XAT Poem RC Quiz 1: The Weight of Time
Practice XAT poem RC with 10 carefully crafted questions across 2 poems. Features detailed solutions, trap analysis, and the 2-Pass Method guidance. Test your poetry comprehension skills now.
📋 How to Take This Quiz
- 1 Read the poem carefully — Each poem appears before its questions. Spend 60-90 seconds understanding the theme and tone before answering.
- 2 Select your answer — Click on your chosen option. It will highlight in pink. You can change your selection before moving to the next question.
- 3 Navigate with arrows — Use Previous/Next buttons to move between questions. Submit on the last question to see your score.
- 4 Review explanations — After submission, each question shows the correct answer, why it’s right, and trap analysis for wrong options.
🧠 Use the 3-Step Method While Solving
🎯 Start the Quiz
Answer all 10 questions, then review your trap analysis
🎯 Quiz Complete!
The Clockmaker’s Hands
The clockmaker’s hands, once steady and sure,
Now tremble like leaves in the autumn air.
He winds the springs as he did before,
But time, his craft, has ceased to care.
For fifty years, he measured hours,
Gave minutes their march, their purpose, their place.
He thought himself master of temporal powers—
Now time has etched its truth on his face.
The clocks still tick in orderly rows,
Their faces bright, their movements precise.
But the maker knows what the buyer never knows:
Each tick subtracts; each tock is a price.
He sets the hands to midnight again,
Winds the spring for another day’s round.
The clocks will outlast him—that much is plain.
He is the silence between each sound.
The central irony of the poem lies in the fact that:
✓ Correct! Option C is the answer.
Why C is correct: The clockmaker “thought himself master of temporal powers” but is himself subject to time’s decay. Classic irony: the expert on time cannot exempt himself from time.
(A) Partial truth trap — Trembling hands are a detail, not the central irony
(B) Partial truth trap — True but describes a consequence, not the core irony
(D) Outside knowledge trap — The poem never discusses buyers’ appreciation
The phrase “Each tick subtracts; each tock is a price” suggests that:
✓ Correct! Option B is the answer.
Why B is correct: “Subtracts” and “price” are economic metaphors for loss. Each moment that passes takes something away from life. The clock doesn’t just measure time—it counts down life.
(A) Literal reading trap — Takes “price” as monetary cost
(C) Outside knowledge trap — Pricing never mentioned in the poem
(D) Irrelevant detail trap — Digital clocks never discussed
The poet’s attitude toward the clockmaker is best described as:
✓ Correct! Option B is the answer.
Why B is correct: The poet respects the clockmaker’s fifty years of craft (“steady and sure,” “measured hours”) but presents his decline with sadness. The tone combines appreciation with melancholy.
(A) Opposite trap — The poet clearly sympathizes with the clockmaker
(C) Tone mismatch — The language is too emotional for detachment
(D) Opposite trap — There’s no criticism of the clockmaker
The final line “He is the silence between each sound” most likely means:
✓ Correct! Option B is the answer.
Why B is correct: The metaphor positions the clockmaker as absence rather than presence—he exists in the spaces between measurable moments. This captures his mortality and insignificance against continuous time.
(A) Literal reading trap — Takes “silence” as physical deafness
(C) Literal reading trap — Interprets “silence” as noise preference
(D) Overreach trap — “Unbearable” is not supported by the text
The phrase “time has etched its truth on his face” uses which literary device?
✓ Correct! Option B is the answer.
Why B is correct: “Etched” means carved or engraved. Time is given the human ability to physically mark or inscribe truth onto the clockmaker’s face (wrinkles, aging). This is personification.
(A) Device confusion — No “like” or “as”; not a simile
(C) Device confusion — Not exaggerated beyond reality
(D) Device confusion — Alliteration is sound repetition, not meaning
The phrase “architects of the acceptable” suggests that committee members:
✓ Correct! Option B is the answer.
Why B is correct: “Architects” implies intentional design; “acceptable” implies safe and unremarkable. They don’t stumble into mediocrity—they engineer it.
(A) Literal reading trap — Takes “architects” literally
(C) Literal reading trap — Same trap, different angle
(D) Opposite trap — They reject bold proposals, not accept them
The tone of the poem can best be described as:
✓ Correct! Option C is the answer.
Why C is correct: The poem uses ironic praise (“excellent lighting,” “always respectable”) to mock the committee. Sharp criticism delivered through satire.
(A) Tone mismatch — Nothing nostalgic here
(B) Tone mismatch — The poet is fighting against this, not accepting
(D) Tone intensity trap — Mocking, not “outraged”—controlled satire
According to the poem, the committee’s primary motivation is:
✓ Correct! Option C is the answer.
Why C is correct: “Safety lies in repetition” and “paths well-worn” explicitly state their motivation. They “know exactly where the trouble starts” and avoid it.
