Explore topic-wise MCQs in English Literature .

This section includes 96 Mcqs, each offering curated multiple-choice questions to sharpen your English Literature knowledge and support exam preparation. Choose a topic below to get started.

1.

Which of the following statements is true of the Anglo-Irish War ?

A. The Anglo-Irish war began with the resistance of the Irish Republican Army.
B. The Anglo-Irish war never involved a guerrilla campaign.
C. In the course of the Anglo-Irish War, only a few hundred members of the Irish Republican Army were actively resisting British rule.
D. All of the above
Answer» B. The Anglo-Irish war never involved a guerrilla campaign.
Discussion
2.

Which of the following statements regarding Oscar Wilde is false ?

A. His career ended when he was jailed for criminal “gross indecency.”
B. He believed that art should be something more than the reproduction and appreciation of the natural world.
C. Wilde was the author of such poems as “Bénédiction,” “L’Albatros,” and “élévation.”
D. He was notorious for his use of paradox.
Answer» D. He was notorious for his use of paradox.
Discussion
3.

Which of the following was one of the major health consequences for soldiers who survived the traumas of trench warfare in World War One ?

A. Lyme disease
B. Staph infections
C. Shell shock
D. A and C only
Answer» D. A and C only
Discussion
4.

Which Post-Colonial theorist employs an extended analysis of the term “Orientalism” ?

A. Edward Said
B. Arundhati Roy
C. Salman Rushdie
D. Homi Bhaba
Answer» B. Arundhati Roy
Discussion
5.

Who painted “The Accommodations of Desire” ?

A. Salvador Dalí
B. Pablo Picasso
C. Juan Miró
D. Man Ray
Answer» B. Pablo Picasso
Discussion
6.

Who was Le Corbusier ?

A. He was born Charles-Edouard Jeanneret.
B. He was an architect who designed The Chandigarh Legislative Assembly building in Punjab, India.
C. He was the architect who designed The Robie House in Chicago, Illinois.
D. Both A and B
Answer» E.
Discussion
7.

Who wrote “Take up the White Man’s burden-/ Send forth the best ye breed-” in order to inspire Western Europeans to propagate benevolent, enlightened colonialism ?

A. Charles Baudelaire
B. William Butler Yeats
C. Rudyard Kipling
D. Napoleon III
Answer» D. Napoleon III
Discussion
8.

Who wrote the collection of poems entitled “The Wind Among the Reeds ?”

A. W.B. Yeats
B. Jorge Luis Borges
C. Mario Vargas Llosa
D. Charles Baudelaire
Answer» B. Jorge Luis Borges
Discussion
9.

Who wrote the following statement: “When you asked me to speak about women and fiction I sat down on the banks of a river and began to wonder what the words meant” ?

A. Amy Lowell
B. Gertrude Stein
C. Virginia Woolf
D. Alice Walker
Answer» D. Alice Walker
Discussion
10.

Why does the “Flâneur” begin to disappear as a Parisian phenomenon ?

A. Because of the increasing prominence of department stores in Paris
B. Because of the advent of arcade projects
C. Because they began to purchase products as they walked the urbanscape
D. Because they were threatened by police with jail
Answer» B. Because of the advent of arcade projects
Discussion
11.

Wilfred Owen’s war poem “Dulce et Decorum est” ends with which of the following Latin phrases ?

A. “Pax romana”
B. “Veni, vidi, vici”
C. “Dux bellorum”
D. “Pro patria mori”
Answer» E.
Discussion
12.

Which of the following statements does NOT reflect the general characteristics of T.S. Eliot’s “The Wasteland” ?

A. Some academic scholars suggest that “TheWasteland” is an extrapolation of the search for the Holy Grail.
B. “The Wasteland” is an excellent example of modernist symbolism.
C. Eliot’s poem takes great pains to illustrate the breakdown of stable meaning in the modern world.
D. “The Wasteland” is often used as an excellent example of poetic realism.
Answer» E.
Discussion
13.

Which of the following statements concerning “Vorticism” is false ?

