Estimated Reading Time: 14 min
Before you begin the quiz, ensure you have a complete comprehension of the summary of The Ox by H.E. Bates.
The Ox MCQs
1. Where do the Thurlows live?
A. In a valley
B. On a small hill
C. By a river
D. In the town
2. How is Mrs. Thurlow’s house described?
A. Hidden in the woods
B. Modern and spacious
C. Cosy and inviting
D. Exposed and isolated
3. What is Mrs. Thurlow’s daily routine with her bicycle?
A. She pushes it down the hill in the morning and up in the evening
B. Her husband uses it for his work
C. It is only used for special occasions
D. She rides it to work and back
4. Why can Mrs. Thurlow never ride her bicycle?
A. It is always heavily loaded
B. It is broken
C. She doesn’t know how to ride
D. Her feet hurt too much
5. How is Mrs. Thurlow often compared in relation to her bicycle?
A. Like an athlete
B. Like a graceful dancer
C. Like a beast of burden
D. Like a clumsy child
6. How many employers does Mrs. Thurlow clean for daily?
A. Three
B. Four
C. Five
D. Two
7. What is Mrs. Thurlow’s main focus, rather than herself?
A. Her garden
B. Her community work
C. Her hobbies
D. Her husband and sons
8. What “refined ambitions” does Mrs. Thurlow have for her sons?
A. Becoming shop assistants, clerks, or butlers
B. Becoming doctors or lawyers
C. Becoming farmers or labourers
D. Becoming artists or musicians
9. For how many years had Mrs. Thurlow saved money for her sons?
A. Ten years
B. Twenty years
C. Five years
D. Fifteen years
10. Where did Mrs. Thurlow hide her savings?
A. In a locked box in the wardrobe
B. Under a loose floorboard
C. In a bran bag under a mattress
D. In a teapot on the mantle
11. What distinguishing feature does Thurlow claim to have in his head?
A. A rare bone implant
B. A solid silver plate
C. A metal pin
D. A gold tooth
12. Where did Thurlow sustain his injury that resulted in the plate?
A. On the Marne
B. During a factory accident
C. In the trenches
D. At the Somme
13. How does Thurlow often describe the pain from his plate?
A. It makes him sing
B. It causes him to fall asleep
C. It drives him wild and vacant
D. It makes him laugh
14. What is Thurlow’s job?
A. A coal miner
B. A shop assistant
C. A farmer
D. A hedge cutter
15. How does Thurlow typically return home on weekends?
A. Exhausted from work
B. Quietly and sober
C. A little tipsy and in a good mood
D. Angry and confrontational
16. What did Mrs. Thurlow’s savings represent beyond money?
A. Her “creed,” symbolising the boys’ future
B. Her only source of joy
C. Her secret luxury fund
D. Her retirement plan
17. What did Mrs. Thurlow do for extra money when cleaning jobs were scarce?
A. Asked her brother for help
B. Baked cakes for sale
C. Took on more washing and field work
D. Sold some of her possessions
18. How did Mrs. Thurlow often work late into the evening?
A. By candlelight
B. By moonlight
C. By the glow of the fire
D. By electric light
19. What was Mrs. Thurlow’s monetary goal for her sons’ future?
A. One hundred pounds
B. Two hundred pounds
C. Fifty pounds
D. Fifty-four pounds
20. What was Mrs. Thurlow’s only form of relaxation?
A. Gardening
B. Listening to the radio
C. Visiting her neighbours
D. Reading old newspapers collected from work
21. What did Mrs. Thurlow see Thurlow doing near the woodshed?
A. Repairing his bicycle
B. Chopping wood
C. Talking to a stranger
D. Hiding something under his coat
22. What lie did Thurlow tell Mrs. Thurlow when she questioned him?
A. He was visiting a friend
B. He was taking the saw to be sharpened
C. He was going fishing
D. He was going to the pub
23. What made Mrs. Thurlow certain Thurlow was lying?
A. He stammered when he spoke
B. The saw was hanging in the woodshed
C. He became angry
D. He couldn’t look her in the eye
24. What did Mrs. Thurlow discover was missing?
A. A new suit
B. A note from Thurlow
C. Her saved money
D. The back bedroom window was broken
25. What unusual thing did Thurlow do when he returned home late?
A. He thoroughly washed his hands in the scullery
B. He asked for something to eat
C. He immediately went to bed
D. He started talking loudly about his plate
26. What was missing from the woodshed after Thurlow’s return?
A. The saw and some wood
B. Nothing was missing
C. Thurlow’s bicycle and the billhook
D. A shovel and a rake
27. What was the terrifying element in Mrs. Thurlow’s dream?
A. Her house collapsing
B. Her sons leaving her
C. Thurlow’s bicycle with a billhook as handlebars and blood on her hands
D. Her money being burned
28. What did the boys find in the sink the next morning?
A. Mud
B. Soapy water
