Explore topic-wise MCQs in English Literature .

This section includes 97 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 offers the best characterization of a Greek tragedy ?

A. In a Greek tragedy, evil people are vanquished by the forces of good.
B. In a Greek tragedy, characters undergo reversals of fortune, usually for the worse.
C. In a Greek tragedy, the hero suffers but always survives at the end of the play.
D. In a Greek tragedy, the tragic hero dies at the end of the play.
Answer» C. In a Greek tragedy, the hero suffers but always survives at the end of the play.
Discussion
2.

Which of the following statements offers the best definition of a novel of manners ?

A. A novel that attacks the lower classes
B. A novel set in Europe in the 18th century
C. A novel that explores the behavior and values of a particular class of people
D. A novel that explores class conflict
Answer» D. A novel that explores class conflict
Discussion
3.

Which of the following statements offers the best definition of a tragic hero ?

A. A noble person who becomes completely corrupted
B. A cowardly person who doubts himself or herself despite possessing great wealth and political power
C. A cowardly person who shows some personal strength when faced with a crisis
D. A noble person who makes a costly mistake
Answer» E.
Discussion
4.

Which of the following statements offers the best definition of an epistolary novel ?

A. A novel set in the past
B. A novel that consists entirely of dialogue
C. A novel that is set in the countryside of Europe
D. A novel that consists of a series of documents, such as diary entries, letters, and newspaper articles
Answer» E.
Discussion
5.

Which of the following statements offers the best definition of “rhetoric” ?

A. Questions for which the answers are obvious
B. Persuasive writing and speaking
C. Writing that is complicated and scholarly
D. Logical writing and speaking
Answer» C. Writing that is complicated and scholarly
Discussion
6.

Which of the following statements offers the best definition of the term Bildungsroman ?

A. A story of one person’s fall from grace and into destruction
B. A story of one person’s growth and development within a particular social order
C. A story of one person’s success within a capitalistic economic system
D. A story of one person’s selfrealization and attempt to return to innocence
Answer» C. A story of one person’s success within a capitalistic economic system
Discussion
7.

Which of the following statements would Percy Shelley, author of “A Defense of Poetry”, agree with ?

A. Art serves a particular worldly purpose.
B. Art’s supreme function is to entertain the public.
C. Artists are dangerous to social order.
D. Artists serve to construct the foundations of culture.
Answer» E.
Discussion
8.

Which school of literary theory contends that sexual identity is not fixed and, instead, is generated by cultural forces ?

A. Deconstruction
B. Marxist theory
C. Reader-response theory
D. Queer theory
Answer» E.
Discussion
9.

Which of the following statements demonstrates the use of pathos ?

A. According to research, 22 percent of the American population owns an unsecured handgun.
B. I own a handgun and keep it in a secure place in my house.
C. Every month in the United States, at least 100 children are wounded or killed as a result of unsecured handguns.
D. Handguns don’t kill people, people do
Answer» D. Handguns don’t kill people, people do
Discussion
10.

Which of the following statements is a proper example of what Aristotle termed a syllogism ?

A. All dogs have four legs, all creatures do not have four legs, hence all creatures with four legs are dogs.
B. All men breathe air, all dogs breathe air, hence all men are dogs.
C. All mammals are warm-blooded, all dogs are mammals, hence all dogs are warm-blooded.
D. All dogs have hair, all people have hair, hence anything with hair is a dog or a person.
Answer» D. All dogs have hair, all people have hair, hence anything with hair is a dog or a person.
Discussion
11.

Which of the following statements demonstrates use of logos ?

A. I began driving at the age of 16 and have never been involved in a serious car accident.
B. No one under the age of 18 should be allowed to drive.
C. Research has demonstrated that some people under the age of 18 do not have the proper judgment skills to handle operating a car.
D. Every year countless people are killed by drivers under the age of 18.
Answer» D. Every year countless people are killed by drivers under the age of 18.
Discussion
12.

Which of the following statements best summarizes the main idea behind Anthony DiMatteo’s essay, “Shakespeare and the Public Discourse of Sovereignty: ’Reason of State’ in ’Hamlet’” ?

