
C) red ruby, sword and blue sapphires
D) All of the above

4. What did the Happy Prince say about the Sapphires in his eyes?
A) He said they were rare sapphires.
B) He said they were brought out of India a thousand years ago.
C) Both A and B above.
D) Neither A nor B.

5. Why were Prince and the Swallow so precious?

(a) because of their kindness and selflessness
(b) because of their friendship and love
(c) because they had many possessions
(d)because they were rich

QII. Read the extract and answer the MCQ’s that follow:
At that moment a curious crack sounded inside the statue, as if
something had broken. The fact is that the leaden heart had
snapped right in two. It certainly was a dreadfully hard frost.

(i) What moment caused a sound in the statue?

(a) a hard blow
(b) lot of snow and frost
(c) death of swallow
(d) a streak of lightening

ii) Who had kissed the Happy Prince?

(a) a princess
(b) a queen
(c) a bird
(d) a child

iii) What fell down at the feet of the Prince?

(a) frost
(b) snow
(c) both (a) and (b)
(d) none of above

(iv) Which word in the extract is synonym of ‘strange’?

(a) moment
(b) leaden
(c) curious
(d) snapped

(v) Which word in the extract is synonym of ‘broken’?

(a) moment
(b) leaden
(c) curious
(d) snapped