C. Blood
D. A dead rabbit
29. How did Mrs. Thurlow explain the blood in the sink?
A. She said Thurlow had cut himself
B. She ignored their question
C. She said their dad killed a rabbit
D. She told them not to worry
30. Who stopped Mrs. Thurlow on the road that morning?
A. Her brother
B. Two policemén
C. Two neighbours
D. Her employers
31. Why did Mrs. Thurlow insist on taking her bicycle to the police station?
A. She thought it would be safer there
B. She planned to leave it for repair
C. She wanted to show them its new tyres
D. She believed she needed it for security
32. How much money did Mrs. Thurlow tell the police was stolen?
A. Fifty pounds, ten shillings, and sixpence
B. One hundred pounds, all in notes
C. Fifty-four pounds, sixteen and fourpence, with twenty-eight sovereigns
D. Thirty pounds, mostly in silver coins
33. What did the police reveal about Thurlow’s actions on Sunday?
A. He had gone to church with the boys
B. He had been arguing in the pub about his silver plate
C. He had visited his brother
D. He had been working late in the fields
34. What was Mrs. Thurlow’s reaction to the news of a missing man?
A. She felt relieved
B. She immediately understood the gravity of the situation
C. She panicked about Thurlow
D. She prioritised getting to her cleaning jobs
35. How did Mrs. Thurlow view the loss of her money compared to a lost life?
A. She thought the loss of her money was equally, if not more, terrible.
B. She saw them as unrelated issues.
C. She felt the loss of life was much worse.
D. She didn’t have an opinion on which was worse.
36. Where was the London man’s body found?
A. In a spinney
B. Behind the Black Horse pub
C. In Thurlow’s woodshed
D. In a ditch by the road
37. What was Mrs. Thurlow’s first question when she heard a warrant was out for Thurlow’s arrest?
A. “Was Thurlow injured?”
B. “Who was the man?”
C. “When will he be home?”
D. “Have you found the money?”
38. What did Mrs. Thurlow decide to do after finding Thurlow and the money gone?
A. Go to the police station herself
B. Walk four miles to her brother’s house
C. Leave the house forever
D. Gather her sons and run away
39. How did Mrs. Thurlow feel while pushing her bicycle to her brother’s house?
A. A sense of security and fortitude
B. Angry and resentful
C. Fearful and anxious
D. Exhausted and defeated
40. How did Mrs. Thurlow’s family feel about Thurlow?
A. They openly disapproved of him
B. They welcomed him warmly
C. They were indifferent to him
D. They admired him for his war service
41. What did Mrs. Thurlow tell her brother about Thurlow’s situation?
A. He was ill and needed help
B. He had gone on a trip to London
C. He had found a new job
D. He was suspected of murder and had taken all her money
42. Why did Mrs. Thurlow want her sons to stay with her brother?
A. To keep them safe “till it’s blowed over”
B. Because her house was too small
C. So they could learn carpentry
D. So they could go to a better school
43. What was Mrs. Thurlow’s reaction to her sons’ excitement about staying with their uncle?
A. Angry and resentful
B. Indifferent
C. Slightly depressed, slightly relieved
D. Joyful and relieved
44. What problem did Mrs. Thurlow notice with her bicycle the next morning?
A. A broken chain
B. A slow puncture in the back tyre
C. A loose handlebar
D. A rusty pedal
45. When police told Mrs. Thurlow, “We got Thurlow,” what was her immediate question?
A. “Is he got the money?”
B. “Where is he?”
C. “Is he hurt?”
D. “What did he say?”
46. What was Thurlow wearing when Mrs. Thurlow saw him in his cell?
A. A prison uniform
B. His old work clothes
C. A new, ill-fitting grey suit
D. Nothing in particular, just regular clothes
47. What was Thurlow’s response when Mrs. Thurlow asked about the money?
A. He shook his head and could not remember anything.
B. He confessed to spending it.
C. He told her where he had hidden it.
D. He became angry and defensive.
48. What was noticeably absent from the newspaper stories about the murder?
A. Details about the victim
B. His photograph
C. Any mention of the money
D. Any mention of the silver plate
49. What news did Mrs. Thurlow’s brother deliver about her sons?
A. They had decided they didn’t want to come back.
B. They were returning home that day.
C. They were going on a holiday with him.
D. They wanted to visit Thurlow in jail.
50. How did Mrs. Thurlow feel as she pushed her deflating bicycle home?
A. Hopeful for a new beginning
B. As if pushing “forward into nowhere” and might never reach home
C. Relieved of her burdens
D. Determined to start a new life
