The Blanket MCQs

“The Blanket” is a poignant short story by Floyd Dell that delves into the complexities of human emotions, particularly focusing on themes of love, sacrifice, and generational conflict. The narrative revolves around a young boy named Peter, who is trying to cope with the impending separation from his grandfather as his father is remarrying and sending him to an old people’s home. The blanket is the central symbol of the story, which the father is giving to the grandfather as a parting gift. The blanket thus becomes a metaphor for the relationships and emotions that bind the three generations together. Through its simple yet powerful narrative, the story highlights the often-unspoken tensions between duty, love, and the harsh realities of life.

1. Peter’s father was sending granddad _________.
(a) to an old home (b) to another city (c) to a hospital (d) away

2. A _______ and _______ blanket was lying on the table.
(a) red and white (b) red and black (c) red and white (d) black and green

3. He did not feel the cool __________ breeze blow into the kitchen.
(a) November(b) September (c) March (d) April

4. Peter was _______years old.
(a) eleven (b) twelve (c) thirteen (d) nine

5. Dad was marrying a girl a lot ________ than him.
(a) prettier (b) younger (c) older (d) cuter

6. Peter sat and looked out over the __________.
(a) valley (b) moon (c) yard (d) lawn

7. The girl walked up to the granddad and said ___________.
(a) harshly (b) sweetly (c) prettily (d) charmingly

8. The granddad was praising the blanket in order to ___________.
(a) please dad (b) please Peter (c) divert attention (d) look grateful

9. Peter had not really _________ dad would send granddad to an old home.
(a) believed (b) realized (c) thought (d) supposed

10. The thin moon was ________ overhead and the gentle breeze was blowing.
(a) shining (b) beautiful (c) high (d) ascending

11. Granddad said that Dad would feel young again with a __________ wife like that.
(a) young (b) beautiful (c) charming (d) pretty

12. The tune stopped suddenly and Granddad said, “It’s a ________ tune, except to be dancing to”.
(a) poor (b) upbeat (c) cheerful (d) trivial

13. Granddad said that he does not want to be ______ listening to the babies crying all hours of the night.
(a) present (b) lying in the home (c) around (d) in the home

14. The pretty girl had a _______ bright face like a doll.
(a) shining (b) hard (c) solid (d) rigid

15. The girl said that the blanket must have cost a pretty _________.
(a) money (b) penny (c) currency (d) cash

16. A fine blanket for an old _________ to be going away with.
(a) man (b) granddad (c) gentleman (d) fellow

17. The girl was still talking about the ___________ blanket.
(a) expensive (b) beautiful (c) double (d) fine

18. No matter what you say, he does not need a ___________ blanket.
(a) fine (b) expensive (c) double (d) exclusive

19. Peter asks his father to cut the blanket in two and __________ the other half.
(a) save (b) keep (c) preserve (d) sell

20. The blanket is written by __________.
(a) Fan Kissen (b) Ralph Helfer (c) Floyd Dell (d) Patricia Demuth

21. The author was the editor of ____________.
(a) New York Times (b) Daily Post (c) Davenport Times (d) Friday Literary Review