A. The term “Vorticism” was coined in 1914 by the avant-gardist Ezra Pound.
B. Practitioners of Vorticism often saw themselves just as much as educators as artists as they taught the public a new, more graphic language.
C. The periodical and manifesto named BLAST attempted to expound Vorticism’s principal tenets.
D. The practice of Vorticism in artistic circles grew after World War I.
Answer» E.
Discussion
14.

Which of the following statements best describes the “Great Depression” ?

A. The Great Depression lasted for one hundred years.
B. The Great Depression was the longest and most severe depression ever experienced by Western civilization since industrialization.
C. The Great Depression was a severe economic downturn in the industrialized world that began in 1929 and lasted for approximately ten years.
D. B and C only
Answer» E.
Discussion
15.

Which of the following statements best describes the “Bloomsbury Group” ?

A. The “Bloomsbury Group” consists of a group of English writers, thinkers, and artists who met in the Bloomsbury district of London.
B. The group consisted of survivors of World War II.
C. The Bloomsbury group included E.M. Forster, Clive Bell, John Maynard Keynes, and Virginia Woolf.
D. A and C only
Answer» E.
Discussion
16.

Which of the following statements best describes the “British East India Company ?”

A. The British East India Company was originally a group of London businessmen engaged in importing spices from South Asia.
B. The British East India Company first entered South Asia as importers of British Tea.
C. The British East India Company was essentially a covert British army.
D. Both A and B
Answer» B. The British East India Company first entered South Asia as importers of British Tea.
Discussion
17.

Which of the following statements best describes “Magical Realism” ?

A. Magical realism often accepts both a materialist and a supernatural view of the real.
B. Magical realism differs from fantasy and science fiction in that it considers the impossible as normal.
C. The term “magical realism” was first coined by Franz Roh, a German art critic.
D. All of the above
Answer» E.
Discussion
18.

Which of the following sentences is the famous first line of Nabokov’s “Lolita” ?

A. “Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul.”
B. “Lolita, look at this tangle of thorns.”
C. “Lolita, all at once we were madly, clumsily, shamelessly, agonizingly in love with each other.”
D. “Lolita, a cluster of stars palely glowed above us.”
Answer» B. “Lolita, look at this tangle of thorns.”
Discussion
19.

Which of the following Post-Modern theoreticians explores the contradictions of colonial discourse and the ambivalence that the colonizer feels towards the colonized “other” in works such as “Nation and Narration” ?

A. Linda Hutcheon
B. Homi Bhabha
C. Jacques Derrida
D. Fredric Jameson
Answer» C. Jacques Derrida
Discussion
20.

Which of the following literary terms is NOT commonly deployed in Post- Colonial theory ?

A. Mimicry
B. Ambivalence
C. Hybridity
D. Serendipity
Answer» E.
Discussion
21.

Which of the following is true of symbolism ?

A. Symbolism began as a French literary movement in the late 19th century.
B. Paul Gauguin is an example of symbolism in painting.
C. Symbolism adheres to an objective view of reality and a rational and realistic depiction of the natural world.
D. Both A and B
Answer» E.
Discussion
22.

Which of the following is true of Arthur Rimbaud’s poem “Eternity” ?

A. It ends with the lines: “Eternity./It is the sea run off/ With the sun.”
B. It suggests that the quest for knowledge and enlightenment is deeply satisfying.
C. The poem speaks of the necessity of seeking human approval and communal acceptance.
D. It begins with the lines: “I kissed the dawn of summer.”
Answer» B. It suggests that the quest for knowledge and enlightenment is deeply satisfying.
Discussion
23.

Which of the following is true of Ezra Pound’s “Canto XIV” ?

A. It contains almost hellish imagery, such as: “Melting like dirty wax,/decayed candles, the bums sinking lower,/faces submerged under hams.”
B. It explores the theme of the perversion of language.
C. It deeply identifies with Dante’s “Inferno” in terms of tone and thick description.
D. All of the above
Answer» E.
Discussion
24.

Which of the following is true of Charles Baudelaire’s “Bénédiction” ?

