Strong Roots MCQ
Wings of Fire – First Chapter
Dr APJ Abdul Kalam [1931-2015]
MCQ – 1 Mark
75 Important Questions
Unit – I
1. “Strong Roots” is written by
(B) AJC Bose
(C) APJ Abdul Kalam
(D) R K Narayan.
2. The full name of APJ Abdul Kalam is
(A) Abdul Pakir Jamiruddin Abdul Kalam
(B) Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam
(C) Abdur Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam
(D) Ahmed Pakir Jamiruddin Abdul Kalam.
3. Abdul Kalam was born in the year
(A) 1929
(B) 1930
(C) 1931
(D) 1932.
4. APJ Abdul Kalam was born in
(A) Hyderabad
(B) Rameswaram
(C) Pune
(D) Dehradun.
5. Rameswaram was in
(A) Madras
(B) Patna
(C) Kerala
(D) Karnataka.
6. APJ Abdul Kalam had studied Physics at
(C) Madras Institute of Technology
(D) St. Joseph’s College, Tiruchirappalli.
7. Kalam began his career at
(A) Delhi University
(B) Modern Institute of Technology
(C) Hindustan Aeronautics Limited
(D) IIT Kanpur.
8. “Strong Roots” is a/an
(A) biography
(B) autobiography
(C) short-story
(D) travelogue.
9. By ‘Strong Roots’ APJ Abdul Kalam meant
(A) his family background
(B) his family origin
(C) his love for science
(D) his religious identity.
10. Which chapter of Kalam’s autobiography is ‘Strong Roots’ excerpted from?
(A) second
(B) third
(C) first
(D) fourth.
11. “Strong Roots” is an excerpt from
(A) My Father
(B) Wings of Dream
(C) Wings of Fire
(D) My Childhood.
12. Kalam’s family was
(A) rich
(B) poor
(C) middle-class
(D) elite.
13. *APJ Abdul Kalam was by birth a
(A) Telugu
(B) Tamil
(C) Kannad
(D) Malayali.
14. “…..the erstwhile Madras state” suggests
(A) the state of Madras of ancient age
(B) former Madras
(C) recent Madras
(D) Madras before independence.
15. *The name of APJ Abdul Kalam’s father was
(A) Jainulabdeen
(B) Washim
(C) Abdul
(D) Karim.
16. *Abdul Kalam describes his parents as being
(A) wealthy, educated and generous
(B) highly educated but not wealthy
(C) very poor and illiterate
(D) neither wealthy nor highly educated but kind, wise and generous.
17. “He possessed great innate wisdom,” Here the word ‘he’ refers to
(A) Kalam’s father
(B) Kalam’s teacher
(C) Kalam’s himself
(D) Kalam’s mother.
18. *For Kalam’s father, his mother was an ideal
(A) wife
(B) guide
(C) friend
(D) helpmate.
19. *The name of the mother of the author of ‘Strong Roots’ is
(A) Asiamma
(B) Ashiamma
(C) Ashiaamma
(D) Ashiama.
20 The narrator’s mother fed
(A) all their neighbours everyday
(B) all their relatives everyday
(C) outsiders with her own family everyday
(D) her family everyday.
Unit – II
21. The narrator’s parents were widely regarded as
(A) an ideal couple
(B) honest people
(C) generous people
(D) kind people.
22. “My mother’s lineage was the more distinguished.” Here ‘lineage’ means
(A) family background
(B) standing in a line
(C) linkage
(D) average age.
23. *One of the forebears of Kalam’s mother’s was awarded by the British the title of
(A) Bahadur
(B) Raibahadur
(C) Padmashree
(D) Bharat Ratna.
24. Kalam was born to
(A) ugly parents
(B) handsome parents
(C) tall and handsome parents
(D) religious parents.
25. *Abdul Kalam’s ancestral house was built in
(A) mid 19th century
(B) late 19th century
(C) early 20th century
(D) early 19th century.
26. Kalam’s house was a fairly
(A) large pucca house
(B) small hut
(C) two storeyed building
(D) big mansion.
27. *The ancestral house was made of
(A) cement and brick
(B) brick and mortar
(C) limestone and brick
(D) clay and brick.
28. *Kalam’s ancestral house was located
(A) beside the Shiva temple in Rameswaram
(B) just beside the old mosque where his father used to take him for evening prayers
(C) on the Mosque Street in Rameswaram
(D) in a predominantly Hindu locality in Rameswaram.