A. Hamlet is a tragedy focusing on the plight of the early-modern self.
B. Hamlet is a tragedy that reflects Shakespeare’s own political circumstances.
C. Hamlet is a tragedy that focuses on the Elizabethan era’s loss of faith in humanity’s ability to govern itself without violence.
D. Hamlet is a tragedy that reflects upon enlightened and progressive political systems that developed during Shakespeare’s time.
Answer» D. Hamlet is a tragedy that reflects upon enlightened and progressive political systems that developed during Shakespeare’s time.
Discussion
13.

Which of the following statements best represents the main theme of Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot” ?

A. The world can be fully understood if people listen closely to what others are saying.
B. Good things, including salvation, come to those who are patient.
C. Redemption comes from surrendering to a higher power.
D. People are fundamentally unable to realize any sort of inherent meaning in existence.
Answer» E.
Discussion
14.

Which of the following statements best represents Lacan’s view of Ophelia in his essay, “Desire and the Interpretation of Desire in ’Hamlet’” ?

A. Hamlet desires his mother, not Ophelia.
B. Hamlet desires revenge, not Ophelia.
C. Hamlet desires Ophelia, but only when she is unattainable.
D. Hamlet desires attaining the throne of Denmark, of which Ophelia is a symbol.
Answer» D. Hamlet desires attaining the throne of Denmark, of which Ophelia is a symbol.
Discussion
15.

Which of the following statements best exemplifies the main idea put forward by John Milton in book 9 of Paradise Lost ?

A. Satan was ultimately heroic.
B. The fall of Adam and Eve was a tragic event.
C. Adam and Eve were driven to evil by their children.
D. God abandoned the realm of Eden without reason.
Answer» C. Adam and Eve were driven to evil by their children.
Discussion
16.

Which of the following statements best describes the worldview represented by postmodern theater ?

A. The world is a bright and interesting place.
B. Universal truth doesn’t exist, and audience members must discover truth for themselves.
C. The world is so complex that it does not require literature or theater.
D. Mainstream audiences are so shallow that it is not worth writing plays for them.
Answer» C. The world is so complex that it does not require literature or theater.
Discussion
17.

Which of the following statements best describes Catherine Moreland in “Northanger Abbey” ?

A. She is mature and realistic.
B. She is immature and has difficulty recognizing the difference between fact and fiction.
C. She is a matchmaker trying to set up romances between her friends, all the while unable to find true love herself.
D. B and C
Answer» E.
Discussion
18.

Which of the following statements best defines the poetic form of the villanelle ?

A. A poem that has no rhyme scheme
B. A poem that eulogizes the dead
C. A poem that carries a pattern on two rhymes and offers an alternating refrain
D. A poem that celebrates the life of a cruel person
Answer» D. A poem that celebrates the life of a cruel person
Discussion
19.

Which of the following statements about the plot of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” is not true ?

A. Hamlet is deeply disturbed by his father’s death.
B. It is never proven within the play that Claudius murdered King Hamlet.
C. Hamlet doubts the proper course of action to take.
D. Ophelia dies by drowning.
Answer» C. Hamlet doubts the proper course of action to take.
Discussion
20.

Which of the following statements about Greek tragedies is true ?

A. They were not popular with ancient Greek audiences.
B. They were usually set in the past.
C. They were almost never set in the past.
D. They were often done in honor of the Greek god Zeus.
Answer» C. They were almost never set in the past.
Discussion
21.

Which of the following serves as the best definition of the literary critical practice of formalism ?

A. Formalism focuses on examining how a text exemplifies its writer’s psychology.
B. Formalism focuses on examining the structural dynamics of poems.
C. Formalism focuses on examining the use of literary devices within a literary text.
D. Formalism focuses on examining the historical contexts and backgrounds of literary texts.
Answer» D. Formalism focuses on examining the historical contexts and backgrounds of literary texts.
Discussion
22.

Which of the following represents a stage of development in the poetic form of the elegy ?

A. Lamentation, in which the speaker demonstrates grief
B. Praise and admiration for the dead
C. Consolation and solace
D. All of these
Answer» E.
Discussion
23.

Which of the following poetic lines is an example of a couplet ?

A. “Into my head there will come / a beach of cotton, a dock where from.”
B. “To kiss the sky / to be the sun / is to live forever.”
C. “I heard a car crash / just as I died.”
D. “Death comes for all of us / even you.”
Answer» B. “To kiss the sky / to be the sun / is to live forever.”
Discussion
24.

