225 + Mcqs in Literary Theory & Criticism in English Literature Page 4 McqOptions

151.	One purpose of LITERARY CRITICISM is described below: A formalist approach might enable us to choose between a reading which sees the dissolution of society in Lord of the Flies as being caused by too strict a suppression of the “bestial” side of man and one which sees it as resulting from too little suppression. We can look to the text and ask: What textual evidence is there for the suppression or indulgence of the “bestial” side of man? Does Ralph suppress Jack when he tries to indulge his bestial side in hunting? Does it appear from the text that an imposition of stricter law and order would have prevented the breakdown? Did it work in the “grownup” world of the novel? What purpose does this prescribe to ?
A.	To help resolve a question, problem, or difficulty in the reading.
B.	To help decide which is the better of two conflicting readings.
C.	To enable to form judgments about literature.
D.	All of the above answers are correct.
Answer» C. To enable to form judgments about literature.

Discussion

152.	One purpose of LITERARY CRITICISM is described below: “The historical approach, for instance, might be helpful in addressing a problem in Thomas Otway’s play Venice Preserv’d. Why are the conspirators, despite the horrible, bloody details of their obviously brutish plan, portrayed in a sympathetic light? If we look at the author and his time, we see that he was a Tory whose play was performed in the wake of the Popish Plot and the Exclusion Bill Crisis, and that there are obvious similarities between the Conspiracy in the play and the Popish Plot in history. The Tories would never approve of the bloody Popish Plot, but they nonetheless sympathized with the plotters for the way they were abused by the Tory enemy, the Whigs. Thus it makes sense for Otway to condemn the conspiracy itself in Vencie Preserv’d without condemning the conspirators themselves.” What purpose does this prescribe to ?
A.	To help resolve a question, problem, or difficulty in the readin
B.	To help decide which is the better of two conflicting readings.
C.	To enable to form judgments about literature.
D.	All of the above answers are correct.
Answer» B. To help decide which is the better of two conflicting readings.

Discussion

153.	One of the potential disadvantages of this approach to literature is that it can reduce meaning to a certain time frame, rather than making it universal throughout the ages ?
A.	Formalist
B.	Historical
C.	Feminist
D.	Mimetic
Answer» C. Feminist

Discussion

154.	One of the disadvantages of this school of criticism is that it tends to make readings too subjective ?
A.	Reader Response Criticism
B.	Formalist Criticism
C.	Historical Criticism
D.	These are all equally subjective
Answer» B. Formalist Criticism

Discussion

155.	One archetype in literature is the scapegoat. Which of these literary characters serves that purpose ?
A.	Billy Budd
B.	Hamlet
C.	Captain Ahab
D.	Ophelia
Answer» B. Hamlet

Discussion

156.	‘On Translating Homer’ is written by________________?
A.	Mathew Arnold
B.	Walter Pater
C.	T. S. ELiot
D.	William Hazlit
Answer» B. Walter Pater

Discussion

157.	On the Sublime was written in_____________?
A.	1st Century BC
B.	1st Century AD
C.	2nd Century AD
D.	3rd Century AD
Answer» C. 2nd Century AD

Discussion

158.	On the Sublime is written in_________________?
A.	Greek
B.	Latin
C.	Hebrew
D.	Italian
Answer» B. Latin

Discussion

159.	On the Sublime is considered ______________?
A.	A classical approach
B.	Romantic approach
C.	Neo-classical approach
D.	None of these
Answer» C. Neo-classical approach

Discussion

160.	“Of all philosopher’s Plato is the most poetic.” Who said this______________?
A.	Philiph Sidney
B.	Shelley
C.	Aristlotle
D.	Keats
Answer» B. Shelley

Discussion

161.	New trends in literary theory tend to do which of the following ?
A.	Reject all previous modes of literary theory
B.	Focus on a return to traditional critical methods
C.	Make use of different literary theories in order to develop new theories
D.	Work only with ideas developed by post- Marxist theorists
Answer» D. Work only with ideas developed by post- Marxist theorists

Discussion

162.	Name the author of The New Criticism ?
A.	F. R. Leavis
B.	Allen Tate
C.	John Crowe Ransom
D.	R. P. Blackmur
Answer» D. R. P. Blackmur

Discussion

163.	Modern literary theory began with the work of which theorist ?
A.	Ferdinand de Saussure
B.	Viktor Shklovsky
C.	Roland Barthes
D.	Michel Foucault
Answer» B. Viktor Shklovsky

Discussion

164.	Michael Foucault was the major practitioner of this school of criticism?
A.	Formalist Criticism
B.	Deconstructionism
C.	Structuralism
D.	Mimetic Criticism
Answer» D. Mimetic Criticism

Discussion

165.	Literary Theory and Criticism________________?
A.	Dryden
B.	Pope
C.	Dr. Johnson
D.	Addison
Answer» C. Dr. Johnson

Discussion

166.	Jacques Derrida’s concept of différance challenges us to think about language as a system that____________?
A.	mirrors our physical evolution as human beings.
B.	prevents us from communicating through writing or speech.
C.	involves a constant process of deferred meaning.
D.	All of the above answers are correct.
Answer» D. All of the above answers are correct.

