Explore topic-wise MCQs in English Literature .

This section includes 225 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.

Which of the following statements best describes Cleanth Brooks’s attitude towards studying literature ?

A. Critics should examine historical information surrounding a literary work.
B. Critics should develop universal readings of texts.
C. Critics should attempt to paraphrase texts in order to find out what they mean.
D. Critics should look at the biographical information of authors.
Answer» C. Critics should attempt to paraphrase texts in order to find out what they mean.
Discussion
52.

Which of the following offers the best definition of écriture féminine ?

A. How women really feel about male writers
B. The inscription of womanhood and femininity in texts
C. Second-wave feminism
D. Psychological studies of women
Answer» C. Second-wave feminism
Discussion
53.

Which of the following literary theorists is most closely associated with the concept that became known as liberal humanism ?

A. Aristotle
B. Viktor Shklovsky
C. Stanley Fish
D. Toni Morrison
Answer» B. Viktor Shklovsky
Discussion
54.

Which of the following is a theme of Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick’s book Epistemology of the Closet ?

A. Understanding sexuality is crucial to understanding culture.
B. Understanding homosexuality has little effect on understanding culture.
C. Literary study is unaffected by a lack of interest in sexuality.
D. All of the above answers are correct.
Answer» B. Understanding homosexuality has little effect on understanding culture.
Discussion
55.

Which of the following is a rule of semiotics ?

A. All linguistic concepts evolve solely out of the responses of people within a specific historical era.
B. All linguistic and social phenomena are texts, and the object of studying these texts is to reveal the underlying codes that make them meaningful.
C. All linguistics is in some way related to class struggle.
D. All of the above answers are correct.
Answer» C. All linguistics is in some way related to class struggle.
Discussion
56.

Which of the following is a critical work of Ben Jonson ?

A. Discourse of English Poetry
B. Discoveries
C. Arte of English Poesie
D. An Apologie for Poetrie
Answer» C. Arte of English Poesie
Discussion
57.

Which of the following ideas relates to J.L. Austin’s performativity theory ?

A. Performance is the ultimate objective of all human beings.
B. Language is used to indicate action as well as thought.
C. Individuals perform gender actively.
D. All of the above answers are correct
Answer» C. Individuals perform gender actively.
Discussion
58.

Which of the following human behaviors is important to a Freudian psychoanalytic study of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet ?

A. Neurotic behavior
B. Changes in emotional states
C. Slips of the tongue
D. All of the above answers are correct.
Answer» E.
Discussion
59.

Which of the following figures is considered to be the father of the linguistic theory known as structuralism ?

A. Cleanth Brooks
B. Ferdinand de Saussure
C. Karl Marx
D. Toni Morrison
Answer» C. Karl Marx
Discussion
60.

Which of the following descriptions best defines the literary theory known as formalism ?

A. An approach that emphasizes literary devices in a text
B. An approach that emphasizes the historical context of a text
C. An approach that emphasizes the biographical intent of a text
D. An approach that emphasizes racial issues in a text
Answer» B. An approach that emphasizes the historical context of a text
Discussion
61.

Which of the following critics preferred Shakespeare’s Comedies to his Tragedies ?

A. Dryden
B. Pope
C. Dr. Johnson
D. Addison
Answer» D. Addison
Discussion
62.

Which of the following best describes the difference between literary criticism and literary theory ?

A. Literary criticism is concerned only with the meaning of a literary work, while literary theory is concerned only with the structure of a literary wor
B. Literary criticism draws upon research derived from sources outside literature, while literary theory draws upon sources within a text.
C. Literary theory is concerned with the method used to interpret a work, while literary criticism is the application of literary theory.
D. All of the above answers are correct.
Answer» D. All of the above answers are correct.
Discussion
63.

Which of the following best defines the work of a deconstructionist critic ?

A. Calling into question the possibility of the coherence of discourse
B. Suggesting that the study of literature is based on the breakdown of language into signs
C. Arguing that language, and therefore literary texts, relies on the difference between terms and therefore constantly defers meaning.
D. All of the above answers are correct.
Answer» E.
Discussion
64.

Which literary theory would most directly explore questions of the role of spatial setting in a poem ?

A. Trauma theory
B. Ecotheory
C. Game theory
D. Marxist theory
Answer» C. Game theory
Discussion
65.

Which literary theorist argues that “there is nothing outside the text” ?

A. T.S. Eliot
B. Jacques Lacan
C. Jacques Derrida
D. Stanley Fish
Answer» D. Stanley Fish
Discussion
66.

Which is a common postcolonial critique of the West ?

A. The West spends too much time trying to consider an Asian perspective.
B. The West tends to look at Asian countries as individual units rather than lump them together.
C. The West views matters through its own limited historical position.
D. The West refuses to apply economic and political coercion to Asian writers.
Answer» D. The West refuses to apply economic and political coercion to Asian writers.
Discussion
67.

