Question 10 • English 2 Sem 2 (10013400) BCPS 2025-26
Read the excerpt from act 4, scene 3 of The Tragedy of Macbeth. Ross is informing Macduff of the current state of affairs in Scotland.Ross. Alas! poor country!Almost afraid to know itself. It cannotBe call’d our mother, but our grave; where nothing,But who knows nothing, is once seen to smile;Where sighs and groans and shrieks that rend the airAre made, not mark’d; where violent sorrow seemsA modern ecstasy;
Answer
A
It suggests that the people of Scotland are adaptable.
B
It highlights that people no longer notice when sounds of grief are made.
C
It reveals that people are crying in the streets out of frustration and anger.
D
It shows that conditions in Scotland are reforming.
Explanation
Ross describes a country filled with sighs, groans, and screams of sorrow. When he says they are “made, not mark’d,” he means these sounds happen so often that people no longer pay attention to them. This highlights how accustomed the people have become to suffering, rather than suggesting that Scotland is adapting or improving.
AI-written and checked against the verified answer.