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GATE 2026 XH2 (English) – Question 54

History of English Literature and Literary Studies · English Literary Traditions across Time: Chaucer to contemporary English literature · 2 marks · Multiple choice

“I resisted all the way: a new thing for me; and a circumstance which greatly strengthened the bad opinion Bessie and Miss Abbott were disposed to entertain of me. The fact is, I was a trifle beside myself; or rather, out of myself, as the French would say: I was conscious that a moment’s mutiny had already rendered me liable to strange penalties, unlike any other rebel slave, I felt resolved, in my desperation to go all lengths.”

What does the narrator mean by “I was a trifle beside myself”?

  1. She was feeling a bit sleepy.
  2. She was angry and not in control of her emotions.
  3. She was standing next to someone else.
  4. She was excited about going on a trip.

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Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: (B) She was angry and not in control of her emotions.

Explanation

"Beside oneself" means to be overcome by strong feeling and not fully in control. The narrator then says she was 'out of myself', conscious of her mutiny and resolved to 'go all lengths', which shows anger and desperation.