What is the purpose of feminist theory ?

A. To advocate for women’s rights
B. To create literary subjects with which female readers can identify
C. To critique phallocentric assumptions about literature
D. All of the above answers are correct.
Answer» E.
Discussion
68.

What is the philosophical theory known as pragmatism ?

A. A maxim of logic developed by Charles Sanders Peirce
B. A theory of practical actions developed by William James
C. An idea used to guide conduct towards clear objectives
D. All of the above answers are correct.
Answer» E.
Discussion
69.

What is the original meaning of the term Hamartia ?

A. To miss the mark
B. Sin
C. Tragic flaw
D. Flaws
Answer» B. Sin
Discussion
70.

What is the meaning of the term Hamartia as used by Aristotle in his Theory of Tragedy ?

A. Tragic end of the tragedy
B. Working of fate against the hero
C. A weak trait in the character of the hero
D. A strong quality in the character of the hero
Answer» D. A strong quality in the character of the hero
Discussion
71.

What is the meaning of the term Anagnorisis as used by Aristotle in his Theory of Tragedy ?

A. The hero’s recognition of his tragic flaw
B. The hero’s ignorance about his tragic flaw
C. The hero’s recognition of his adversary
D. The hero’s recognition of his tragic end
Answer» C. The hero’s recognition of his adversary
Discussion
72.

What is the main goal of ethnic criticism ?

A. To bring attention to false Euro-centric paradigms
B. To rectify the double experiences of certain racial groups
C. To reconcile cultural identity with individual identity
D. All of the above answers are correct.
Answer» E.
Discussion
73.

What is the main function of postcolonial criticism ?

A. To represent the relationship between colonizers and the colonized
B. To draw attention to the positive effects of colonization on literature
C. To explain why there are few examples of successful non-Western literature
D. To show the ways in which most Western literature is superior
Answer» B. To draw attention to the positive effects of colonization on literature
Discussion
74.

What is the main function of literary theory ?

A. To understand the importance of the formal elements of literary structure
B. To formulate relationships among an author, a reader, and a literary work
C. To understand the role of sexuality, gender, race, and ethnicity in literary study
D. All of the above answers are correct.
Answer» E.
Discussion
75.

What is the central idea of Ferdinand de Saussure’s Course in General Linguistics ?

A. Language is inseparable from its historical context.
B. There are five phases of linguistic development.
C. Language can be analyzed as a formal system of elements.
D. All of the above answers are correct.
Answer» D. All of the above answers are correct.
Discussion
76.

What is phenomenology ?

A. The examination of structures informing our conscious experience
B. The examination of desires informing our consciousness
C. The examination of our unconscious experience
D. The examination of intricate structures within our unconscious
Answer» B. The examination of desires informing our consciousness
Discussion
77.

What is New Historicism ?

A. A theory that sees history as a form of writing and discourse
B. A theory that abandons the idea of history as an imitation of events
C. A theory that regards history as a series of narratives
D. All of the above answers are correct.
Answer» E.
Discussion
78.

What is mimesis ?

A. A reversal
B. An imitation
C. A satire
D. A poetic metaphor
Answer» C. A satire
Discussion
79.

What is humanism ?

A. An idea traditionally associated with the Renaissance
B. A humanity-centered view of the universe
C. A theory that values restraint, form, and imitation
D. All of the above answers are correct.
Answer» E.
Discussion
80.

What is hermeneutics ?

A. A term that describes the absence of racial others in the canon
B. A term that describes the attempt to read homosexuality into literature
C. A term that describes the effect of autobiography on text
D. A term that describes the interpretation of meaning
Answer» E.
Discussion
81.

What is generally considered to be Theodor W. Adorno’s primary concern as a theorist ?

A. The effect of literature in enlightening the human mind
B. The effect of modern society on human suffering
C. The effect of the economy on women’s concerns
D. All of the above answers are correct.
Answer» C. The effect of the economy on women’s concerns
Discussion
82.

What is false consciousness ?

A. A term for the false neuroses expressed in dreams
B. A feminist term for the state that occurs when texts written by women are not considered in the study of literature
C. Another term for the unconscious
D. An ideology that involves dominating the consciousness of exploited classes
Answer» E.
Discussion
83.

What is double consciousness _______________?

A. An early aspect of ethnic criticism
B. An understanding of how double experiences create identity
C. A concept developed by W.E.B Du Bois
D. All of the above answers are correct.
Answer» E.
Discussion
84.

What is dialectical materialism ?

A. A form of literary criticism that is based on historical context
B. A form of literary criticism that does not incorporate economic concerns
C. A form of literary criticism based on linguistic analysis
D. A term related to gender theory that argues that men are dominant in society by virtue of their economic privilege
Answer» B. A form of literary criticism that does not incorporate economic concerns
Discussion
85.