29. Kalam’s father used to avoid all
(A) poor people
(B) religious ceremonies
(C) inessential comforts and luxuries
(D) money.
30. *How does APJ Abdul Kalam sum up his childhood in Rameswaram?
(A) a time when he moved from rags to riches
(B) a period of extreme comfort and affluence
(C) a time of want and deprivation
(D) a very secure time, materially and emotionally.
31. *Kalam normally ate with his
(A) father
(B) brothers
(C) mother
(D) friends.
32. The speaker usually ate sitting on
(A) the table
(B) the floor of the kitchen
(C) a chair
(D) a cot.
33. *During meals, the food was served on
(A) steel utensils
(B) dishes
(C) banana leaves
(D) plastics.
34. *Rameswaram was famous to pilgrims for
(A) the Vishnu temple
(B) the Shiva temple
(C) the Tirupati temple
(D) the Mosque.
35. *The distance from Dr Kalam’s house to the Shiva temple was
(A) 15 minutes walk
(B) 5 minutes walk
(C) 10 minutes walk
(D) 20 minutes walk.
36. *Kalam’s locality was predominantly
(A) Hindu
(B) Muslim
(C) Jain
(D) Christian.
37. Kalam grew up in a society which was secular and
(A) segregated
(B) sundered
(C) sequestered
(D) integrated.
38. *How does Kalam describe his neighbourhood?
(A) a predominantly Muslim locality close to the famous Shiva temple where Hindu families lived amicably with their Muslim neighbours
(B) a predominantly Hindu locality near the Shiva temple, fraught with tension between the Muslim and Hindu communities
(C) a predominantly Christian locality where the Muslim population thinly spread
(D) a cosmopolitan urban neighbourhood with people of all castes, creeds and communities sharing a high-rise apartment near the Shiva temple.
39. *Why was Kalam’s father well-known in their locality?
(A) He was a successful doctor.
(B) He was a respected teacher.
(C) He was a healer who prayed for the well-being of his fellow men.
(D) He was a wealthy moneylender.
40. *We know that Kalam’s father was acknowledged as a spiritual person because
(A) he was very knowledgeable about spiritual matters
(B) he worked at the local mosque
(C) he read the namaz before dawn
(D) the priest of the Rameswaram temple had discussions with him.
Unit – III
41. Kalam’s father would take him to the mosque for
(A) pre-dawn prayers
(B) evening prayers
(C) mid-day prayers
(D) afternoon prayers.
42. *The prayers chanted in the mosque were in
(A) Urdu
(B) French
(C) Persian
(D) Arabic.
43. Kalam was totally convinced that the prayers would
(A) prove futile
(B) be meaningless
(C) be a useless gesture
(D) reach god.
44. People sat outside the mosque and waited for
(A) the narrator
(B) Kalam’s father
(C) Kalam’s mother
(D) the imam.
45. Many people offered bowls of water to Kalam’s father who would
(A) drink the water
(B) dip his fingertips in them
(C) take those bowls home
(D) place them inside the mosque.
46. Having dipped his fingertips in the bowls of water and saying a prayer, Kalam’s father
(A) polluted the water
(B) drank the water
(C) sanctified the water
(D) purified the water.
47. *The water sanctified by Kalam’s father was carried home for
(A) offering prayer
(B) invalids
(C) young men
(D) little girls.
48. People came to meet Kalam’s father in their house to
(A) sanctify water
(B) cure the invalids
(C) offer thanks
(D) seek his advice.
49. When people thanked Jainulabdeen after being cured, he asked them to thank
(A) Pakshi Lakshmana Sastry
(B) Allah, the Merciful
(C) the universe
(D) various divine forces.
50. *What was the name of the high priest of Rameswaram temple?
(A) Pakshi Lakshmana Sastry
(B) Rama Sastry
(C) Jagat Sastry
(D) Ramdasa Sastry.
51. *Growing old enough, once Kalam asked his father about
(A) the existence of God
(B) the utter mystery of life
(C) the relevance of prayer
(D) his father’s austerity.
52. According to Kalam’s father, when we pray, we transcend our body and become a part of the
(A) earth
(B) cosmos
(C) family
(D) world.
