The Listeners By Walter De La Mare

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➢ Walter de la Mare often used the pseudonym Walter Ramal.
➢ Written in 1912 and first published in ‘ The Listeners and other Poems ’ in 1912 .
➢ The Listeners” by Walter de la Mare is a single-stanza poem consisting of 36 lines.
➢ Rhyme scheme : ABCB
➢ Walter De La Mare wrote “The Listeners” at the request of his children, who wanted a
scary bedtime story.
➢ Theme : Mystery and the supernatural . It is supernatural poem.
➢ The tone of the poem is eerie and mysterious
➢ The poem is about a traveler who visits an isolated house at night, seeking to fulfill a
promise.
➢ The Traveller came on a horseback to the solitary house in a forest.
➢ The question with which the poem opens “ Is there anybody there ? ”
➢ The traveller knocked on the door of the deserted house three times.
➢ ‘Is there anybody there ? ’ – This line is said by the traveller in 2 times.
➢ In the poem the listeners refers to the ghostly inhabitants of the deserted house.
➢ The house was a two -storied house.
➢ In the poem, the Traveller represents the world of the living.
➢ The word ‘Traveller ’ begins with a capital because he represents all living human
beings.
➢ In this poem the ghosts refers to the world of dead or non-living.
➢ The expression ‘a bird flew up out of the turret’ suggests the utter desolation of the place.
➢ The colour of the eyes of the traveller was grey. This grey colour suggests sadness, horror,
and mystery.
➢ “To that voice from the world of men” - Here ‘ the world of men ’ refers to the living
world.
➢ The phantom listeners were responding to the call of the traveller by their stillness or
silence.
➢ The closing of the door suggests that the mystery cannot be unravelled.
➢ The barrier of the communication between the world of the living and the Dead is death
.
➢ “Silence surged softly backward.”– The line evokes the image of rolling waves.
➢ There are six sounds mentioned in the poem. These are – 1. Traveller's call, 2. knocking
on the door, 3. The biting off the grass by the horse , 4. while a bird flew up out of the
turret, 5. Stirrup sound, 6. Plunging hoofs of the horse
Figure of speech

➢ Alliteration : “ Of the forest’s ferny floor ”

“ And how the silence surged softly backward, ”
➢ Tautology : “ Again a second time; ”
Tautology refers to the unnecessary repetition of an idea or meaning using different
words. Here ‘again’ and ‘a second time’ are uselessly repeated.
➢ Transferred Epithet : “starred and leafy sky;”
➢ Synecdoche: “ No head from the leaf-fringed sill ”
In synecdoche a part is used to represent the whole. Here “head” represents a whole
person (i.e., no person looked out from the window).
➢ Metaphor : phantom listeners.
➢ Onomatopoeia : Smote , Champed and Plunging hoofs
 The Listeners – YouTube Channel : Solution4

1. The Listeners was first published in The Listeners and Other Poems in
a) 1913 b) 1912 c) 1911 d) 1914

2. The Listeners may be classified as a ____ Poem.

a) Ballad b) Supernatural c) Metaphysical d) Anti-war

3. What is the mood of the poem ?

a) Mysterious and Eerie b) Exciting c) Happy and relaxed d) Melancholy

4. To what literary tradition does ‘The Listeners' belong? ( MSC 2023 )

a) Georgian Poetry b)Modernist Poetry c)Surrealist Poetry d)Impressionist Poetry

5. What is the setting of the poem ?

a) In a underground tunnel c) At the top of a tower, overlooking a barren land
b) In a dark room d) A moonlit night at a dwelling in a forest

6. The question with which the poem opens in

a) “ Is there anyone there ? ” c) “ Is there anybody there ? ”
b) “ Is here anybody there ? ” d) “ Is anybody there ? ”

7. In “ The listeners ” poem The listeners refers to

a) The readers c) The traveller’s friends living in the deserted house
b) The poet himself d) The ghostly inhabitants of the deserted house

8. In the poem, the Traveller represents

a) the world of the living b)The world of the dead c)The world of ghosts d) The ghosts

9. The word ‘Traveller ’ begins with a capital because

a) He is a mysterious person c) He is a particular person having an exceptional quality
b) He represents all living human beings d) His identify is in vague.