What is denouement ____________?

A. The ending of a tragedy
B. The ending of a comedy
C. The climax in a tragedy
D. The climax in a comedy
Answer» C. The climax in a tragedy
Discussion
86.

What is Christopher Ricks’s attitude toward literary theory ?

A. He considers it to be vital in order to understand literary texts.
B. He considers theory to be the only way that literary texts can be interpreted.
C. He has no misgivings about the practical usability of literary theory.
D. He feels that literary theory is ultimately too limited in scope to serve as a proper method of interpretation.
Answer» E.
Discussion
87.

What is affective fallacy ?

A. A term first used by literary theorists William Wimsatt and Monroe Beardsley
B. A term that suggests that a critic should study the structural and thematic elements of a poem rather than the effect it has on the emotions of the re
C. An important term in the field of New Historicism
D. All of the above answers are correct.
Answer» E.
Discussion
88.

What has Dryden to say about the observance of the three Classical Dramatic Unities ?

A. He advocates their strict observance
B. He does not advocate their strict observance
C. He says that every dramatist should decide it for himself
D. He is silent about this issue
Answer» C. He says that every dramatist should decide it for himself
Discussion
89.

What fundamental idea does psychoanalytic criticism hold about literary texts ?

A. Literary texts should not be read as a projection of the author’s psyche.
B. Literary texts solely reflect an author’s intentions.
C. Literary texts reveal secret elements of an author’s unconscious.
D. All of the above answers are correct.
Answer» D. All of the above answers are correct.
Discussion
90.

What does the term meta-language mean, according to Andrzej Warminski ?

A. A language about another language
B. A supernatural language
C. A language that does not yet constitute a real language
D. All of the above answers are correct.
Answer» B. A supernatural language
Discussion
91.

What does the critical term ’esemplatic’ mean ?

A. The unifying power
B. Ability to coin new word
C. Power of imagination
D. Negative capability
Answer» B. Ability to coin new word
Discussion
92.

What does Sidney say about the observance of the three Dramatic Unities in drama ?

A. They must be observed
B. It is not necessary to observe them
C. He favours the observance of the Unity of Action only
D. Their observance depends upon the nature of the theme of the play
Answer» B. It is not necessary to observe them
Discussion
93.

What does Judith Butler mean when she suggests that gender is “performed” ?

A. Gender does not reflect an essential truth, but rather is a role people play based on their internalization of socially constructed gender roles.
B. Gender roles do not exist.
C. Real gender roles are scripted by excellent writers.
D. All of the above answers are correct.
Answer» B. Gender roles do not exist.
Discussion
94.

What does hermeneutic theory suggest about how readers view literature ?

A. It is impossible to view a piece of literature as its author intended.
B. It is impossible to divorce a text from capitalist ideology.
C. It is impossible to view a piece of literature correctly, because we can only work within the hetero-normative paradigm.
D. It is impossible to separate a text from the linguistics that compose it.
Answer» B. It is impossible to divorce a text from capitalist ideology.
Discussion
95.

What does gynocriticism recommend as an approach to literature ?

A. Examining only female-authored literature more critically
B. Considering women’s literature outside of its historical context
C. Becoming more familiar with the history of women and women’s writing
D. All of the above answers are correct.
Answer» D. All of the above answers are correct.
Discussion
96.

What does Elaine Showalter argue about gender in terms of representations of the character of Ophelia in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet ?

A. Ophelia’s madness represents the social oppression of women.
B. It is nearly impossible to represent women as anything other than mad in patriarchal discourses.
C. Feminist critics need to re-appropriate Ophelia for their own purposes.
D. All of the above answers are correct.
Answer» E.
Discussion
97.

What does Edward Said argue about the concept of the Orient ?

A. It has little relationship to the colonization of Asian countries by the West.
B. It illustrates the fundamental political equality of all nations.
C. It was produced by Western scholarship.
D. All of the above answers are correct.
Answer» D. All of the above answers are correct.
Discussion
98.

What does Ben Jonson mean by a ‘Humorous Character’ ?

A. A character who is always cheerful and gay
B. A character who is by nature melancholy
C. A character whose temper is determined by the predominance of one out of the four fluids in the human body
D. An eccentric person
Answer» D. An eccentric person
Discussion
99.

What do structuralist and formalist critics have in common ?

A. Both sets of critics reject the importance of historical context in studying literature.
B. Both sets of critics look for an objective way to view texts.
C. Both sets of critics focus on evaluating literature in a scientific manner.
D. All of the above answers are correct.
Answer» E.
Discussion
100.

What do many contemporary theorists find problematic about the literary canon ?

A. It includes too few works by non- European writers.
B. It includes too few works by non-white writers.
C. It includes too few works by women.
D. All of the above answers are correct.
Answer» E.
Discussion