This page offers Extract Based Questions  from the Poem The Interview for Class 12 from the book Flamingo.  We’ve put together a bunch extracts which ask assumption based, creativity based and critical thinking-based questions. These types of questions are introduced after 2024 in CBSE Board. The types of questions are quick MCQs, true/false and Subjective questions. So, practice to understand The Interview Extracts to score great.

The Interview Extract Based MCQ questions Passage 1

Since its invention a little over 130 years ago, the interview has become a commonplace of journalism. Today, almost everybody who is literate will have read an interview at some point in their lives, while from the other point of view, several thousand celebrities have been interviewed over the years, some of them repeatedly. 

Question: 1 How does Umberto Eco’s casual approach to writing novels reflect his deeper philosophy about life and work? (40 Words)

Answer: Umberto Eco’s casual approach to writing novels shows he sees creative work as part of his larger interest in philosophy. He views novels as a result of his curiosity and learning, not as his main identity. This reflects a balanced and stress-free view of success.

Question: 2 State True or False.

None of the terms (a)-(d) can be applied to the statement — “I am always doing the same thing, whether in my novels or academic work.”

(a) Assertion – A strong statement of fact or belief.
(b) Paradox – A statement that seems impossible but might be true.
(c) Metaphor – Comparing two things without using “like” or “as.”
(d) Anecdote – A short, fun, or interesting story.

Answer: False.

Reason: The statement is an assertion because it firmly expresses a belief about Eco’s work. It is not a paradox, metaphor, or anecdote.

Question: 3 Umberto Eco’s approach to balancing his academic work and novel writing might indicate his sense of _____.

Answer: Balance / discipline / priority / perspective / focus or any other similar response.

Question: 4 Why does Eco consider his novels a “side activity”?

Answer: He views academia as his true passion and primary identity.

Also Read:

• Hard Words : The Interview Difficult Words in English
• The Interview Introduction
• Justify the title The Interview
• The Interview Moral and Message
• The Interview Theme

Extract from The Interview – 2

So it is hardly surprising that opinions of the interview — of its functions, methods and merits — vary considerably. Some might make quite extravagant claims for it as being, in its highest form, a source of truth, and, in its practice, an art.

Question: 1 How might the varying opinions about interviews reflect deeper societal attitudes toward truth and privacy? (40 Words)

Answer: Different views on interviews show how people balance truth and privacy. Some feel interviews reveal important truths, while others think they invade personal privacy and can harm individuals.

Question: 2 State True or False.
None of the terms (a)-(d) can be applied to the statement — “Some might make extravagant claims for the interview as being a source of truth.”

(a) Opinion – A belief or thought.
(b) Exaggeration – Making something seem better or worse than it is.
(c) Fact – Something proven true.
(d) Critique – A detailed review or comment.

Answer: False.

Reason: The statement is an opinion because it shows a belief about interviews. It is not a fact, critique, or exaggeration.

Question: 3 The passage suggests that interviews might be considered a form of _____.

Answer: Art / Intrusion / Debate / Interpretation / Judgment or any other similar response.

Question: 4 Why might interviews be viewed as both revealing and intrusive?

Answer: They uncover the truth but can invade personal privacy.

Also Read:

• The Interview Value Points
• MCQs of The Interview
• The Interview Summary Class 12 pdf

Class 12 The Interview Extract Based Questions- 3

Others, usually celebrities who see themselves as its victims, might despise the interview as an unwarranted intrusion into their lives, or feel that it somehow diminishes them, just as in some primitive cultures it is believed that if one takes a photographic portrait of somebody then one is stealing that person’s soul.

Question: 1 Why might some celebrities view interviews as more than just an invasion of privacy? (40 words)

Answer: Some celebrities see interviews as an intrusion that reduces their personal identity. They may also feel interviews diminish them, similar to the belief in some cultures that photographs can steal a person’s soul.