10. In this poem the ghosts refers to

a) the world of the living c) The world of the dead or non-living
b) The world of luxury d) The world of sacrifice

11. The phantom dwellers of the deserted house have been called listeners because
a) They only listened to the call from the world of man
b) They lacked the power of responding to this call
c) They did not want to response
d) Both (a) & (b)

12. Who are the characters in the poem ?

a) The traveller b) The horse c)The phantom listeners d) All of these

13. The phrase ‘moonlit door’ means

a) The door which has moonlight c)The door shining with the moonbeams falling on it
b) The door on a moonlit night d) The door lit by the moon
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14. The word 'champed' means

a) munched noisily b) expressed noisily c) uttered noisily d) response

15. The traveller went to the deserted house

a) On foot c) In a motor car c )On a horse-back d) on a bicycle

16. The phrase forest’s ferny floor’ means

a) ground of the forest, covered with ferns c) The forest was dark
b) The forest’s floor has no grass d) All of these

17. The phrase ‘forest’s ferny floor’ is an instance of

a) Pun b) Alliteration c) homophone d) Climax

18. A bird flew out of the _________ of the deserted house just above the traveller’s head.
a) Turret b) Roof c) Nest d) Window-sill

19. The term ‘turret’ means

a) small tower b) A building c) A fairly large tower d) A large minaret

20. The expression ‘a bird flew up out of the turret’ suggests

a) The utter desolation of the place c) the old age of the place
b) the dense forest d) Loneliness of the traveller

21. Which of the word (s) below suggest (s) that the setting involves a mansion or a large
house ?
a) Moonlit door b) Iron on stone c) Turret d) Plunging hoofs

22. The traveller went to the deserted house

a) In a moon-lit night b) In broad day-light c) In a dark night d) At dawn

23. While the traveller was knocking at the door of the deserted house, his horse
a) Stood still b) Ran madly c) Champed grasses d) Got restless

24. The traveller’s horse champed the

a) Grasses b) Fern c) creepers d) All of these

25. “And his horse in the silence champed the grasses.” ‘Champed’ means
a) Ate noisily b) Beat with a sound c) Tore off d) Swallowed

26. The door of the deserted house was

a) Starlit b) Sunlit c) Moonlit d) deep dark

27. The sky mentioned in the poem was

a) Leafy b) Cloudless c) Covered with cloud d) Stormy
 The Listeners – YouTube Channel : Solution4

28. Which option suggests that the owners of the house were deceased ?
a) The traveller visited the house in night c) Grey eyes of the traveller
b) Faint moonbeams fall on the door d)Phantom listeners lived in the house

29. “No head from the leaf-fringed sill leaned over…” This line indicates that
a) The house is deserted since long
b) People live in the house but they do not welcome the traveller
c) The house is maintained properly by its present inhabitants
d) All of these

30. “No head from the leaf-fringed sill leaned over…” “Sill’ means
a) Silence
b) Sealed
c) A lower horizontal frame of wood or stone at the foot of a window
d) A kind of fish

31. The colour of the eyes of the traveller was

a) Red b) Blue c) Grey d) black

32. “To that voice from the world of men’- Here ‘ that voice’ refers to
a) the voice of the traveller c) he voice of the ghosts
b) the voice of the owl d) the voice of the horse

33. Here ‘ the world of men ’ refers to ***

a) the living world c) the world made by men
b) the world where Ghosts live d) All of these

34. “ … look’d into his grey of eyes.” - Here the ‘grey eyes’ in The Listeners is used to add
a) To indicate the old age of the traveller c) To add mystery and awe
b) to add the charm of the poem d) That the traveller was also a ghost

35. “ Stood thronging the faint moonbeams on the dark stair ” -Here ‘thronging’ means
a) gathering in crowds b) Crowding c) bravely d) accompanying.

