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.

51.

What is the central argument in Dr. Richard Kelly’s “The Novelist’s Eye” ?

A. All novelists are painters at heart.
B. George du Maurier felt that black-andwhite illustrators could be as important as novelists and painters.
C. George du Maurier attacked the social position of the novelist in his illustrations.
D. George du Maurier was a tremendous influence on Victorian novelists.
Answer» C. George du Maurier attacked the social position of the novelist in his illustrations.
Discussion
52.

What is one reason that Mystery Plays are referred to as such ?

A. They involve the solving of a crime.
B. They explore mysterious religious topics.
C. They were written by medieval mystics.
D. They were produced by medieval craft guilds, which were knows as “mysteries”.
Answer» E.
Discussion
53.

What form of verse is usually sung and details a dramatic or exciting episode ?

A. An ode
B. An elegy
C. An epitaph
D. A ballad
Answer» E.
Discussion
54.

What does Percy Shelley mean when he refers to poets as being the “unacknowledged legislators of the world” ?

A. He is suggesting that artists serve to develop culture.
B. He is suggesting that all artists are from high social classes.
C. He is suggesting that artists are repressed throughout society.
D. He is suggesting that the making of laws is itself an art.
Answer» B. He is suggesting that all artists are from high social classes.
Discussion
55.

What does a prologue serve to do in a Greek tragedy or comedy ?

A. Introduce the main characters
B. Preview the play’s conclusion
C. Provide insight into the play’s mythological background
D. Remind the viewers of what kind of play they are viewing
Answer» D. Remind the viewers of what kind of play they are viewing
Discussion
56.

What are the basic questions literary theory asks ?

A. What is literature?
B. Why do people write literature?
C. What are the effects of literature?
D. All of these.
Answer» E.
Discussion
57.

What are some of the hallmarks or conventions of the poetic form of the ode ?

A. Simplicity in language, brevity in form, and humorousness in attitude
B. Complexity in language, lengthiness in form, and seriousness in attitude
C. Simplicity in language, lengthiness in form, and humorousness in attitude
D. Complexity in language, brevity in form, and humorousness in attitude
Answer» C. Simplicity in language, lengthiness in form, and humorousness in attitude
Discussion
58.

The Freudian concept of “the uncanny” refers to_________________?

A. a feeling of being disconnected from the world.
B. a sense of something being familiar and foreign at once.
C. terror at the thought of death.
D. a realization of one’s empowered position in the world.
Answer» C. terror at the thought of death.
Discussion
59.

Reader-response theory focuses on considering how ?

A. readers choose their favorite works of literature.
B. readers experience a literary work.
C. readers decide which works of literature to read.
D. readers develop their own unique and personal critical discourses.
Answer» C. readers decide which works of literature to read.
Discussion
60.

Psychoanalytic criticism during its earliest stages tended to focus on_____________?

A. the psychologies of individual authors.
B. the typographical structures of literary texts.
C. translation issues.
D. how children relate to their parents in terms of literary texts.
Answer» B. the typographical structures of literary texts.
Discussion
61.

Marxist theory focuses on examining which of the following aspects of literary texts ?

A. The political and social meanings of literary texts
B. Characters who are sympathetic to issues facing the working classes
C. The relationship between economics and the production of literary texts
D. All of these
Answer» E.
Discussion
62.

Lauren Beth Signore’s essay, “Anne of Green Gables: The Transformation from Bildungsroman to Romantic Comedy”, argues that Anne of Green Gables is ultimately what kind of character ?

A. A romantic awaiting true love
B. A cynic awaiting the world’s destruction
C. A delusional girl with no grasp on reality
D. A young girl with a particularly dark Mindset
Answer» B. A cynic awaiting the world’s destruction
Discussion
63.

Jane Austen’s “Northanger Abbey” pursues which of the following themes ?

A. The conflict between marriages based on love and those based on money
B. The ways in which appearances don’t always match realities
C. The danger in not recognizing the difference between reality and fiction
D. All of these
Answer» E.
Discussion
64.

In Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 18”, the poet does which of the following ?

A. Compares his love to a winter storm
B. Compares his love to a summer’s day
C. Compares his love to a turbulent sea
D. Compares his love to his fear of death
Answer» C. Compares his love to a turbulent sea
Discussion
65.

In Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”, what does Hamlet mean when he states that, “there is more in heaven and earth … than are dreamt of in your philosophy” ?

A. There is such a thing as an afterlife.
B. Dreams always tell the truth.
C. There are some aspects of existence that cannot be explained through reason.
D. Heaven exists on earth.
Answer» D. Heaven exists on earth.
Discussion
66.

In Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s “Rime of the Ancient Mariner”, why does the Mariner kill the albatross ?

A. For revenge
B. To change the weather
C. To bring forth life-in-death
D. It is never directly stated why he does so.
Answer» E.
Discussion
67.

In poetry, each unit of rhythm is known as______________?

A. a line.
B. a foot.
C. a measure.
D. a meter.
Answer» C. a measure.
Discussion
68.

In his preface to “Lyrical Ballads”, Wordsworth calls for poetry to be written in what kind of language?

