Magnifying Glass — Class 8 MCQs with Answers
Class 8 CBSE English · Chapter 14
48 practice questions · 16 Easy · 16 Medium · 16 Hard · Updated
Practise the most important Class 8 CBSE English questions from Chapter 14, "Magnifying Glass". You get 6 timed quizzes made from 48 NCERT-based MCQs, with answers and explanations. The questions are split into 16 Easy, 16 Medium and 16 Hard. 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 "Magnifying Glass", 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 Magnifying Glass, then move to Medium and Hard to practise applying them. Your accuracy, streaks and XP save automatically. This chapter also adds to your overall Class 8 English mastery score. 9 sample questions are solved in full below, with the answer and a worked explanation. Sign in free to start practising.
Magnifying Glass — important questions & MCQs with answers (Class 8 English)
9 solved questions from this chapter's difficulty levels, each with its answer and explanation.
- Q1Easy
What object does the speaker use to look closely at ordinary things in the poem?
A.A round magnifying glass✓ CorrectB.A pair of binocularsC.A microscopeD.A mirrorAnswer: A. A round magnifying glass
Explanation: The poem opens 'With this round glass / I can make Magic talk' — the round glass is a magnifying glass.
- Q2Easy
From which organs does the spider send out its web-silk in the poem?
A.Its clawsB.Its mouthC.Its spinnerets✓ CorrectD.Its eyesAnswer: C. Its spinnerets
Explanation: 'The woven web-silk / From his spinnerets' — spinnerets are the organs a spider uses to make silk.
- Q3Easy
With lenses like his glass, what distant object does the speaker imagine eyeing?
A.The sunB.The starsC.The seaD.The moon✓ CorrectAnswer: D. The moon
Explanation: 'Yes, and with lenses like it, / Eyeing the moon' — he imagines turning such lenses towards the moon.
- Q4Medium
Even though they have 'all those eyes', the flies still stumble into the web. This suggests that:
A.The flies are all asleepB.The spider itself is blindC.Even many eyes cannot save them from the trap✓ CorrectD.The net is invisible to the spiderAnswer: C. Even many eyes cannot save them from the trap
Explanation: Despite their many eyes, the flies blunder in — the many-eyed detail is a wonder, but it does not spare them.
- Q5Medium
In 'A myriad shells show', the word 'myriad' most nearly means:
A.A singleB.A brokenC.A shiningD.A countless number of✓ CorrectAnswer: D. A countless number of
Explanation: 'Myriad' means a very large, countless number, so the chalk seems to hold countless shells.
- Q6Medium
The poem's image of 'a myriad shells' in chalk reflects the real fact that chalk is formed mainly from:
A.Grains of ordinary sandB.Melted glassC.The tiny shells of sea creatures✓ CorrectD.Crushed dry leavesAnswer: C. The tiny shells of sea creatures
Explanation: Natural chalk is made of the shells of countless tiny sea organisms, which is exactly what the magnified chalk reveals.
- Q7Hard
The lines describing the spider spinning silk and trapping flies chiefly serve to:
A.Warn readers to stay away from all spidersB.Show the intricate, dramatic life revealed under the lens✓ CorrectC.Explain a method for killing fliesD.Describe the surface of the moonAnswer: B. Show the intricate, dramatic life revealed under the lens
Explanation: The spider's skilful spinning and hunting show the rich drama hidden in a tiny creature once the glass magnifies it.
- Q8Hard
In 'Will make more marvellous / And itself surpass', the word 'surpass' means to:
A.Fall far behindB.Stay completely unchangedC.Vanish from sightD.Go beyond or exceed its ordinary self✓ CorrectAnswer: D. Go beyond or exceed its ordinary self
Explanation: 'Surpass' means to exceed or go beyond, so the magnified thing appears greater than it ordinarily seems.
- Q9Hard
How does the poem connect the very small and the very far?
A.It says both the small and the far are worthlessB.The same wonder of lenses moves from a speck of chalk to eyeing the moon✓ CorrectC.It claims that moss grows on the moonD.It denies that lenses work at allAnswer: B. The same wonder of lenses moves from a speck of chalk to eyeing the moon
Explanation: The magnifying glass reveals tiny chalk and moss, and the poem then imagines lenses reaching the moon — one idea spanning both extremes.
Key concepts: Magnifying Glass (Class 8 English)
'Magnifying Glass' by Walter de la Mare (Poorvi, Unit 5 — Science and Curiosity) is a short, joyful poem about the wonder hidden in tiny, everyday things. Holding a simple round glass, the speaker turns ordinary observation into 'Magic': a scrap of chalk shows countless shells, an inch of moss becomes a forest, a drop of water swarms like a hive of bees, and a spider reveals fierce claws and skilful silk. The poem argues that nothing is too small to be marvellous, and it playfully stretches from these tiny sights all the way to eyeing the moon through lenses — linking curiosity, close observation, science and imagination.
