English Literature MCQ (Multiple Choice Questions) - Schoolingaxis.com

English Literature MCQ (Multiple Choice Questions)

 Que- In which location(s) did Joyce live while in exile ? 

a. Trieste  

b. Paris  

c. Zurich  

d. All of the Above 


Answer- All of the Above


Que- In what year did Ireland acquire national independence ? 

a. 1847 

b. 1893 

c. 1906 

d. 1922 


Answer- 1922


Que- How do most critics believe Joyce's exile affected his use of language ? 

a. After his exile, he only used one "voice" in his works  

b. After his exile, he disliked the intricacy of language  

c. After his exile, he never used split narratives  

d. After his exile, he used a mixture of languages and linguistic traditions in his works 


Answer- After his exile, he used a mixture of languages and linguistic traditions in his works


Que- By which religious writer was Joyce most clearly influenced ? 

a. Thomas Aquinas  

b. William Bradshaw  

c. John Foxe  

d. William Tyndale 


Answer- Thomas Aquinas


Que- In The Dubliners, which negative characteristic(s) does Joyce associate with Dublin as a place ? 

a. commonness  

b. boredom  

c. backwardness  

d. All of the Above 


Answer- All of the Above


Que- In The Dubliners, which literary device does Joyce use most frequently ? 

a. acatalectic  

b. chiasmus  

c. fantasy  

d. pentameter 


Answer- chiasmus


Que- In The Dubliners, what do most critics say is the function of paralysis ? 

a. it is represented in a way that implies collective activity is needed  

b. it reveals the sense of imprisonment that comes from routine  

c. it reveals characters' literal inability to move away from Ireland  

d. All of the Above 


Answer- All of the Above


Que- According to critics, what is the function of The Dubliners' third person narration ? 

a. it counters the sense of unrequited love  

b. it is used only to disrupt the more prominent first-person narration  

c. it makes the stories seem more impersonal  

d. it breaks through the sense of paralysis 


Answer- it counters the sense of unrequited love


Que- With whom is the concept of "claritas" associated ? 

a. Thomas Aquinas  

b. Augusta Gregory  

c. Charles Parnell  

d. Ezra Pound 


Answer- Thomas Aquinas


Que- Who was Charles Parnell ? 

a. a popular symbol of Irish nationalism  

b. an Irish representative in the British Parliament  

c. the founder of the Catholic Land League  

d. All of the Above 


Answer- All of the Above


Que- Which was a common metaphor used by Irish writers in their depictions of the nation ? 

a. the metaphor of Ireland as a novel  

b. the metaphor of Ireland as a woman  

c. the metaphor of Ireland as a child  

d. the metaphor of Ireland as a soldier 


Answer- the metaphor of Ireland as a woman


Que- Which of the following characterizes Modernism ? 

a. the desire to show realistic forms  

b. the use of traditional formal structure  

c. the lack of interest in characters' psyches  

d. the desire to break with established forms 


Answer- the desire to break with established forms


Que- Which cultural event(s) led to the rise of Modernism ? 

a. the spread of Freud's theories  

b. the increased pace of everyday life  

c. the controversy over traditional ideas of certainty and morality  

d. All of the Above 


Answer- All of the Above


Que- To whom was Joyce married ? 

a. Nora Barnacle  

b. Sylvia Beach  

c. Molly Bloom  

d. Augusta Gregory 


Answer- Nora Barnacle


Que- In what year did the Easter Rising occur ? 

a. 1901 

b. 1916 

c. 1922 

d. 1934 


Answer- 1916


Que- In what way(s) did the events of the Easter Rising affect the work of writers ? 

a. it led many Irish writers to criticize British colonial practices  

b. it led to more depictions of violence and sacrifice in Irish literature  

c. it inspired Irish writers to create an Irish national identity  

d. All of the Above 


Answer- All of the Above


Que- For Joyce, what are epiphanies ? 