36. The phantom listeners were standing

a) Behind the deserted house c) On the half-lit stairs of the house
b) In the big hall of the house d) On the roof of the house

37. The stairs of the deserted house lead to

a) Turret b) Hall c) Bed chamber d) another room

38. “Hearkening in an air stirred and shaken.” -“Hearkening’ means

a) Seeing b) Listening to c) Taking smell of d) Smiting

39. The phantom listeners stood listening to the voice from the world of
a) Spirits b) Men c) Animals d) All of these
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40. The phantom listeners were responding to the call of the traveller by their
a) Song b) Gestures c) Loud words d) Stillness / silence

41. The ghost’s answer was

a) Stillness or silence b) Uncanniness c) communication d) Pleasantness

42. The traveller knocked at the moonlit door of the deserted house ( WB SLST 2016 )
a) Four times b) Three times c) Twice d) Once

43. The closing of the door suggests ***

a) That the house was haunted c) that the mystery cannot be unravelled
b) That the house is old d) That the traveller has failed to elicit any response

44. The barrier of the communication between the world of the living and the Dead is ***
a) death c) Perception c) birth d) silence

45. “ While his horse moved, cropping the dark turf ” - Here ‘cropping’ means
a) Getting down b) Moving c) Biting off d) Walking

46. The term turf means a) grass b) forest c) small tower d) ghost

47. The traveller felt the strangeness of the phantom listeners in his
a) Heart b) Face c) Brain d) All of these

48. The forest-land in front of the deserted house was covered with
a) Moss b) Fern c) Bushes d) All of these

49. “Hearkening in an air stirred and shaken.” -The air got “stirred and shaken” by **
a) The traveller’s call c) The munching sound of the horse
b) Flight of the bird d) The sound of cricket

50. Why did the traveller stand at the door of the deserted house perplexed and still ?
a) No one descended to him
b) He heard echoing sound through the shadowiness of the still house
c) Nobody replied to his call
d) All of these

51. Ay, they heard his foot upon the……….

a) Sandy soil b) Stirrup c) Iron d) Stair

52. “Ay, they heard his foot upon the stirrup.”-‘Stirrup’ is

a) Foot rest of a car driver c) Foot rest of a horse rider
b) Seat with a back rest d) Hard stony soil

53. The traveller left a message to the ***

a) The readers b) Poet c) Inhabitants of the deserted house d) Critics of the poem
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54. “Silence surged softly backward.”– The line evokes the image of ***
a) A silent forest b) Rolling waves c)A noiseless house d) Retreating soldiers

55. The silence reigning around the house where the Traveller went was broken by _______
Sounds.***
a) Three b)Four c) six d) Five

56. The purpose of the traveller in coming to the lonely house is

a) Not clear to the readers c) To enjoy the nocturnal beauty of the place
b) To attend marriage party d) To meet the phantom dwellers

57. What expression below indicates that the traveller previously knew ‘the listeners’ ?
a) “Tell them I came, and no one answered,/That kept my word”
b) “Silence surged softly backward”
c) “Is there anybody there?”
d) “He suddenly smote on the door even louder.”

58. Which expression below is an example of alliteration ?

a) “The plunging hoofs were gone.” c) “Sound of iron on stone.”
b) “The silence surged softly backward” d) “Their stillness answering his cry.”

59. “From the one man left awake”-Here ‘one man’ refers to
a) a worker b) The poet c) The traveller d) a man from India

60. Which of these best describes the role of the Traveller in the poem ?
a) A stand -in for the speaker c) A cautionary tale
b) A foil for the listeners d) A symbolic figure

61. What physical and biographical details do we get about the Traveller ?
a) His grey eyes b)He has special power c) He is a ghost d) He has brown hair

62. Which of the following adjectives is not used to describe the natural world in the poem ?
a) Starry b) quiet c) leafy d) cloudy

63. Besides ‘The Listeners’ Walter de la Mare is best known for

a) Paintings c) His short horror fiction and writing for children
b) His fables d) His books of sonnets

64. What happened when the traveller knocked on the door first time ?
a) The horse stopped chewing the grass c) A man came down
b) birds flew up out of the turret d) All of these

65. Who is the main character in “The Listeners”?

a) A horse b) A traveller c) the owner of the house d) ghosts
 The Listeners – YouTube Channel : Solution4