- The poet — Walter de la Mare
- British poet and short-story writer (1873–1956), famous for dreamlike, imaginative verse that finds magic in ordinary things, especially childhood and nature.
- The round glass (magnifying glass)
- A convex lens the speaker holds to look closely at small objects; it 'makes Magic talk' by revealing detail the naked eye cannot see.
- A myriad shells in chalk
- Magnified chalk shows countless tiny shells — a real fact, since natural chalk is formed from the shells of minute sea creatures.
- A forest in an inch of moss
- Under the lens a speck of moss looks like a whole forest of flowers and trees, showing how much detail is packed into the smallest things.
- A drop of water like a hive of bees
- A single water drop seems to teem with life, compared through a simile to a busy beehive.
- The deft spider and its spinnerets
- The skilful ('deft') spider jets woven web-silk from its spinnerets, the organs spiders use to make silk; its magnified claws look 'tigerish'.
- The silly flies with all those eyes
- The flies blunder into the web despite having many eyes; the lens reveals their many-eyed detail while the word 'silly' marks their careless trapping.
- Nothing too tiny to be marvellous
- 'Not even the tiniest thing / But this my glass / Will make more marvellous / And itself surpass' — smallness never rules out wonder; 'surpass' means to exceed its ordinary self.
- From the tiny to the moon
- The poem stretches from a chalk speck to 'lenses like it' aimed at the moon (a telescope), so it seems 'you'd walk there / In an afternoon' — a playful hyperbole.
- Central theme
- Curiosity and close observation reveal hidden wonders in ordinary things; science and imagination work together, and learning begins with careful looking.
- Literary devices
- Metaphor ('make Magic talk'), simile ('Like hive of bees', 'tigerish' claws), alliteration ('woven web-silk'), personification (the glass that 'surpasses itself') and hyperbole (walking to the moon).
- Rhyme, tone and structure
- Written in short lines with an abcb rhyme scheme (talk–chalk, trees–bees, moon–afternoon); exclamations and dashes create a lively, excited, wonder-filled tone.
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Start this chapter free →Magnifying Glass — FAQs
What are the key concepts in Class 8 English Magnifying Glass?+
'Magnifying Glass' by Walter de la Mare (Poorvi, Unit 5 — Science and Curiosity) is a short, joyful poem about the wonder hidden in tiny, everyday things. Holding a simple round glass, the speaker turns ordinary observation into 'Magic': a scrap of chalk shows countless shells, an inch of moss becomes a forest, a drop of water swarms like a hive of bees, and a spider reveals fierce claws and skilful silk. The poem argues that nothing is too small to be marvellous, and it playfully stretches from these tiny sights all the way to eyeing the moon through lenses — linking curiosity, close observation, science and imagination. Key ideas include The poet — Walter de la Mare, The round glass (magnifying glass), A myriad shells in chalk, A forest in an inch of moss, A drop of water like a hive of bees, The deft spider and its spinnerets.
What does Class 8 English Chapter 14 (Magnifying Glass) cover on XamBaaz?+
It has 48 NCERT-based MCQs on "Magnifying Glass": 16 Easy, 16 Medium and 16 Hard. Together they make 6 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 "Magnifying Glass" questions free to practise?+
Yes. Sign in with Google to practise "Magnifying Glass" free. Full unlimited access is ₹999/year. One year from the day you pay. You stay in Class 8 till 31 March; on 1 April your account moves up to Class 9 and the rest of your year carries over. No chapter is charged separately.
How should I revise "Magnifying Glass" for the exam?+
Start with the Easy quiz to check your basics, then try Medium and Hard to practise applying them. There are 6 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 "Magnifying Glass" MCQs available with answers?+
Yes. 9 sample questions are shown here in full, each with the correct option and a step-by-step "Why" explanation. Sign in free with Google to start practising, with instant scoring.
Is there negative marking in the "Magnifying Glass" 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 Magnifying Glass (Class 8 English)?+
The questions that matter most test The poet — Walter de la Mare, The round glass (magnifying glass), A myriad shells in chalk, A forest in an inch of moss, A drop of water like a hive of bees, The deft spider and its spinnerets. This page shows 9 solved important MCQs with answers and explanations. Sign in to practise all 48 questions on the chapter as timed quizzes.
Is there an online quiz for Magnifying Glass?+
Yes — Class 8 English Magnifying Glass has timed online quizzes at Easy, Medium and Hard levels, with instant scoring and a worked explanation on every question. The first quiz on the chapter is free.