Which of the following poems can be described as a haiku ?

A. Pound’s “In a Station of the Metro”
B. Bishop’s “One Art”
C. Auden’s “Paysage Moralisé”
D. William Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 18”
Answer» B. Bishop’s “One Art”
Discussion
25.

Which of the following offers the best description of literary theory ?

A. Literary theory involves coming to a precise understanding of a writer’s psychology.
B. Literary theory involves measuring the quality of a literary work.
C. Literary theory involves considering the publication history of literary texts.
D. Literary theory involves describing the underlying principles of a literary work.
Answer» E.
Discussion
26.

Which of the following offers the best description of the concept of ethos ?

A. Ethos refers to a writer’s presentation of character and image.
B. Ethos refers to a writer’s ability to present evidence.
C. Ethos refers to a writer’s ability to inspire action in readers.
D. Ethos refers to a writer’s ability to inspire emotional responses in readers.
Answer» B. Ethos refers to a writer’s ability to present evidence.
Discussion
27.

Which of the following offers the best description of the concept of pathos ?

A. Pathos refers to a writer’s presentation of character and image.
B. Pathos refers to a writer’s ability to present evidence.
C. Pathos refers to a writer’s ability to inspire action in readers.
D. Pathos refers to a writer’s ability to inspire emotional responses in readers.
Answer» E.
Discussion
28.

Which of the following offers the best description of the concept of logos ?

A. Logos refers to a writer’s presentation of character and image.
B. Logos refers to a writer’s ability to present evidence.
C. Logos refers to a writer’s ability to inspire action in readers.
D. Logos refers to a writer’s ability to inspire emotional responses in readers.
Answer» C. Logos refers to a writer’s ability to inspire action in readers.
Discussion
29.

Which of the following offers the best definition of the theatrical concept of a chorus ?

A. Members of the audience who comment on the play’s actions
B. Characters who remind the audience that the play is fictional
C. A group of characters who comment on the actions of the play while participating in them
D. A group of characters who comment on the actions of the play while not participating in them
Answer» E.
Discussion
30.

Which of the following offers the best definition of the concept of persuasion ?

A. Persuasion is the art of making readers or listeners believe what the writer or speaker is stating.
B. Persuasion is the art of lying to good effect.
C. Persuasion is the opposite of rhetoric.
D. Persuasion is the use of syllogisms to influence the opinions of readers and listeners.
Answer» B. Persuasion is the art of lying to good effect.
Discussion
31.

Which of the following offers the best definition of the literary term motif ?

A. A recurring element in a story that is symbolically significant
B. A character’s fatal flaw
C. A rhyme scheme
D. A character’s moment of selfrealization in a narrative
Answer» B. A character’s fatal flaw
Discussion
32.

Which of the following offers the best definition of a theatrical tragedy ?

A. A play that depicts the downfall of a noble person
B. A play in which someone gets revenge
C. A play in which a hero faces likely defeat and overcomes it
D. A play in which no form of humor appears
Answer» B. A play in which someone gets revenge
Discussion
33.

Which of the following offers the best definition of the concept of narrative poetry ?

A. A narrative poem is vague and difficult in style.
B. A narrative poem is a poem that does not have a plot or tell a story.
C. A narrative poem has a plot and tells a story.
D. A narrative poem is a poem written in the style of a conversation.
Answer» D. A narrative poem is a poem written in the style of a conversation.
Discussion
34.

Which of the following offers the best definition of a Greek theatrical comedy ?

A. A play in which characters make humorous remarks
B. A play in which characters experience reversals of fortune, usually for the better
C. A play in which no characters die or suffer
D. A play in which elite members of society are mocked
Answer» C. A play in which no characters die or suffer
Discussion
35.

Which of the following offers the best definition of a frame narrative ?

A. A narrative that introduces readers to the main characters of a story
B. A narrative that summarizes the plot of the novel
C. A story within a story
D. A story that reminds the reader that the story is fictional
Answer» D. A story that reminds the reader that the story is fictional
Discussion
36.

Which of the following offers the best definition of a fable ?

A. A story in which the author provides an explicit moral
B. A story that takes place in the distant past
C. A light-hearted, humorous story in which viewers are shown proper ways to behave
D. A story told to little children
Answer» B. A story that takes place in the distant past
Discussion
37.

