The Rattrap — Class 12 MCQs with Answers
Class 12 CBSE English · Chapter 4
30 practice questions · 30 Medium · Updated
Jump to the 2 solved questions
Practise the most important Class 12 CBSE English questions from Chapter 4, "The Rattrap". You get 3 timed quizzes made from 30 NCERT-based MCQs, with answers and explanations. The questions are split into 30 Medium. Warm up on the basics, then move on to the exam-level questions that top scorers in CBSE Board exams get right.
To score well in "The Rattrap", focus on comprehension, grammar and writing skills. Each MCQ here is timed and uses exam-style marking (+4 correct, −1 wrong, 0 skipped). This helps you stay accurate when time is short, just as real papers need. Every question has a short explanation, so a wrong answer becomes a quick lesson. It is the fastest way to fix gaps before a test.
Use this chapter for focused revision. Start with the Easy set to check your basics on The Rattrap, then move to Medium to practise applying them. Your accuracy, streaks and XP save automatically. This chapter also adds to your overall Class 12 English mastery score. Try the 2 sample questions below: tap an option to see the answer and a worked explanation. Sign in free to start practising.
The Rattrap — important questions & MCQs with answers (Class 12 English)
2 solved questions from this chapter's difficulty levels, each with its answer and explanation. Tap an option to check yourself.
0 of 2 answered
- Q1 of 2Medium
How did the old crofter treat the peddler?
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Answer: He gave him supper, tobacco, and played 'mjolis' with him until bedtime
Explanation: The crofter, 'an old man without wife or child, was happy to get someone to talk to in his loneliness'.
- Q2 of 2Medium
Why did the peddler enter the Ramsjö forge?
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Answer: To warm himself by the fire and sleep, having lost his way
Explanation: The master blacksmith 'nodded a haughty consent without honouring him with a single word'.
The Rattrap notes: key concepts (Class 12 English)
Selma Lagerlof's story of a vagabond who sells rattraps and believes the whole world is one — baited with riches and food, and closing on whoever touches the bait. Taken in first by a crofter, then by an ironmaster who mistakes him for an old regimental comrade, he is finally redeemed by Edla Willmansson's unconditional kindness.
- Selma Lagerlof
- A Swedish writer, the first woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. The story has the shape of a folk tale — a wanderer, three hosts, and a moral proved by an act of trust.
- The peddler's trade
- He goes about selling small rattraps of wire, which he makes himself at odd moments from material he gets by begging. 'Even so, the business was not especially profitable, so he had to resort to both begging and petty thievery to keep body and soul together.'
- The rattrap idea
- One day it strikes him that 'the whole world about him — the whole world with its lands and seas, its cities and villages — was nothing but a big rattrap'. It exists only to set baits for people.
- The bait
- 'riches and joys, shelter and food, heat and clothing, exactly as the rattrap offered cheese and pork' — and the moment anyone let himself be tempted to touch the bait, 'it closed in on him, and then everything came to an end'.
- The crofter
- An old man without wife or child, happy for company. He put the porridge pot on the fire, shared his tobacco, and played 'mjolis' with his guest till bedtime. He had been a crofter at Ramsjo Ironworks in his days of prosperity; now his cow supports him, and last month her milk earned him thirty kronor.
- The theft
- The next day the peddler goes back, smashes the window pane, takes the thirty kronor and hangs the pouch back. He then avoids the public highway and turns into the woods — and gets lost.
- Caught in his own trap
- Lost in the forest, he realises he has been caught in the rattrap himself: 'He had let himself be fooled by a bait and had been caught.'
- The ironmaster's mistake
- At Ramsjo ironworks, the ironmaster takes the ragged stranger for Nils Olof, an old regimental comrade, and invites him home for Christmas. The peddler does not correct him, hoping for something.
- Edla Willmansson
- She notices at once that he is 'afraid', but persuades him to come, promising he may leave when he wishes: 'you will be allowed to leave us just as freely as you came.'
- The unmasking
- In daylight the ironmaster sees his error and hints that 'the sheriff would like to have something to say in the matter'. The peddler strikes the table and answers with his own metaphor: the world is a big rattrap, and one day the ironmaster too 'may want to get a big piece of pork, and then you will get caught in the trap'.
- Edla's argument
- Her reason is compassion, not duty: 'He walks and walks the whole year long, and there is probably not a single place in the whole country where he is welcome… I should like to have him enjoy a day of peace with us here — just one in the whole year.' And: 'I don't think we ought to chase away a human being whom we have asked to come here, and to whom we have promised Christmas cheer.'
- The gift and the letter
- He leaves a small rattrap holding three wrinkled ten-kronor notes and a letter asking her to return the money to 'the old man on the roadside, who has the money pouch hanging on the window frame as a bait for poor wanderers'. It is a present 'from a rat who would have been caught in this world's rattrap if he had not been raised to captain'. Signed: 'Captain von Stahle.'
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The Rattrap — FAQs
What are the key concepts in Class 12 English The Rattrap?+
Selma Lagerlof's story of a vagabond who sells rattraps and believes the whole world is one — baited with riches and food, and closing on whoever touches the bait. Taken in first by a crofter, then by an ironmaster who mistakes him for an old regimental comrade, he is finally redeemed by Edla Willmansson's unconditional kindness. Key ideas include Selma Lagerlof, The peddler's trade, The rattrap idea, The bait, The crofter, The theft.
What does Class 12 English Chapter 4 (The Rattrap) cover on XamBaaz?+
It has 30 NCERT-based MCQs on "The Rattrap": 30 Medium. Together they make 3 timed quizzes, and you never get the same set twice. Every question has an instant explanation. They help you prepare for CBSE Board exams.
Are these "The Rattrap" questions free to practise?+
Yes. Sign in with Google to practise "The Rattrap" free. Full unlimited access is ₹1,999/year. One year from the day you pay. Class 12 is your last school year, so your class stays as it is. No chapter is charged separately.
How should I revise "The Rattrap" for the exam?+
Start with the Easy quiz to check your basics, then try Medium to practise applying them. There are 3 timed quizzes on this chapter, so you can come back for a fresh set instead of one you have seen. Read each explanation, retry the questions you miss, and track your accuracy until it stays high.
Are these "The Rattrap" MCQs available with answers?+
Yes. 2 sample questions are on this page with answers: tap an option, or "Show answer", to see the correct option and a step-by-step explanation. Sign in free with Google to start practising, with instant scoring.
Is there negative marking in the "The Rattrap" quizzes?+
Yes. The timed quizzes use exam-style marking: +4 for a right answer, −1 for a wrong one and 0 for a skip. MHT-CET and CBSE board papers have no negative marking. Our mocks for those are scored their way.
What are the important questions from The Rattrap (Class 12 English)?+
The questions that matter most test Selma Lagerlof, The peddler's trade, The rattrap idea, The bait, The crofter, The theft. This page shows 2 solved important MCQs with answers and explanations. Sign in to practise all 30 questions on the chapter as timed quizzes.
Is there an online quiz for The Rattrap?+
Yes — Class 12 English The Rattrap has timed online quizzes at Medium levels, with instant scoring and a worked explanation on every question. The first quiz on the chapter is free.
Are there question answers and extra questions for The Rattrap (Class 12 English)?+
Yes. This page has 2 solved questions on The Rattrap, each with the correct answer and a short explanation. Sign in to practise all 30 questions on the chapter as timed quizzes.