A. It was originally written in English.
B. It celebrates the almost divine power of the poet.
C. It suggests that poetry is demonic in nature.
D. Both A and B
Answer» C. It suggests that poetry is demonic in nature.
Discussion
25.

Which of the following is NOT one of the general themes of concern in Derek Walcott’s poem“Becune Point” ?

A. Nature
B. Christianity
C. Pastoral landscapes
D. World War II
Answer» E.
Discussion
26.

Which of the following is NOT one of Pablo Picasso’s periods of artistic production ?

A. Dadaist period
B. Blue period
C. Synthetic cubism
D. Rose period
Answer» B. Blue period
Discussion
27.

Which of the following is NOT a tenet of F.T. Marinetti’s “Futurist Manifesto” ?

A. “We want to sing the love of danger, the habit of danger and of temerity.”
B. “The essential elements of our poetry will be courage, daring, and revolt.”
C. “We want to sing the man who holds the steering wheel, whose ideal stem pierces the Earth, itself launched on the circuit of its orbit.”
D. “We want never to glorify war, the scourge of the planet.”
Answer» E.
Discussion
28.

Which of the following is NOT a modernist art movement ?

A. Surrealism
B. Dadaism
C. Symbolism
D. Realism
Answer» E.
Discussion
29.

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of “Realism” as an artistic and literary movement ?

A. Realism strives to depict humans within a certain social context.
B. Realism depicts the tension between harsh reality and ideals.
C. Realism gives up the search for truth and instead embraces moral relativism.
D. Realism explores ethical quandaries within a social context.
Answer» D. Realism explores ethical quandaries within a social context.
Discussion
30.

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of “Modernism” ?

A. A radical project of experimentation with literary and artistic form
B. A belief in the power of the natural world to communicate transcendent truth
C. The use of irony and parody
D. Both A and B
Answer» C. The use of irony and parody
Discussion
31.

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of “Naturalism” as an artistic and literary movement ?

A. Naturalism is a search for scientific certainty.
B. Naturalism depicts humans as reasonable and objective.
C. Naturalism depicts the more “animalistic” tendencies of humans.
D. Naturalism considers the author or artist to be like a scientist.
Answer» C. Naturalism depicts the more “animalistic” tendencies of humans.
Discussion
32.

Which of the following is a literary work of “The Lost Generation ?”

A. Ernest Hemingway’s “The Sun Also Rises”
B. James Joyce’s “Dubliners”
C. Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness”
D. Friedrich Nietzsche’s “Twilight of the Idols”
Answer» B. James Joyce’s “Dubliners”
Discussion
33.

Which of the following famous literary lines is contained in William Butler Yeats’ poem “The Second Coming” ?

A. “Hearing of harvests rotting in the valleys”
B. “And we rebuild our cities, not dream of islands”
C. “Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold”
D. “Mother died today”
Answer» D. “Mother died today”
Discussion
34.

Which of the following descriptions of the “Avant-Garde Movement” is false ?

A. The avant-garde, a military term meaning “advanced guard,” was founded in France in the mid-19th century.
B. The term avant-garde itself means “advanced guard,” and the military role of the advanced guard and the role of the avantgarde art movement are mu
C. The realist painter Gustave Courbet never considered himself a member of the avant-garde.
D. Both A and B
Answer» D. Both A and B
Discussion
35.

Which of the following descriptions accurately describes Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness” ?

A. The end of the novella depicts Marlow’s conversation with the Kurtz’s Intended.
B. The work considers the dark side of European colonialism.
C. Marlow comes to understand the necessity of European leadership in Africa.
D. Both A and B
Answer» E.
Discussion
36.

Which of the following best describes the novel “The God of Small Things?”

A. It is a lyrical novel that explores cultural identity and decline of an Indian family.
B. It is a Romantic novel that explores the decline of a Russian family.
C. It is a stream-of-consciousness narrative that explores cultural identity in nineteenth-century Ireland.
D. It is a lyrical novel that explores the decline of a Caribbean family.
Answer» B. It is a Romantic novel that explores the decline of a Russian family.
Discussion
37.