Discussion

167.	“It is not rhyming and versing that maketh a poet no more than a long gown maketh an advocate”. Whose view is this ?
A.	Shakespeare’s
B.	Marlowe’s
C.	Spenser’s
D.	Sidney’s
Answer» E.

Discussion

168.	Is Dryden’s Essay of Dramatic Poesy a work of ?
A.	Interpretative Criticism
B.	Legislative Criticism
C.	Comparative Criticism
D.	Textual Criticism
Answer» D. Textual Criticism

Discussion

169.	In which the following works Plato discusses his Theory of Poetry ?
A.	Apology
B.	Ion
C.	The Republic
D.	Phaedrus
Answer» D. Phaedrus

Discussion

170.	In which essay did Arnold say that for good literature to flourish two powers are necessary – creative and the critical ?
A.	The Function of Criticism
B.	The Study of Poetry
C.	Preface to Eighteen Fifty Three poems
D.	Essay on Wordsworth
Answer» B. The Study of Poetry

Discussion

171.	In which chapter of Biographia Literaria Coleridge criticize the theory of language of Wordsworth ?
A.	16
B.	17
C.	14
D.	15
Answer» D. 15

Discussion

172.	In which capter of Biographia Lieraria, Coleridge make a distinction between fancy and imagination ?
A.	14
B.	15
C.	12
D.	13
Answer» E.

Discussion

173.	In which book of the Republic did Plato ban poets from his ideal world ?
A.	Book 7
B.	Book 10
C.	Book 1
D.	Book 5
Answer» C. Book 1

Discussion

174.	In what way does Julia Kristeva build on Jacques Lacan’s theory of psychosexual development ?
A.	Kristeva wholly rejects Lacan’s theory of psychosexual development.
B.	Kristeva centralizes the maternal and the feminine in her revisions of Lacan’s theory.
C.	Kristeva argues that the mirror stage does not occur until the individual embraces a distinct gender role.
D.	All of the above answers are correct.
Answer» D. All of the above answers are correct.

Discussion

175.	In Of Grammatology, Jacques Derrida argues what about literature ?
A.	No fixed, stable meaning is possible.
B.	Language must be studied in conjunction with history in order to create meaning.
C.	Literature is timeless, and thus meaning does not change.
D.	All of the above answers are correct.
Answer» B. Language must be studied in conjunction with history in order to create meaning.

Discussion

176.	In his essay “What Is an Author?” what position(s) on authorship does Michel Foucault take ?
A.	The idea of the author came into being at a certain point in history.
B.	The names of authors serve a classificatory function.
C.	The author may not always exist.
D.	All of the above answers are correct.
Answer» E.

Discussion

177.	In his essay “The Death of the Author,” Roland Barthes argues what about literature ?
A.	Biographical information about the author must be considered when evaluating literature.
B.	A text and its author text are unrelated.
C.	It is possible to distill meaning from a work based on the author’s politics.
D.	Literature is inextricably connected to its creator.
Answer» C. It is possible to distill meaning from a work based on the author’s politics.

Discussion

178.	In his essay “The Business of Theory,” William Deresiewicz argues which of the following about Terry Eagleton’s book After Theory ?
A.	It offers a strong outline for how theory can be conducted in the 21st century.
B.	It should not be read or considered by any student or scholar.
C.	It offers some valid ideas and critiques, but its author is not entirely trustworthy.
D.	It offers a strong counterpoint to Jacques Derrida’s notion of deconstruction.
Answer» D. It offers a strong counterpoint to Jacques Derrida’s notion of deconstruction.

Discussion

179.	In her essay “The Poem as Event,” Louise M. Rosenblatt sees the reader as performing what function ?
A.	The reader participates in a transaction with the text.
B.	The reader is acted upon by the text.
C.	The reader acts upon the text.
D.	All of the above answers are correct.
Answer» E.