a. short prose sketches that vary in character  

b. dream-like pieces of writing  

c. deep realizations linked with religious faith  

d. All of the Above 


Answer- All of the Above


Que- By which physical affliction was Joyce affected ? 

a. autism  

b. blindness  

c. deafness  

d. loss of limb 


Answer- blindness


Que- Who was Can Grande ? 

a. The poet who leads Dante on a tour of hell  

b. Dante's enemy  

c. Dante's patron  

d. The emperor of Italy in Dante's lifetime 


Answer- Dante's patron


Que- Which best describes Cicero's concept of heaven ? 

a. He believed that eternal life in heaven was the real one.  

b. Because he was pagan, he did not believe in heaven.  

c. Because he was an early Christian, he believed that heaven was inaccessible.  

d. He believed that heaven, hell, and earth were indistinguishable. 


Answer- He believed that eternal life in heaven was the real one.


Que- What does "transhumanize" mean ? 

a. It is the ability to move above the earthly state into heaven.  

b. It is the ability to reunite with the body.  

c. It is the ability to commit sins while in the human body.  

d. It is the ability to separate from the body in order to reach hell. 


Answer- It is the ability to move above the earthly state into heaven.


Que- In The Paradiso, who questions Dante about hope ? 

a. Saint James  

b. Saint John  

c. Saint Peter  

d. Saint Thomas 


Answer- Saint James


Que- In The Paradiso, who does Dante meet in the sphere of the sun ? 

a. Virgil  

b. Thomas Aquinas  

c. Judas  

d. Cacciaguida 


Answer- Thomas Aquinas


Que- In The Paradiso, which class of people does Dante place on the moon ? 

a. Those with the most constancy of characters  

b. The proud  

c. The best emperors and rulers  

d. The souls of those who abandoned their vows 


Answer- The souls of those who abandoned their vows


Que- In The Paradiso, on what day do the events occur ? 

a. Easter Sunday  

b. Wednesday after Easter  

c. Good Friday  

d. All Saint's Day 


Answer- Wednesday after Easter


Que- In The Paradiso, Dante focuses on which kind of politics ? 

a. The politics of Ravenna  

b. The politics of ancient Greece  

c. The politics of Italian city-states  

d. The politics of the Roman Empire 


Answer- The politics of the Roman Empire


Que- In The Divine Comedy, what do many critics believe Beatrice allegorically represents ? 

a. Natural light  

b. Revelations  

c. The light of grace  

d. All of the above 


Answer- All of the above


Que- In his Letter to Can Grande, which topic does Dante attempt to explain ? 

a. His use of allegory  

b. His opposition to the separation of Church and State  

c. His belief in the infallibility of the popes  

d. His interest in medieval cosmology 


Answer- His use of allegory


Que- Dante's nine spheres of heaven are associated with which of the following religious concepts ? 

a. The deadly sins  

b. The steps to confession  

c. The beatitudes  

d. The angelic hierarchy 


Answer- The angelic hierarchy


Que- According to Dr. Mazzotta, what do Dante's planets represent ? 

a. The deadly sins  

b. The historical religious eras  

c. The liberal arts  

d. The sacraments 


Answer- The liberal arts


Que- In The Purgatorio, what do the steps to the Gate of Purgatory represent ? 

a. The seven deadly sins  

b. The seven types of sin that keep people from heaven  

c. The three components of the perfect confession  

d. The eight beatitudes 


Answer- The three components of the perfect confession


Que- Which of the following is a common element of vision literature ? 

a. The themes usually involve life after death  

b. A character's body is separated from his soul  

c. A guide leads the narrator on a spiritual journey  

d. All of the above 


Answer- All of the above


Que- Which character does Dante meet at the end of his journey through purgatory ? 

a. Cato  

b. Beatrice  

c. Virgil  

d. Homer 


Answer- Beatrice


Que- What is purgatory ? 