53. *Abdul Kalam’s father would convey complex spiritual concepts in simple, down-to-earth
(A) Arabic
(B) Urdu
(C) Tamil
(D) Telugu.
54. “When troubles come, try to understand the relevance of your sufferings.” This is said by
(A) APJ Abdul Kalam
(B) Jainulabdeen
(C) Ashiamma
(D) Pakshi Lakshmana Sastry.
55. “Adversity always presents opportunities for introspection.” Here the word ‘introspection’ means
(A) insight
(B) inner vision
(C) sufferings
(D) deep thought about one’s feelings.
56. According to Kalam’s father, every human being is a
(A) blessed entity
(B) heavenly being
(C) specific element within the whole of the manifest divine being
(D) unique man with specific qualities.
57. *The words of Abdul Kalam’s father filled him with a strange energy and
(A) relief
(B) enthusiasm
(C) perseverance
(D) determination.
58. According to Kalam’s father, whenever human beings find themselves alone, they start looking for
(A) amusements
(B) family
(C) company
(D) essential things.
59. Whenever human beings find themselves alone, as a _______ they start looking for a company.
(A) forced reaction
(B) preventive reaction
(C) superstitious reaction
(D) natural reaction.
60. *According to Kalam’s father, whenever people reach an impasse, they
(A) become frustrated
(B) look for someone to show them the way out
(C) surrender themselves to god
(D) become speechless.
Unit – IV
61. *Kalam’s father believed that for people in distress, he was
(A) a mere mediator
(B) greater than God
(C) a solver of problems
(D) a helpless onlooker of their difficulties.
62. *Jainulabdeen would start his day at
(A) 4 p.m.
(B) 6 a.m.
(C) 4 a.m.
(D) 6 p.m.
63. Kalam’s father started his day by
(A) reading the namaz
(B) taking bath
(C) visiting the mosque
(D) feeding beggars.
64. After the namaz, his father used to go to the
(A) orchard
(B) coconut grove
(C) Shiva temple
(D) Ganges.
65. *The coconut grove, where Abdul Kalam’s father used to walk down every morning was about
(A) one and a half miles
(B) three miles
(C) four miles
(D) four and a half miles.
66. Kalam’s father would return from the grove with
(A) about a dozen coconuts
(B) two or three coconuts
(C) a coconut
(D) about two dozen coconuts.
67. After returning from the coconut grove, Kalam’s father would have his
(A) lunch
(B) tiffin
(C) dinner
(D) breakfast.
68. *Kalam throughout his life, had tried to emulate his father in his own world of
(A) art and spirituality
(B) science and technology
(C) science and spirituality
(D) technology and spirituality.
69. *Despite being a scientist, Abdul Kalam felt convinced that there exists a
(A) divine power
(B) supernatural power
(C) devotional power
(D) spiritual power.
70. *Kalam is also spiritual because
(A) he visits the mosque everyday
(B) he tries to follow in his father’s footsteps
(C) he believes in the power of divine
(D) he believes that an individual has to sever all ties to be happy.
71. Severing all physical bond leads one to the road of
(A) happiness
(B) freedom
(C) peace of mind
(D) all of these.
72. *APJ Abdul Kalam’s own world was concerned with
(A) science and war
(B) rocket science and technology
(C) science and technology
(D) missile technology.
73. *After reading the namaz before dawn, Abdul Kalam’s father used to
(A) meet people of different religions
(B) go to the mosque
(C) meet Pakshi Lakshmana Sastry
(D) go to the coconut grove.
74. *Kalam’s ancestral house was made of
(A) limestone and brick
(B) cement and brick
(C) mud and brick
(D) bamboo and tin shed.
75. *’Strong Roots’ is taken from
(A) Ignited Mind
(B) The Luminous Spark
(C) Wings of Fire
(D) Mission of India.
——————
More Questions
1. The full name of APJ Abdul Kalam is
(A) Atul Prasad Jain Abdul Kalam
(B) Awal Prasad Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam
(C) Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam
(D) Avay Prasad Jahangir Abdul Kalam.
2. “Strong Roots” is taken from APJ Abdul Kalam’s
(A) My Journey
(B) Wings of Fire
(C) Ignited Minds
(D) Indomitable Spirit.
3. Dr APJ Abdul Kalam was born into a
(A) middle class Bengali family
(B) high class Tamil family
(C) middle class Tamil family
(D) high class Oriya family.