Question: 2 State True or False.
None of the terms (a)-(d) can be applied to the statement — “Celebrities might despise the interview as an unwarranted intrusion.”

(a) Critique – A detailed review.
(b) Belief – Accepting something as true.
(c) Fear – A feeling of danger.
(d) Generalisation – A broad statement.

Answer: False.

Reason: The statement is a belief, as it shows a view some celebrities hold. It is not a critique, fear, or generalisation.

Question: 3 The passage implies that some celebrities view interviews as a form of _____.

Answer: Intrusion / Vulnerability / Exposure / Violation / Misrepresentation or any other similar response.

Question: 4 How could interviews potentially “steal” something intangible from celebrities? (10 words)

Answer: They might feel their personal life or privacy is compromised.

The Interview Extract Based MCQ Questions- 4

V. S. Naipaul ‘feels that some people are wounded by interviews and lose a part of themselves,’ Lewis Carroll, the creator of Alice in Wonderland, was said to have had ‘a just horror of the interviewer’ and he never consented to be interviewed — It was his horror of being lionized which made him thus repel would be acquaintances, interviewers, and the persistent petitioners for his autograph and he would afterwards relate the stories of his success in silencing all such people with much satisfaction and amusement.

Question: 1 Why might Lewis Carroll have felt a “horror” of being interviewed? (40 words)

Answer: Lewis Carroll might have feared that an interview would change how people saw him and reduce his identity to public opinion. He preferred to keep his privacy and felt better by avoiding such attention.

Question: 2 State True or False.

None of the terms (a)-(d) can be applied to the statement — “Lewis Carroll had a ‘just horror’ of the interviewer and avoided interviews.”

(a) Phobia – A strong fear.
(b) Exaggeration – Making something seem better or worse than it is.
(c) Preference – Liking one thing more than another.
(d) Metaphor – Comparing two things without literal meaning.

Answer: False.

Reason: The statement fits a phobia as it shows Carroll’s strong fear of interviews. It is not an exaggeration, preference, or metaphor.

Question: 3 Carroll’s horror of interviews implies a deep concern for his _____.

Answer: Integrity / Authenticity / Reputation / Dignity / Self-preservation or any other similar response.

Question: 4 What did Carroll fear about being interviewed? (10 words)

Answer: He feared losing his identity and public control.

The Interview Extract Based Questions MCQ with Answers- 5

Rudyard Kipling  expressed an even more condemnatory attitude towards the interviewer. His wife, Caroline, writes in her diary for 14 October 1892 that their day was ‘wrecked by two reporters from Boston’. She reports her husband as saying to the  reporters, “Why do I refuse to be interviewed? Because it is immoral!

Question: 1 Why might Rudyard Kipling have considered interviews to be “immoral”? 40 Words

Answer: Kipling might have believed that interviews violate personal boundaries and force individuals to reveal private thoughts against their will. He saw them as an unethical intrusion into one’s private life, disrupting personal integrity and dignity.

Question: 2 State True or False.

None of the terms (a)-(d) can be applied to the statement — “Kipling considered interviews immoral and refused to participate in them.”

(a) Judgment – An opinion or conclusion.
(b) Principle – A basic belief or rule.
(c) Accusation – Saying someone did something wrong.
(d) Justification – A reason for something.

Answer: False.

Reason: The statement is a judgment because it shows Kipling’s moral view about interviews. It is not an accusation, principle, or justification.

Question: 3 Kipling’s strong rejection of interviews indicates his belief in their _____.

Answer: Dishonor / Unethicality / Corruption or any other similar response.

Question: 4 How did Kipling’s wife describe the impact of reporters? (10 words)

Answer: She wrote that reporters ruined their day completely.

The Interview Extracts- 6

It is a crime, just as much of a crime as an offense against my person, as an assault, and just as much merits punishment. It is cowardly and vile. No respectable man would ask it, much less give it,” Yet Kipling had himself perpetrated such an ‘assault’ on Mark Twain only a few years before.