66. What does the bird symbolize in the poem?

a) Freedom b) Mystery c) Happiness d) Danger

67. What emotion does the poem’s tone convey?

a) Joy b) Curiosity c) Fear/unease d)Excitement

68. What does the traveler feel in his heart regarding the listeners?
a) Their strangeness b) Their absence c) Their happiness d) Their anger

69. What happens after the Traveller leaves?

a) The house collapses b) The silence returns c) The ghosts speak d) The sun rises

70. What natural elements are mentioned?

a) Stars, leaves, grass c) Rain, snow, clouds
b) Rivers, oceans, mountains d) Sand, rocks, cliffs

71. What literary form is "The Listeners"?

a) Sonnet b) Ballad c) Narrative poem d) Limerick

72. What role does the bird flying out of the turret play?
a) It signals life in the house c) It symbolizes the start of the supernatural experience
b) It foreshadows danger d) It wakes the listeners

73. What is the main theme of "The Listeners"?

a) Adventure b)Love and loss c)Mystery and the supernatural d) War and peace

74. How does the silence function symbolically in the poem?

a) It highlights peace c) It represents the gap between life and death
b) It indicates failure d) It shows the Traveller’s weakness

75. Why are there no specific names or times mentioned?

a) To confuse readers c) To give the poem a timeless, universal quality
b) To avoid copyright issues d) To limit interpretation

76. How many living objects can be found in “The Listeners”?

a) Two b) Three c) Five d) Six

77. What does the phrase “forest’s ferny floor”

a) The desolation of the place c) The forest floor is covered with ferns
b) People come here frequently d) None of these

78. What is the central theme of The Listeners?

a) The joy of companionship c) The mystery of the unknown and isolation
b) The beauty of nature d) The excitement of adventure
 The Listeners – YouTube Channel : Solution4

79. Which of these best describes the role of the Traveller in the poem?
a) A STAND-IN FOR THE SPEAKER c) A SYMBOLIC FIGURE
b) A CAUTIONARY TALE d) A FOIL FOR THE LISTENERS

80. What physical and biographical details do we get about the Traveller?
a) HE HAS GREY EYES
b) HE’S COME A LONG WAY AND APPEARS TIRED
c) HE’S BEEN SEARCHING FOR THE LISTENERS FOR YEARS
d) HE’S TALL, BLONDE, AND PROBABLY NORDIC

81. Why does the Traveller leave?

a) HE HEARS SHOUTS “CLAMORING IN THE DISTANCE”
b) HIS HORSE “WHINNIES AND CRIES”
c) HE FEELS “THEIR STRANGENESS”
d) HE DECIDES THAT HE’S ACCOMPLISHED HIS GOAL

82. Which of the following statements about the meter of “The Listeners” is true?
a) THERE IS NO METER
b) THE POEM FALLS GENERALLY INTO IAMBIC PENTAMETER
c) IT EMPLOYS CLASSIC METRICAL PATTERNS
d) THE METER ALTERNATES WITH THE RHYME

83. In his personal life, Walter de la Mare

a) LED A RELATIVELY STABLE, CONVENTIONAL LIFE
b) LED AN ENTIRELY RECLUSIVE LIFE AND ABHORRED PUBLICITY
c) WAS A RECKLESS BOHEMIAN IN HIS YOUTH, LATER A FAMILY MAN
d) WAS TROUBLED AND OFTEN VERY DEPRESSED

84. Walter de la Mare was well-versed in and influenced by

a) TEUTONIC AND CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY
b) THE WORKS OF HIS MODERNIST CONTEMPORARIES SUCH AS T.S. ELIOT
c) GREEK AND ROMAN PHILOSOPHY, ESPECIALLY STOICISM
d) ANCIENT CHINESE POETRY

85. The tone of “The Listeners” is best described as

a) TERRIFYING c) EERIE AND UNSETTLING
b) CHAOTIC AND ABSURD d) REVOLTING

86. The titular “listeners” are

a) NEVER DESCRIBED BY THE SPEAKER
b) AN IMAGINED GROUP OF THE SPEAKER’S ENEMIES
c) AMBIGUOUSLY GHOSTLY BEINGS
d) ANGRY SPIRITS OF THE DEAD
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87. The Traveller is “the last man left ______”

a) UNAFRAID b) AWAKE c) STANDING d) ALIVE

88. Which of the following adjectives is not used to describe the natural world in the poem?
a) STARRY b) CLOUDY c) QUIET d) LEAFY