Discussion

180.	In her essay “The Laugh of the Medusa,” what does Hélène Cixous suggest for women ?
A.	Women should write for and about themselves in order to counter phallocentric texts.
B.	Women should write, but they should do so only within the existent male canon.
C.	Women should primarily dedicate themselves to studying women’s literature from the past.
D.	All of the above answers are correct.
Answer» B. Women should write, but they should do so only within the existent male canon.

Discussion

181.	In general, what is Judith Butler’s concept of gender ?
A.	Women’s gender is artificial, while men’s gender is not.
B.	While gender is not real, the stereotypes that accompany it are true.
C.	Gender is largely a cultural construct.
D.	All of the above answers are correct.
Answer» D. All of the above answers are correct.

Discussion

182.	In Fredric Jameson’s book The Political Unconscious, what does Jameson suggest about literature ?
A.	History comprises the essential framework for the performance of literary analysis
B.	Politics and the economy are the most important factors in literary analysis
C.	Biography is essential to literary analysis
D.	All of the above answers are correct.
Answer» B. Politics and the economy are the most important factors in literary analysis

Discussion

183.	In Dryden’s Essay of Dramatic Poesy there are four interlocuters representing four different ideologies. Which of them expresses Dryden’s own views ?
A.	Lisideius
B.	Eugenius
C.	Neander
D.	Crites
Answer» D. Crites

Discussion

184.	In a Freudian approach to literature, concave images are usually seen as____________?
A.	Female symbols
B.	Phallic symbols
C.	Male symbols
D.	Evidence of an Oedipus complex
Answer» B. Phallic symbols

Discussion

185.	How many times do the word Katharsis appear in the Poetics________________?
A.	3
B.	2
C.	4
D.	6
Answer» C. 4

Discussion

186.	How many principal sources of sublimity are there according to Longinus ?
A.	Three
B.	Four
C.	Five
D.	Six
Answer» D. Six

Discussion

187.	How many poets were included in Jhonson’s ‘The Lives of Most Eminent English Poets’ ?
A.	48
B.	50
C.	50
D.	54
Answer» D. 54

Discussion

188.	How does VirginiaWoolf’s essay “A Room of One’s Own” contribute to feminist theory ?
A.	It suggests that the suppression of women is part of a historical climate that will naturally fade away.
B.	It suggests that gender roles are conditioned by the possession of money and power.
C.	It suggests that gender has power over class.
D.	All of the above answers are correct.
Answer» C. It suggests that gender has power over class.

Discussion

189.	How does New Historicism differ from traditional historicism ?
A.	New Historicism rejects the idea that history is neutral.
B.	New Historicism does not make strict delineations between literary and non-literary texts.
C.	New Historicism takes a particular interest in marginalized peoples.
D.	All of the above answers are correct.
Answer» E.

Discussion

190.	How does literary theory resemble the practice of philosophy as it was developed by Plato and Aristotle ?
A.	Literary theory engages with theoretical rather than real-world issues.
B.	Literary theory asks fundamental questions about literary interpretation, and at the same time builds specific systems of literary interpretation.
C.	Literary theory relies totally on speculation rather than history.
D.	All of the above answers are correct.
Answer» C. Literary theory relies totally on speculation rather than history.

Discussion

191.	How do Marxist theorists react to ideology ?
A.	They accept ideology as an essential, although sometimes problematic, part of society.
B.	They subject all ideologies to critique in order to expose biased interests.
C.	They reject the idea that ideology has real effects on social progress.
D.	All of the above answers are correct.
Answer» C. They reject the idea that ideology has real effects on social progress.

Discussion

192.	How did the New Critics view literature ?
A.	As an aesthetic object that is independent of historical context
B.	As an aesthetic object that is influenced by historical context
C.	As a historical object that is also aesthetic
D.	As a historical object that is not necessarily aesthetic
Answer» B. As an aesthetic object that is influenced by historical context

Discussion

193.	How are Julia Kristeva’s psychoanalytic theories distinct from traditional Freudian concepts ?
A.	Kristeva rejects the idea that neuroses provide insight into the unconscious.
B.	Kristeva suggests that women are not subject to traditional fetishes.
C.	Kristeva offers a more central place for women’s issues within psychological development.
D.	All of the above answers are correct.
Answer» D. All of the above answers are correct.