A. Typically poetic and fanciful language
B. Ancient languages
C. Complicated and difficult language
D. Common, everyday language
Answer» E.
Discussion
69.

In his “Poetics”, Aristotle suggests that tragic literary works should be ?

A. logical in terms of plot and structure.
B. complex in terms of plot and structure.
C. without any sort of moral insight.
D. sad.
Answer» B. complex in terms of plot and structure.
Discussion
70.

In his introductory lecture, how does Paul Fry define literary theory ?

A. A hypothesis about how literary texts can be understood
B. A methodology for applying ideas to literary texts
C. The practice of interpreting literary texts
D. A trend in university English departments
Answer» B. A methodology for applying ideas to literary texts
Discussion
71.

In his essay, “The Significance of Fictionalizing”, Wolfgang Iser argues which of the following points ?

A. Historically, writers have been considered liars or at the very least irrelevant.
B. Fictionalizing reality is a basic human need.
C. Every text includes traces from the outside world, including social, historical, and literary remnants.
D. All of these.
Answer» E.
Discussion
72.

In his essay, “Characters of Shakespeare’s Plays”, William Hazlitt conceptualizes Hamlet as_______________?

A. a disturbed and insane man.
B. a man of tremendous humor, simplicity, and innate goodness and kindness.
C. a depressed but ultimately good and nonviolent man.
D. a wicked and manipulative man.
Answer» D. a wicked and manipulative man.
Discussion
73.

In her text, “History of the Novel”, How does Dr. Agatha Taormina define the novel ?

A. A narrative that emphasizes character development
B. A narrative with a unified, plausible plot structure
C. A narrative that conveys the illusion of reality
D. All of these
Answer» E.
Discussion
74.

In Dr. R. Allen Shoaf’s article, “’Hamlet’: Like Mother, Like Son”, Shoaf argues which of the following points about the relationship between Hamlet and his mother ?

A. Hamlet is placed in a position that can be conceptualized as feminine.
B. Hamlet despises his mother and suspects she has killed his father.
C. Hamlet is entirely masculinized throughout the play, and thus, is ultimately unlike his mother in terms of his position in the play.
D. Hamlet has a personality disorder.
Answer» B. Hamlet despises his mother and suspects she has killed his father.
Discussion
75.

In “Characters of Shakespeare’s Plays”, what does William Hazlitt mean when he states the following: “We do not like to see our author’s plays acted, and least of all, ’Hamlet’. There is no play that suffers so much in being transferred to the stage” ?

A. Hamlet cannot be staged properly because of the complexity of the play’s use of language.
B. Hamlet is not relevant to the Romantic age.
C. The role of Hamlet cannot be properly played by any actor.
D. Hamlet is a work that was written to be read, not performed.
Answer» D. Hamlet is a work that was written to be read, not performed.
Discussion
76.

In “Characters of Shakespeare’s Plays”, how does William Hazlitt ultimately conceptualize the character of Hamlet ?

A. As a crazed fool
B. As a profound philosophical genius
C. As boyish and immature
D. As a brilliant warrior
Answer» C. As boyish and immature
Discussion
77.

In Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot”, which of the following statements best describes the play’s setting ?

A. Stark and sterile
B. Flowery and ornate
C. Futuristic and technologically advanced
D. Ancient and sophisticated
Answer» B. Flowery and ornate
Discussion
78.

Gerald Graff’s “They Say, I Say” encourages students to become______________?

A. passive readers and critics of literary texts.
B. involved in critical conversations about literary texts.
C. capable of realizing that the viewpoints of some critics are more important than others.
D. aware that Hamlet is a remarkable work of literature.
Answer» C. capable of realizing that the viewpoints of some critics are more important than others.
Discussion
79.

Feminist criticism focuses on exploring which of the following aspects of literary texts ?

A. How women are portrayed in literary texts
B. The psychologies of female writers
C. How women have been socially oppressed in literary texts
D. All of these
Answer» E.
Discussion
80.

Ethos is important to establish in which of the following types of arguments ?

A. Emotional arguments
B. Political arguments
C. Deductive arguments
D. Inductive arguments
Answer» C. Deductive arguments
Discussion
81.

Dr. Allen Shoaf’s essay, “’Hamlet’: Like Mother, Like Son”, argues which of the following points ?

A. Hamlet’s father’s ghost is not really a ghost.
B. Hamlet feels a sense of desire for both his mother and his father.
C. Hamlet is truly insane in the play.
D. Hamlet is an impossible play to truly understand.
Answer» C. Hamlet is truly insane in the play.
Discussion
82.

As a mode of literary criticism or theory, gender theory attempts to bring which of the following to literary texts ?

A. An understanding of the various conceptions and understandings of gender that have carried throughout various cultures
B. An understanding of gender as a human construct
C. An understanding of how standard histories of western societies are presented in terms of heterosexual identity
D. All of these.
Answer» E.
Discussion
83.