89. The speaker’s use of “Ay” in line 33 is an instance of

a) ASSONANCE b) ALLITERATION c) APOSTROPHE d) ANAPHORA

90. The line “Of the forest’s ferny floor” does not contain
a) ONOMATOPOEIA b) ASSONANCE c) ALLITERATION d) TROCHAIC METER

91. _____ is associated heavily with silence in the poem

a) MOONLIGHT b) WINDOWS c) DOORS d) THE TRAVELLER’S HORSE

92. The setting of “The Listeners” is

a) A WOODED MOUNTAINSIDE c) AN ISOLATED FOREST
b) A CROWDED VILLAGE d) A GRASSY KNOLL

93. What is the effect of the words “thronging” and “host” as used to describe the listeners?
a) DEMONSTRATES THEIR DISLIKE OF THE TRAVELLER
b) GIVES THE IMPRESSION OF AN OMINOUS, HOMOGENEOUS CROWD
c) MAKES THEM SEEM INVITING, IF SHY
d) CONVEYS THEIR FRUSTRATION AT BEING UNABLE TO SPEAK

94. In context, the word “turf” here means

a) PILES OF LEAVES b) MOSSY ROCKS c) FOREST FLOOR d) GRASS

95. The listeners reside in

a) AN OMINOUS, DILAPIDATED BUILDING
b) A HOUSE LARGE ENOUGH TO HAVE A TURRETT
c) A SMALL COTTAGE
d) A LARGE CASTLE SURROUNDED BY A MOAT

96. The phrase “But no one descended to the Traveller” can be paraphrased as
a) NO ONE ACKNOWLEDGED HIS PRESENCE
b) NOBODY SPOKE TO HIM
c) NO ONE CAME DOWN TO GREET HIM
d) HE RECEIVED NO SIGN THAT THERE WAS ANYONE HOME

97. The phrase “the silence surged softly backwards” is an example of

a) HYPERBOLE c) ONOMATOPOEIA
b) METAPHORICAL LANGUAGE d) PERSONIFICATION
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98. Besides “The Listeners,” Walter de la Mare is best known for

a) HIS BOOKS OF SONNETTS
b) HIS ROMANTIC-STYLE PAINTINGS
c) HIS RE-WRITING OF CLASSIC FABLES
d) HIS SHORT HORROR FICTION AND WRITING FOR CHILDREN

99. The Georgian Poets are

a) A GROUP OF POETS WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE LITERARY SALONS AT
BLOOMSBURY IN LONDON
b) A GROUP OF POETS CHARACTERIZED BY THEIR HATRED OF MODERNISM
c) A GROUP OF POETS CHARACTERIZED BY THEIR ACUTE PSYCHOLOGICAL
PORTRAITS
d) A GROUP OF POETS PUBLISHED IN A SERIES OF ANTHOLOGIES BY THE SAME
NAME

100. In classical mythology, grey eyes signified

a) COWARDICE b) A MERCURIAL NATURE c) WISDOM d) BRAVERY

The Listeners Answers

1.b 2.b 3.a 4.a 5.d 6.c 7.d 8.a 9.b 10.c 11.d 12.d
13.c 14.a 15.c 16.a 17.b 18.a 19.a 20.a 21.c 22.a
23.c 24.a 25.a 26.c 27.a 28.d 29.a 30.c 31.c 32.a
33.a 34.c 35.a 36.c 37.b 38.b 39.b 40.d 41.a 42.b
43.c 44.a 45.c 46.a 47.a 48.b 49.a 50.d 51.b 52.c 53.c
54.b 55.c 56.a 57.a 58.b 59.c 60.d 61.a 62.d 63.c
64.b 65.b 66.b 67.c 68.a 69.b 70.a 71.c 72.c 73.c 74.c
75.c 76.b 77.a 78.c 79.c 80.a 81.c 82.c 83.a 84.a 85.c
86.c 87.b 88.b 89.c 90.a 91.a 92.c 93.b 94.d 95.b 96.c
97.b 98.d 99.d 100.c