Which of the following may be an antagonist to the protagonist of a novel ?

A. Another character
B. The protagonist
C. Society
D. All of these
Answer» E.
Discussion
38.

Which of the following lines provides an example of a poetic apostrophe ?

A. “She is a woman of beauty and wonder.”
B. “Death, that which feels nothing.”
C. “Milton, thou shouldst be living at this hour: / England hath need of thee.”
D. “I wandered lonely as a cloud.”
Answer» D. “I wandered lonely as a cloud.”
Discussion
39.

Which of the following lines of poetry is written in iambic pentameter ?

A. “To be or not to be, that is the question.”
B. “And the world didn’t even think of stopping for me.”
C. “I played about the front gate, pulling flowers.”
D. “I wandered lonely as a cloud.”
Answer» B. “And the world didn’t even think of stopping for me.”
Discussion
40.

Which of the following is a component of a gothic novel ?

A. An atmosphere of dread, fear, and darkness
B. An isolated protagonist
C. A hero or protagonist who is tempted by a villain
D. All of these
Answer» E.
Discussion
41.

Which of the following descriptions of Jane Austen’s “Northanger Abbey” seems most appropriate ?

A. It offers a critique of Romantic poetry and ideology.
B. It serves to parody gothic novels.
C. It is a horror novel.
D. It is a memoir based on Jane Austen’s childhood.
Answer» C. It is a horror novel.
Discussion
42.

Which of the following descriptions best describes the character of Hamlet ?

A. Hamlet is depressed yet highly intelligent.
B. Hamlet is naive and simple minded.
C. Hamlet is spoiled and manipulative.
D. Hamlet is intellectually passive and deeply frightened of his father’s ghost.
Answer» B. Hamlet is naive and simple minded.
Discussion
43.

Which of the following concepts does Aristotle consider to be the most important element of a Greek tragedy ?

A. Plot
B. Poetic diction
C. Song composition
D. Stage design
Answer» B. Poetic diction
Discussion
44.

Which of the following best describes epic theater as defined by Berthold Brecht ?

A. Epic theater is plot-driven theater.
B. Epic theater turns the passive spectator into an active observer.
C. Epic theater privileges feeling over reason.
D. Epic theater maintains the illusion of realism.
Answer» C. Epic theater privileges feeling over reason.
Discussion
45.

Which of the following assertions would William Wordsworth most likely agree with ?

A. Poetry should be written in the common language of ordinary people.
B. Poetry should focus on the lives and thoughts of elite people.
C. Poetry should never concern itself with the natural world.
D. Poetry should rhyme.
Answer» E.
Discussion
46.

Which of the following are examples of poetic structures ?

A. Lines of text with words that rhyme at the end
B. A continuous block of text
C. Unrhymed lines
D. All of these
Answer» E.
Discussion
47.

Which of the following are examples of literary interpretation ?

A. Investigating the relationship between words and objective reality
B. Comparing the Bible to folk tales from other cultures
C. Researching an author’s biography for clues about how to understand his or her writing
D. Researching what previous critics have said about a literary work
Answer» C. Researching an author’s biography for clues about how to understand his or her writing
Discussion
48.

Which of the following are common literary elements used to analyze novels ?

A. Character
B. Setting
C. Plot
D. All of these
Answer» E.
Discussion
49.

What is the relationship between the practices of New Historicism and New Criticism ?

A. New Historicism was a reaction against New Criticism, which was seen as too narrowly focused on text rather than context.
B. Both fields of literary study are American in origin.
C. New Historicism is simply an early form of Cultural Materialism.
D. Both fields of study are strictly focused on how readers interpret and invent meanings for literary texts.
Answer» B. Both fields of literary study are American in origin.
Discussion
50.

What is the difference between traditional literary criticism and post-New Criticism literary theory ?

A. Traditional literary criticism is mainly focused on exploring gender issues.
B. Traditional literary criticism only examines pre-20th-century literary texts.
C. Traditional literary criticism focused on tracking influences and textual allusions and considering the historical contexts of literary texts.
D. Traditional literary criticism attempted to consider the psychological aspects of literary texts.
Answer» D. Traditional literary criticism attempted to consider the psychological aspects of literary texts.
Discussion