Which of the following best describes James Joyce’s “Araby” ?

A. It begins with the famous line: “North Richmond Street being blind, was a quiet street except at the hour when the Christian Brothers’ School set
B. It speaks of the author’s illicit relationship with a young girl.
C. It is a dramatization of the relationship between Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.
D. It is an analysis of “Exodus” from “The Holy Bible.”
Answer» B. It speaks of the author’s illicit relationship with a young girl.
Discussion
38.

Which of the following best describes Samuel Beckett’s play “Waiting for Godot” ?

A. Beckett’s work expresses a certain frustration with the inability of language to fully capture the human condition.
B. Beckett’s play explores how language helps to form one’s notion of self.
C. Beckett’s work captures an almost transcendent melancholy as it explores human desires for a redemption that may or may not ever materialize.
D. All of the above
Answer» E.
Discussion
39.

Which of the following best describes “stream of consciousness” narrative in the modern period ?

A. Stream of consciousness often relies upon “free association” of ideas.
B. Stream of consciousness is the capturing of the interior monologue of the narrator.
C. Stream of consciousness attempts to accurately capture the external dialogue of various characters in a realistic setting by an objective observer.
D. A and B only
Answer» E.
Discussion
40.

Which of the following best describes James Joyce’s “Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man” ?

A. It begins with the famous line: “Once upon a time and a very good time it was there was a moocow coming down along the road and this moocow that was
B. It is a semi-autobiographical account of Joyce’s “coming of age” as an artist.
C. It captures the conflict that Stephen Dedalus has with his Irish and Catholic heritage.
D. All of the above
Answer» E.
Discussion
41.

Which of the following authors is NOT considered to be a practitioner of “Magical Realism” ?

A. Gabriel Garcia Marquez
B. Isabel Allende
C. James Joyce
D. Allejo Carpentier
Answer» D. Allejo Carpentier
Discussion
42.

Which of the following authors is NOT an important Irish writer ?

A. Seamus Heaney
B. James Joyce
C. William Butler Yeats
D. E.M. Forster
Answer» E.
Discussion
43.

Which of the following authors is considered a major theorist of deconstruction ?

A. Raymond Williams
B. Jacques Derrida
C. Fredric Jameson
D. Both A and B
Answer» C. Fredric Jameson
Discussion
44.

Which of the following artists was NOT influenced by Surrealism ?

A. Giorgio de Chirico
B. Salvador Dalí
C. Marcel Duchamp
D. Paul Gauguin
Answer» E.
Discussion
45.

Which of the following artists did NOT produce Surrealist photography ?

A. Maurice Tabard
B. Ansel Adams
C. Hans Bellmer
D. Man Ray
Answer» C. Hans Bellmer
Discussion
46.

Which of the following are well-known Post-Modern theoreticians ?

A. Linda Hutcheon
B. Jean Baudrillard
C. Thomas Hobbes
D. Both A and B
Answer» E.
Discussion
47.

Which of the following are contemporary Indian artists who have begun to more critically examine India’s post-colonial situation ?

A. Ravinder Reddy
B. Rummana Hussain
C. Dadabhai Naoroji
D. A and B only
Answer» E.
Discussion
48.

Which novelist is NOT commonly thought of as producing Post-Colonial work ?

A. Arundhati Roy
B. Salman Rushdie
C. Seamus Heaney
D. Vladimir Nabokov
Answer» E.
Discussion
49.

Which author writes a profound criticism of Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness,” accusing Conrad of reinforcing typical European stereotypes of Africa ?

A. Chinua Achebe
B. Edward Said
C. Arundhati Roy
D. Salman Rushdie
Answer» B. Edward Said
Discussion
50.

What is the “Post-Modern” practice of “Deconstructionism” ?

A. An assault on the notion that there is any knowable truth
B. An assault on the sexual mores of the Victorian Age
C. A reaffirmation of Romantic notions of the sublime
D. All of the above
Answer» B. An assault on the sexual mores of the Victorian Age
Discussion