Question

Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

There are more guests at table than the hosts Invited; the illuminated hall Is thronged with quiet, inoffensive ghosts, As silent as the pictures on the wall.

1. Who are the uninvited guests at table? Why are they silent? (Understanding and Analysis)
2. Why are they there uninvited? How do they conduct themselves? (Evaluate)
3. What is surprising about these uninvited guests? (Understanding)
4. What is meant by “As silent as the pictures on the wall”? Which figure of speech is used in this line? (Understanding and Analysts)
5. What can the speaker see and hear which others cannot? (Analysis)

Answer 1

1. The uninvited guests are the peaceful spirits of the people who once lived in the house. They remain silent because they are not real people but spirits. Their presence is calm and quiet, just like the pictures hanging on the wall.
2. The spirits are not invited by the people living in the house, but they are there because they are connected to that place. They stay quietly in their old home and do not trouble or frighten the people living there.
3. The surprising thing is that these uninvited guests are ghosts, but they are not scary. They are quiet, peaceful, and do not trouble anyone. They stay silently with the living people, which is different from the usual idea that ghosts are frightening.
4. The line “As silent as the pictures on the wall” means that the ghosts are completely quiet and do not disturb anyone. The figure of speech used here is a simile because the ghosts are compared to pictures using the word “as.”
5. The speaker can see and hear the spirits of the people from the past. But a stranger can see only what is present in front of him. The speaker can also remember and feel the past.