a. A place for cleansing and purification  

b. The place of transition between earth, heaven, and hell  

c. The setting for the middle portion of Dante's The Divine Comedy  

d. All of the above 


Answer- All of the above


Que- The quote "take then henceforth thy pleasure for guide" comes from which text ? 

a. Vita Nuova  

b. The Convivio  

c. De Vulgari Eloquentia  

d. The Divine Comedy 


Answer- The Divine Comedy


Que- In The Purgatorio, whom does Dante cite as his example of temperance ? 

a. Pope Boniface  

b. Pope Clement  

c. Saint Stephen  

d. John the Baptist 


Answer- John the Baptist


Que- In The Purgatorio, where does Dante physically set purgatory ? 

a. In the southern hemisphere  

b. In the northern hemisphere  

c. In Florence  

d. In Rome 


Answer- In the southern hemisphere


Que- In The Purgatorio, the opening of the text resembles which type of poem ? 

a. Sonnet  

b. Aubade  

c. Ode  

d. Elegy 


Answer- Aubade


Que- In The Purgatorio, how does Dante depict the punishment of the proud penitents ? 

a. They are punished with whips and bridles.  

b. They are forced to carry heavy rocks on their backs.  

c. They have their eyes sewn shut with wire.  

d. They must walk through thick smoke. 


Answer- They are forced to carry heavy rocks on their backs.


Que- According to most scholars, what does the chariot in The Purgatorio symbolize ? 

a. The absence of heretics and monsters in medieval church history  

b. The conflict between ancient Romans and the early Church  

c. The impossibility for sinners to repent  

d. The righteousness of the Roman Empire over time 


Answer- The conflict between ancient Romans and the early Church


Que- According to Dr. Mazzotta, what does the phrase "the little bark" mean ? 

a. It means that sinners must resign themselves to life in hell.  

b. It implies that Beatrice will return later in the poem.  

c. It suggests that paradise is close to purgatory.  

d. It highlights the idea that Dante is on a journey of poetry. 


Answer- It highlights the idea that Dante is on a journey of poetry.


Que- According to Dante, which is necessary in order to make a perfect confession ? 

a. The secret confession of sins  

b. A lack of remorse  

c. The inability to reject one's old life  

d. A sense of gratitude for God's mercy 


Answer- A sense of gratitude for God's mercy


Que- In The Inferno, who initially leads him around hell ? 

a. Saint Augustine  

b. Virgil  

c. Homer  

d. Judas 


Answer- Virgil


Que- What is terza rima ? 

a. A traditional type of poetry rejected by Dante in favor of new rhyme schemes  

b. A form of blank verse  

c. A poetic form with an interlocking three-line rhyme scheme  

d. A poetic form with five-line stanzas 


Answer- A poetic form with an interlocking three-line rhyme scheme


Que- What is contrapasso ? 

a. The idea that the punishment fits the crime  

b. The poetic verse form used in Vita Nuova  

c. The structure of the cantos in The Divine Comedy  

d. The theme of love and lust in The Divine Comedy 


Answer- The idea that the punishment fits the crime


Que- The phrase "where the sun is silent" is an example of which poetic device ? 

a. Allegory  

b. Metonymy  

c. Synesthesia  

d. Simile 


Answer- Synesthesia


Que- In The Inferno, who defends the city of Dis ? 

a. The sinners in the heretic circle  

b. The furies  

c. The fallen angels  

d. The angelic messengers 


Answer- The fallen angels


Que- In The Inferno, which historical character is found in Satan's mouth ? 

a. Dido  

b. Pope Boniface  

c. Beatrice  

d. Judas 


Answer- Judas


Que- In The Inferno, what quality does Virgil represent ? 

a. Reason  

b. Compassion  

c. Temperance  

d. Fortitude 


Answer- Reason


Que- In The Inferno, how is heresy defined ? 

a. As the denial of the soul's immortality  

b. As the rejection free will  

c. As the choiceof lust over love  

d. As the decision to indulge in various sins 


Answer- As the denial of the soul's immortality

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