Discussion

194.	Horace was a_____________?
A.	Greek writer
B.	Roman Writer
C.	Italian writer
D.	English writer
Answer» C. Italian writer

Discussion

195.	Horace was a friend of_______________?
A.	Alexander the Great
B.	Emperor Augustus
C.	Julius Caesar
D.	Pompey
Answer» C. Julius Caesar

Discussion

196.	He was an influential force in archetypal criticism ?
A.	Freud
B.	Tate
C.	Richards
D.	Jung
Answer» E.

Discussion

197.	‘Gynocriticism’ is associated with_________________?
A.	Elaine Showalter
B.	Ellen Moors
C.	Julia Kristeva
D.	Kate Millet
Answer» B. Ellen Moors

Discussion

198.	From whom did New Historicists draw the idea of “self-regulating systems” ?
A.	Theodor W. Adorno
B.	Claude Lévi-Strauss
C.	Julia Kristeva
D.	Jacques Derrida
Answer» C. Julia Kristeva

Discussion

199.	From where has the term Oedipus Complex originated ?
A.	Oedipus the Rex
B.	Oedipus at Colonus
C.	Antigone
D.	Jocasta, the Queen of Thebes
Answer» B. Oedipus at Colonus

Discussion

200.	Formalist critics believe that the value of a work cannot be determined by the author’s intention. What term do they use when speaking of this belief ?
A.	The pathetic fallacy
B.	The intentional fallacy
C.	The affective fallacy
D.	The objective correlative
Answer» C. The affective fallacy

Discussion

Explore topic-wise MCQs in English Literature .

One of the potential disadvantages of this approach to literature is that it can reduce meaning to a certain time frame, rather than making it universal throughout the ages ?

One of the disadvantages of this school of criticism is that it tends to make readings too subjective ?

One archetype in literature is the scapegoat. Which of these literary characters serves that purpose ?

‘On Translating Homer’ is written by________________?

On the Sublime was written in_____________?

On the Sublime is written in_________________?

On the Sublime is considered ______________?

“Of all philosopher’s Plato is the most poetic.” Who said this______________?

New trends in literary theory tend to do which of the following ?

Name the author of The New Criticism ?

Modern literary theory began with the work of which theorist ?

Michael Foucault was the major practitioner of this school of criticism?

Literary Theory and Criticism________________?

Jacques Derrida’s concept of différance challenges us to think about language as a system that____________?

“It is not rhyming and versing that maketh a poet no more than a long gown maketh an advocate”. Whose view is this ?

Is Dryden’s Essay of Dramatic Poesy a work of ?

In which the following works Plato discusses his Theory of Poetry ?

In which essay did Arnold say that for good literature to flourish two powers are necessary – creative and the critical ?

In which chapter of Biographia Literaria Coleridge criticize the theory of language of Wordsworth ?

In which capter of Biographia Lieraria, Coleridge make a distinction between fancy and imagination ?

In which book of the Republic did Plato ban poets from his ideal world ?

In what way does Julia Kristeva build on Jacques Lacan’s theory of psychosexual development ?

In Of Grammatology, Jacques Derrida argues what about literature ?

In his essay “What Is an Author?” what position(s) on authorship does Michel Foucault take ?

In his essay “The Death of the Author,” Roland Barthes argues what about literature ?

In his essay “The Business of Theory,” William Deresiewicz argues which of the following about Terry Eagleton’s book After Theory ?

In her essay “The Poem as Event,” Louise M. Rosenblatt sees the reader as performing what function ?

In her essay “The Laugh of the Medusa,” what does Hélène Cixous suggest for women ?

In general, what is Judith Butler’s concept of gender ?

In Fredric Jameson’s book The Political Unconscious, what does Jameson suggest about literature ?

In Dryden’s Essay of Dramatic Poesy there are four interlocuters representing four different ideologies. Which of them expresses Dryden’s own views ?

In a Freudian approach to literature, concave images are usually seen as____________?

How many times do the word Katharsis appear in the Poetics________________?

How many principal sources of sublimity are there according to Longinus ?

How many poets were included in Jhonson’s ‘The Lives of Most Eminent English Poets’ ?

How does VirginiaWoolf’s essay “A Room of One’s Own” contribute to feminist theory ?

How does New Historicism differ from traditional historicism ?

How does literary theory resemble the practice of philosophy as it was developed by Plato and Aristotle ?

How do Marxist theorists react to ideology ?

How did the New Critics view literature ?

How are Julia Kristeva’s psychoanalytic theories distinct from traditional Freudian concepts ?

Horace was a_____________?

Horace was a friend of_______________?

He was an influential force in archetypal criticism ?

‘Gynocriticism’ is associated with_________________?

From whom did New Historicists draw the idea of “self-regulating systems” ?

From where has the term Oedipus Complex originated ?

Formalist critics believe that the value of a work cannot be determined by the author’s intention. What term do they use when speaking of this belief ?