Question: 1 What does Kipling’s interview with Mark Twain reveal about his views? (40 Words)

Answer: Kipling’s actions show he may have struggled with his beliefs. It suggests either a change in his views or hypocrisy, raising questions about whether his strong dislike came from regret or personal conflict.

Question: 2 State True or False.

None of the terms (a)-(d) can be applied to the statement — “No respectable man would ask it, much less give it.”

(a) Opinion – A personal view or belief.
(b) Exaggeration – Making something seem better or worse than it is.
(c) Judgment – A strong statement about right or wrong.
(d) Contradiction – When two ideas conflict.

Answer: False.

Reason: The statement is a judgment because it strongly declares Kipling’s view of interviews. It is not an opinion, exaggeration, or contradiction.

Question: 3 Kipling’s view of interviews as a crime suggests he saw them as an _____.

Answer: Assault / Injustice / Violation / Betrayal / Offense or any other similar response.

Question: 4 Why might Kipling equate interviews with an “assault”?

Answer: He felt they violated his personal privacy and dignity.

The Interview Extract- 7

H. G. Wells in an interview in 1894 referred to ‘the interviewing ordeal’, but was a fairly frequent interviewee and forty years later found himself interviewing Joseph Stalin. Saul Bellow, who has consented to be interviewed on several occasions, nevertheless once described interviews as being like thumbprints on his windpipe.

Question: 1 Why might H.G. Wells and Saul Bellow have such contrasting feelings about interviews? (40 words)

Answer: H.G. Wells saw interviews as difficult but accepted them, likely because he valued sharing ideas or reaching an audience. Saul Bellow, on the other hand, found interviews overwhelming, comparing them to “thumbprints on his windpipe,” suggesting he felt restricted and pressured by the process.

Question: 2 State True or False.
None of the terms (a)-(d) can be applied to the statement — “Interviews are like thumbprints on my windpipe.”

(a) Metaphor – Comparing two things without “like” or “as.”
(b) Exaggeration – Making something seem better or worse than it is.
(c) Simile – Comparing two things using “like” or “as.”
(d) Analogy – Explaining something by comparing it to something else.

Answer: False.
Reason: The statement is a Simile because it compares interviews to thumbprints on a windpipe using “like” to show discomfort. It is not an exaggeration, metaphor, or analogy.

Question: 3 Wells and Bellow’s descriptions of interviews suggest they saw them as an _____.

Answer: Pressure / Constraint / Burden / Invasion / Struggle or any other similar response.

Question: 4 What might Bellow imply by describing interviews as “thumbprints on his windpipe”? (10 Words)

Answer: He felt they were stifling and restricted his freedom.

Extract from The Interview – 8

Yet despite the drawbacks of the interview, it is a supremely serviceable medium of communication. “These days, more than at any other time, our most vivid impressions of  our contemporaries are through interviews,” Denis Brian has written. “

Question: 1 Why might interviews be considered an important tool? (40 words)

Answer: Interviews help us form direct impressions of people. They are important for understanding modern figures. Even with their flaws, interviews offer unique insights that other forms of communication may miss.

Question: 2 State True or False.

None of the terms (a)-(d) can be applied to the statement — “Interviews are a supremely serviceable medium of communication.”

(a) Observation – A comment based on noticing something.
(b) Critique – A detailed review.
(c) Fact – Something proven true.
(d) Opinion – A personal view or belief.

Answer: False.

Reason: The statement is an opinion because it reflects Denis Brian’s belief about interviews. It is not an observation, critique, or fact.

Question: 3 Denis Brian’s view suggests that interviews are a powerful tool for _____.

Answer: Understanding / Insight / Communication / Connection / Impression or any other similar response.

Question: 4 Why might some people disagree with Denis Brian’s view on interviews? (10 words)

Answer: They may see interviews as intrusive or misrepresenting personal truths.