As a mode of literary criticism or theory, formalism attempted to bring which of the following to literary studies ?

A. An awareness of the historical circumstances surrounding a text’s production
B. A set of objective criteria for critical analysis
C. An awareness of the economic circumstances surrounding a literary text
D. Strict criteria for evaluating the quality of a literary text
Answer» C. An awareness of the economic circumstances surrounding a literary text
Discussion
84.

Aristotle felt that ethos was established by a speaker or writer by convincing the audience that ?

A. the author or speaker was of good mind and character.
B. the author or speaker was emotionally involved in the topic at hand.
C. the author or speaker has provided proper logic and evidence in support of his topic.
D. the author or speaker maintained the appropriate critical distance from the topic.
Answer» B. the author or speaker was emotionally involved in the topic at hand.
Discussion
85.

According to Dr. Taormina, Victorian novelists generally________________?

A. wanted to subvert middle class values.
B. accepted middle class values.
C. wrote in a hyperrealistic fashion.
D. had a negative view of human nature.
Answer» C. wrote in a hyperrealistic fashion.
Discussion
86.

According to Dr. Mark Canada’s “An Introduction to the Novel”, Richard Chase identifies which of the following as a main difference between novels and romances ?

A. The language in which they are written
B. The way they view reality
C. The way they are structured
D. The type of people who write them
Answer» C. The way they are structured
Discussion
87.

According to Dr. Frances Pritchett’s version of Shamsur Rahman Faruqi’s “The Historical Novel and the Historical Narrative”, what is the difference between a historical narrative and a historical novel ?

A. A historical narrative and a historical novel are the same thing.
B. A historical narrative tells only part of the story surrounding a historical event; a historical novel tells the whole story.
C. A historical novel focuses on providing the reader with only the central truth of a historical event, while a historical narrative attempts to tell th
D. Faruqi actually argues that historical novels do not exist.
Answer» D. Faruqi actually argues that historical novels do not exist.
Discussion
88.

According to Dr. Frances Pritchett’s version of Shamsur Rahman Faruqi’s “The Historical Novel and the Historical Narrative”, which of the following offers the best definition of a “history” ?

A. A narrative based entirely on verifiable facts
B. A narrative that does not analyze characters on a situation-by-situation basis
C. A narrative without characters
D. A narrative that takes place in the past.
Answer» C. A narrative without characters
Discussion
89.

According to Anthony DiMatteo’s “Shakespeare and the Public Discourse of Sovereignty: ’Reason of State’ in ’Hamlet’”, how does Shakespeare tend to present political rulers in Hamlet?

A. Shakespeare presents political rulers as flawless, perfect human beings.
B. Shakespeare presents political rulers as often meeting ruinous and violent endings.
C. Shakespeare only presents fictional political rulers and does not explore any political realities.
D. Shakespeare considers all political rulers to be corrupt.
Answer» C. Shakespeare only presents fictional political rulers and does not explore any political realities.
Discussion
90.

A writer can establish ethos in a piece of writing by doing which of the following ?

A. Using informal language
B. Demonstrating a mastery of the topic
C. Appealing to the reader’s emotions
D. Using logic and reason
Answer» C. Appealing to the reader’s emotions
Discussion
91.

A work of literary criticism that considers how social and economic power structures are depicted in a 19th-century English novel would be an example of which type of literary criticism ?

A. Marxist criticism
B. Reader-response criticism
C. Psychoanalytic criticism
D. New Criticism
Answer» B. Reader-response criticism
Discussion
92.

A work of criticism that considers how the author’s childhood trauma influenced his characters would be an example of_____________?

A. psychoanalytic criticism.
B. Marxist criticism.
C. New Criticism.
D. structuralism.
Answer» B. Marxist criticism.
Discussion
93.

A work of criticism that considers how English imperialism affected native Indian authors would be an example of_______________?

A. Marxist theory
B. psychoanalytic theory
C. postcolonial theory
D. deconstruction
Answer» D. deconstruction
Discussion
94.

A postmodern play would most likely not make use of which of the following theatrical traditions ?

A. A minimalist stage and strict adherence to the script
B. Video clips and the use of popular music
C. Nonlinear storytelling and the embracement of popular culture
D. A pastiche of different literary and historical sources
Answer» B. Video clips and the use of popular music
Discussion
95.

A play that begins in medias res________________?

A. begins at the apparent end of the story.
B. introduces the characters of the play one by one.
C. opens by plunging the viewer into a crucial series of events.
D. begins with a preview of the play’s conclusion.
Answer» D. begins with a preview of the play’s conclusion.
Discussion
96.

A picaresque novel dramatizes the life of what kind of person ?

A. A member of the royalty
B. A lowborn, wandering adventurer
C. A member of the middle class engaging in self-exploration
D. A child as he or she develops into an adult
Answer» C. A member of the middle class engaging in self-exploration
Discussion
97.

A gothic novel will probably not deal with which of the following themes ?

A. The sublime
B. The supernatural
C. Love
D. The manners and traditions of the upper classes
Answer» E.
Discussion