4. Dr Kalam belongs to
(A) Cuttack
(B) Mysore
(C) Rameswaram
(D) Goa.
5. The name of APJ Abdul Kalam’s father was
(A) Jahangir
(B) Jashim
(C) Johnson
(D) Jainulabdeen.
6. APJ Abdul Kalam’s father had
(A) much formal education
(B) much wealth
(C) much formal education and wealth
(D) neither much formal education nor much wealth.
7. The name of Kalam’s mother is
(A) Ashia
(B) Ashiamma
(C) Annika
(D) Anisha.
8. Kalam’s father, Jainulabdeen possessed
(A) great innate wisdom
(B) a true generosity of spirit
(C) great innate wisdom and a true generosity of spirit
(D) none of these.
9. APJ Abdul Kalam’s parents were widely regarded as a/an
(A) idle couple
(B) ideal couple
(C) normal couple
(D) sympathetic couple.
10. One of Kalam’s mother’s forebears having been bestowed by the British the title of
(A) Badsha
(B) Bharat Ratna
(C) Bahadur
(D) Bharat Shine.
11. Abdul Kalam’s parents were
(A) tall
(B) handsome
(C) tall and handsome
(D) short and handsome.
12. In his childhood Kalam lived in their
(A) rented house
(B) ancestral house
(C) hut
(D) newly built house.
13. The house was built in
(A) 18th century
(B) 19th century
(C) the middle of the 19th century
(D) 20th century.
14. In Rameswaram the fairly large pucca house of APJ Abdul Kalam was situated on
(A) the Temple Road
(B) the Mosque Street
(C) the Church Street
(D) the Vivekananda Street.
15. The famous Shiva Temple of Rameswaram was about a _________ walk from Dr Kalam’s house.
(A) five-minute
(B) ten-minute
(C) two-minute
(D) twenty-minute.
16. Kalam’s locality was predominantly
(A) Hindu
(B) Muslim
(C) Christian
(D) Jain.
17. About the meaning of the Arabic prayers Kalam had
(A) the full idea
(B) no idea
(C) not the faintest idea
(D) the finest idea.
18. The high priest of Rameswaram temple was
(A) VVS Laxamana
(B) Lakshmana Sastry
(C) Pakshi Lakshmana Sastry
(D) Lakshmana Pandit.
19. In Kalam’s locality the Hindu and the Muslim lived
(A) indifferently
(B) amicably
(C) unhappily
(D) in enmity.
20. Kalam’s father would bring him to the very old mosque in their locality for
(A) Friday prayers
(B) morning prayers
(C) teaching Arabic
(D) evening prayers.
21. Kalam’s father led
(A) a very luxurious and peaceful life
(B) a very austere and peaceful life
(C) a very secure and peaceful life
(D) a very wretched but peaceful life.
22. Kalam normally ate with
(A) father
(B) mother
(C) brother
(D) elder brother.
23. Kalam’s father was regarded as
(A) a selfish person
(B) a disbeliever in God
(C) a spiritual person
(D) an orthodox Muslim.
24. Kalam is said to be spiritual because
(A) he follows his father’s principles and ideals in life
(B) he used to attend the mosque for evening prayers
(C) he believes in the existence of the divine power
(D) he is very liberal in thought.
25. Kalam respected his father much because
(A) his father tried hard to educate him
(B) his father was very laborious
(C) his father led an honest and austere life
(D) his father was very extravagant.
26. In the old masjid in Rameswaram prayers were chanted in
(A) Arabic
(B) Hindi
(C) Urdu
(D) Tamil.
27. Kalam’s father would get up at
(A) 5 a.m.
(B) 4 a.m.
(C) 6 a.m.
(D) 4 p.m.
28. According to Abdul Kalam, the divine power can lift up one from
(A) confusion and misery
(B) melancholy and failure
(C) both (a) and (b) options
(D) none of these.
29. Kalam’s father would start his day by reading
(A) the namaz before dawn
(B) the namaz after dawn
(C) the Quran aloud
(D) the Quran silently.
30. Dr APJ Abdul Kalam’s own world was concerned with
(A) science and engineering
(B) technology and management
(C) science and commerce
(D) science and technology.
——————
WBCHSE Sample Questions
SET – I
1. APJ Abdul Kalam was by birth a
(a) Telugu
(b) Tamil
(c) Kannad
(d) Malayali.