(A) Outside knowledge trap — Money never mentioned
(B) Overreach trap — No evidence of jealousy
(D) Opposite trap — They ignore quality in favor of safety
The poem implies that innovation fails in institutional settings because:
✓ Correct! Option C is the answer.
Why C is correct: The poem’s explicit argument: committees choose “what they always do” because “safety lies in repetition.” Structural critique of consensus decisions.
(A) Outside knowledge trap — The poem doesn’t blame the dreamer
(B) Outside knowledge trap — Expertise isn’t the issue; risk-aversion is
(D) Literal reading trap — Takes “excellent lighting” as actual critique
The line “They stamp ‘Approved’ and close the door” is ironic because:
✓ Correct! Option B is the answer.
Why B is correct: “Approved” sounds positive but represents the triumph of safe repetition over bold innovation. They approve the status quo while closing the door on the dreamer’s vision.
(A) Misreading trap — They approve, but approve the wrong things
(C) Outside knowledge trap — Bureaucratic practices aren’t the point
(D) Literal reading trap — Takes “door” literally
📖 About This XAT Poem Practice Quiz
This XAT poem practice questions quiz features 10 carefully crafted questions across 2 original poems. Each question mirrors the actual XAT exam pattern with theme, tone, inference, and title-based questions—giving you realistic practice for the VALR section.
What You’ll Practice in Quiz 1
Quiz 1: “The Weight of Time” includes questions that test your ability to:
- Identify the central theme — Understanding what the poem is really about beyond surface-level reading
- Recognize tone and attitude — Detecting the poet’s emotional stance toward the subject
- Make valid inferences — Drawing conclusions supported by textual evidence
- Spot common traps — Each answer includes trap analysis explaining why wrong options are tempting
How to Use This Quiz Effectively
For maximum benefit from these XAT poem practice questions:
- Time yourself: Aim for 2-3 minutes per poem (including both questions)
- Use the 2-Pass Method: First read for overall meaning, then return for evidence. Learn more in our Strategy Guide
- Study the trap analysis: Understanding why you were tempted by wrong answers is more valuable than just getting correct ones
- Review unfamiliar traps: Check our Trap Types Guide for deeper understanding
Quiz Series Overview
This quiz is part of our comprehensive XAT Poem RC practice series:
- Quiz 1 (This Page): “The Weight of Time” — 2 poems, 10 questions
- Quiz 2: Coming soon — Focus on inference questions
- Quiz 3: Coming soon — Focus on tone/attitude questions
- Quiz 4: Coming soon — Mixed question types (exam simulation)
Access all quizzes from our XAT Poem RC Practice Hub.
After Completing This Quiz
Once you finish Quiz 1, we recommend reviewing the Poets Featured in XAT page to understand the styles of poets like Rumi, Robert Frost, and Sujata Bhatt (XAT 2025) who are frequently featured in the exam.
❓ FAQs: XAT Poem Practice Questions
Common queries about XAT poem practice and this quiz
Quiz 1 contains 10 questions based on 2 original poems. Each poem has 5 questions covering theme, tone, inference, and title selection—mirroring the actual XAT exam pattern. The quiz includes detailed trap analysis for every question to help you understand why certain wrong answers are tempting.
No, these are original practice questions created specifically for XAT preparation. The poems and questions are designed to match the difficulty level and question style of actual XAT exams. For analysis of actual previous year questions, check our XAT Poem PYQ Analysis page.
After answering each question, review the trap analysis to understand: (1) Why the correct answer is right, (2) What trap type each wrong option represents, and (3) Why you might have been tempted by incorrect choices. Learn more about trap patterns in our Trap Types Guide.
We recommend the 2-Pass Method: (1) Paraphrase Pass: Read the poem once and summarize it in plain English—identify who/what it’s about and the dominant emotion. (2) Evidence Pass: Return to find specific evidence for each answer. This prevents overthinking and ensures answers are text-supported. Full details in our Strategy Guide.
Aim for 10-12 minutes total (approximately 5-6 minutes per poem with its 5 questions). In the actual XAT, you’ll typically have only 2-3 minutes for 1 poem with 2 questions, so this quiz provides extended practice. As you improve, try completing each poem section faster. See Time Management Tips for detailed guidance.
After completing Quiz 1, continue with: (1) Quiz 2, Quiz 3, and Quiz 4 in our series, (2) The XAT Poem RC Practice Hub for all practice materials, (3) PYQ Analysis for actual XAT paper patterns.
This quiz covers all major XAT poem question types: (1) Theme/Main Idea, (2) Tone/Attitude, (3) Inference, (4) Title Selection, and (5) Word/Phrase Meaning. Learn the specific approach for each type in our Question Types Guide.
Yes, all our XAT poem practice quizzes are available for PDF download from the XAT Poem RC Practice Hub. The PDF includes the poems, questions, answers, and complete trap analysis for offline practice.