Class 8 CBSE English — Chapter 5: Somebody's Mother MCQs with Answers
48 practice questions · 16 Easy · 16 Medium · 16 Hard
Practise the most important Class 8 CBSE English questions from Chapter 5, "Somebody's Mother" — 48 NCERT-aligned multiple-choice questions with answers and explanations. The set is split into 16 Easy, 16 Medium and 16 Hard, so you can warm up on the fundamentals and then push into the exam-level problems that separate top scorers in CBSE Board exams.
"Somebody's Mother" is one of the chapters where comprehension, grammar and writing-skill questions really pays off. Each MCQ on this chapter is timed and uses exam-grade marking (+4 correct, −1 wrong, 0 skipped), training the accuracy-under-pressure that real papers demand. Every question carries a short explanation, so a wrong answer becomes a quick lesson rather than a dead end — the fastest way to close gaps before a test.
Use this chapter as targeted revision: attempt the Easy set first to confirm your basics on Somebody's Mother, then move to Medium and Hard to test application and problem-solving. Your accuracy, streaks and XP save automatically, and the chapter feeds into your overall Class 8 English mastery score. A sample question is shown below; sign in free to see its answer and practise all 48.
Key concepts: Somebody's Mother (Class 8 English)
'Somebody's Mother' by Mary Dow Brine is a short narrative poem about kindness and respect for the elderly. On a cold, snowy winter day an old, poor woman stands afraid at a street crossing, the road slippery beneath her trembling feet. A merry crowd of schoolboys, just let out of school, rushes past laughing and leaves her alone and uncared for amid the throng. Then the gayest boy of the group stops and offers, 'I'll help you cross, if you wish to go.' Placing her aged hand on his strong young arm, he guides her safely across, proud that his own feet are firm and strong, and returns to his friends happy and content. He tells them, 'She's somebody's mother,' and hopes that some day a stranger will help his own mother when he is far away. That night the grateful woman bows her head and prays, 'God be kind to the noble boy, who is somebody's son, and pride and joy.' The poem's gentle message is that every old person is dear to someone, and so deserves our care and courtesy.
- The old woman
- Described as 'old and ragged and gray' and bent with the winter chill, she is poor, frail and afraid to cross the slippery street; she stands for every neglected elderly person.
- The kind boy
- The 'gayest laddie' of the schoolboys, cheerful yet thoughtful, he alone stops to help. His kindness is selfless — he expects nothing and returns to his friends quietly content.
- The uncaring crowd
- The merry troop of boys rushes past without helping. Their carelessness sets off the one boy's kindness and shows how a person can feel ignored even in a busy crowd.
- Setting - a snowy winter street
- The cold, snow-covered, slippery road creates the woman's difficulty and the poem's bleak opening mood, making the warmth of the good deed stand out all the more.
Try a sample question
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The helper is called the 'gayest laddie of all the group'. Here 'gayest' most nearly means the most:
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Start this chapter free →Somebody's Mother — FAQs
What are the key concepts in Class 8 English Somebody's Mother?+
'Somebody's Mother' by Mary Dow Brine is a short narrative poem about kindness and respect for the elderly. On a cold, snowy winter day an old, poor woman stands afraid at a street crossing, the road slippery beneath her trembling feet. A merry crowd of schoolboys, just let out of school, rushes past laughing and leaves her alone and uncared for amid the throng. Then the gayest boy of the group stops and offers, 'I'll help you cross, if you wish to go.' Placing her aged hand on his strong young arm, he guides her safely across, proud that his own feet are firm and strong, and returns to his friends happy and content. He tells them, 'She's somebody's mother,' and hopes that some day a stranger will help his own mother when he is far away. That night the grateful woman bows her head and prays, 'God be kind to the noble boy, who is somebody's son, and pride and joy.' The poem's gentle message is that every old person is dear to someone, and so deserves our care and courtesy. Key ideas include The old woman, The kind boy, The uncaring crowd, Setting - a snowy winter street.
What does Class 8 English Chapter 5 (Somebody's Mother) cover on XamBaaz?+
It covers 48 NCERT-aligned MCQs on "Somebody's Mother" — 16 Easy, 16 Medium and 16 Hard — each with a timed quiz and an instant explanation, suitable for CBSE Board exams.
Are these "Somebody's Mother" questions free to practise?+
Yes — sign in with Google to practise "Somebody's Mother" free. Full unlimited access is ₹999/year (limited-time launch price), with no per-chapter charges.
How should I revise "Somebody's Mother" for the exam?+
Start with the Easy quiz to confirm your fundamentals, then attempt Medium and Hard for application-level practice. Review each explanation, retry the questions you miss, and track your accuracy on this chapter until it is consistently high.
Are these "Somebody's Mother" MCQs available with answers?+
Yes. This page shows one sample question so you can see the format; sign in free with Google to reveal the correct option and a step-by-step "Why" explanation for it, then practise all 48 questions with instant scoring.
Is there negative marking in the "Somebody's Mother" quizzes?+
Yes — the timed quizzes use exam-grade marking: +4 for a correct answer, −1 for a wrong one and 0 for a skipped question. Note that MHT-CET and the CBSE board papers themselves carry no negative marking — our mocks for those are scored their way, not this way.
Are these important questions for Somebody's Mother?+
The set is curated to the NCERT syllabus and weighted toward the question patterns that actually appear in CBSE Board exams, across Easy, Medium and Hard — so it doubles as an "important questions" revision list for "Somebody's Mother".