2. Abdul Kalam describes his parents as being
(a) wealthy, educated and generous
(b) highly educated but not wealthy
(c) very poor and illiterate
(d) neither wealthy nor highly educated but kind, wise and generous.
3. How does APJ Abdul Kalam sum up his childhood in Rameswaram?
(a) a time when he moved from rags to riches
(b) a period of extreme comfort and affluence
(c) a time of want and deprivation
(d) a very secure time, materially and emotionally.
4. How does Kalam describe his neighbourhood?
(a) a predominantly Muslim locality close to the famous Shiva temple where Hindu families lived amicably with their Muslim neighbours
(b) a predominantly Hindu locality near the Shiva temple, fraught with tension between the Muslim and Hindu communities
(c) a predominantly Christian locality where the Muslim population thinly spread
(d) a cosmopolitan urban neighbourhood with people of all castes, creeds and communities sharing a high-rise apartment near the Shiva temple.
5. Why was Kalam’s father well-known in their locality?
(a) He was a successful doctor.
(b) He was a respected teacher.
(c) He was a healer who prayed for the well-being of his fellow men.
(d) He was a wealthy moneylender.
6. We know that Kalam’s father was acknowledged as a spiritual person because
(a) he was very knowledgeable about spiritual matters
(b) he worked at the local mosque
(c) he read the namaz before dawn
(d) the priest of the Rameswaram temple had discussions with him.
7. Kalam’s father believed that for people in distress, he was
(a) a mere mediator
(b) greater than God
(c) a solver of problems
(d) a helpless onlooker of their difficulties.
8. APJ Abdul Kalam’s own world was concerned with
(a) science and war
(b) rocket science and technology
(c) science and technology
(d) missile technology.
SET – II
1. What is the significance of the title “Strong Roots” in this extract?
a) It refers to the author’s family tree
b) It symbolizes the important values instilled in the author during his childhood
c) It describes the strong trees near his childhood home
d) It foreshadows the author’s future achievements
2. Who is Jainulabdeen in the extract?
a) A close friend of the author’s father
b) The author’s grandfather
c) The author’s father
d) A teacher of the author
3. What lesson does the author learn from his father’s words about troubles and sufferings?
a) To avoid difficulties at all cost.
b) To view challenges as opportunities for growth and self-discovery.
c) To rely on others for help during difficult times.
d) To blame God for misfortune.
——————
WBCHSE Previous Years’ Questions
1. One of the forebears of Kalam’s mother’s was awarded by the British the title of
[WBCHSE H.S. 2015]
(a) Bahadur
(b) Raibahadur
(c) Padmashree
(d) Bharat Ratna.
2. Kalam’s father would take him to the mosque for
[WBCHSE H.S. 2016]
(a) pre-dawn prayers
(b) evening prayers
(c) mid-day prayers
(d) afternoon prayers.
3. Abdul Kalam’s ancestral house was built in
[WBCHSE H.S. 2017, 2022]
(a) mid 19th century
(b) late 19th century
(c) early 20th century
(d) early 19th century.
4. The coconut grove, where Abdul Kalam’s father used to walk down every morning was about
[WBCHSE H.S. 2018]
(a) one and a half miles
(b) three miles
(c) four miles
(d) four and a half miles.
5. Abdul Kalam’s father would convey complex spiritual concepts in simple, down-to-earth
[WBCHSE H.S. 2019, 2022]
(a) Arabic
(b) Urdu
(c) Tamil
(d) Telugu.
6. The words of Abdul Kalam’s father filled him with a strange energy and
[WBCHSE H.S. 2020]
(a) relief
(b) enthusiasm
(c) perseverance
(d) determination.
7. After reading the namaz before dawn, Abdul Kalam’s father used to
[WBCHSE H.S. 2023]
(a) meet people of different religions
(b) go to the mosque
(c) meet Pakshi Lakshmana Sastry
(d) go to the coconut grove.
8. Kalam’s ancestral house was made of
[WBCHSE H.S. 2024]
(a) limestone and brick
(b) cement and brick
(c) mud and brick
(d) bamboo and tin shed.
9. ‘Strong Roots’ is taken from
[WBCHSE H.S. 2025]
(A) Ignited Mind
(B) The Luminous Spark
(C) Wings of Fire
(D) Mission of India
——————
