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

English Literature MCQ (Multiple Choice Questions)

 Que- In The Inferno, how does his journey end ? 

a. He remains in hell.  

b. He returns to earth.  

c. He escapes into Purgatory.  

d. He emerges in Paradise. 


Answer- He escapes into Purgatory.


Que- In The Inferno, his journey starts on which holiday ? 

a. Christmas  

b. All Saint's Day  

c. All Soul's Day  

d. Good Friday 


Answer- Good Friday


Que- According to most critics, what does Geryon represent in The Inferno ? 

a. Fraud  

b. Reason  

c. Justice  

d. Lust 


Answer- Fraud


Que- Dante's mention of the "sound of the angelic trumpet" refers to which religious event ? 

a. The Annunciation  

b. Baptism  

c. Holy Communion  

d. The Last Judgment 


Answer- The Last Judgment


Que- According to Dante, which is the most serious sin in hell ? 

a. Gluttony  

b. Avarice  

c. Heresy  

d. Treachery 


Answer- Treachery


Que- Which of the following is the theme of Dante's Vita Nuova ? 

a. His dislike of the vernacular language  

b. His opposition to the separation of Church and State  

c. His love for Beatrice  

d. His experiences in exile 


Answer- His love for Beatrice


Que- Which of the following was a popular medieval criticism about the Church ? 

a. Many people were unable to understand Church texts written in Latin.  

b. Many people were unable to understand the language of the Mass.  

c. Many people took issue with the Pope's inordinate wealth and power.  

d. All of the above 


Answer- All of the above


Que- Which of the following historical figures influenced Dante ? 

a. Cicero  

b. Thomas Aquinas  

c. Brunetto Latini  

d. All of the above 


Answer- All of the above


Que- Which of the following contributed to the rise of vernacular literature ? 

a. Most professional scribes found it difficult to write in Medieval Latin.  

b. The spoken language tended to take precedence in areas where the Church was weak.  

c. Official documents were written in spoken language.  

d. All of the above 


Answer- All of the above


Que- Where did Dante stay while he was in exile ? 

a. Paris  

b. Ravenna  

c. England  

d. All of the above 


Answer- All of the above


Que- What is the best definition of humanism ? 

a. The movement to write more in vernacular  

b. The intellectual movement interested in classical antiquity  

c. The scientific movement away from classical antiquity  

d. The movement based on literature about courtly love 


Answer- The intellectual movement interested in classical antiquity


Que- The quote "women who have intellect of love" is from which text ? 

a. Vita Nuova  

b. De Monarchia  

c. De Vulgari Eloquentia  

d. The Divine Comedy 


Answer- Vita Nuova


Que- In which text did Dante introduce the "dolce stil novo" technique ? 

a. The Convivio  

b. Vita Nuova  

c. De Vulgari Eloquentia  

d. Eclogues 


Answer- Vita Nuova


Que- In which important medieval city was Dante born ? 

a. London  

b. Rome  

c. Florence  

d. Sorrento 


Answer- Florence


Que- In Vita Nuova, how does Dante represent love ? 

a. Love is an ennobling force that offers a chance for salvation.  

b. Love is problematic for Dante, because Beatrice is considered impure.  

c. Love has little to do with spirituality.  

d. Love obscures all possibility for salvation. 


Answer- Love is an ennobling force that offers a chance for salvation.


Que- How is Dante's relationship with Beatrice an example of courtly love ? 

a. The relationship watches Dante pass through stages of love for Beatrice's physical, moral, and divine beauty.  

b. The relationship provides an example of passionate love rather than arranged matches.  

c. The relationship focuses on Beatrice's chastity and purity.  

d. All of the above 


Answer- All of the above


Que- According to most critics, Vita Nuova is an example of which of the following genres ? 

a. Autobiography  

b. Framed narrative  

c. Lyric poetry  

d. All of the above 


Answer- All of the above


Que- According to Dante, what does the term "gramatica" mean ? 

a. It is static language with unchanging rules.  

b. It is the language spoken by everyday people.  

c. It is the only kind of illustrious vernacular.  

d. It is synonymous with natural language. 


Answer- It is static language with unchanging rules.


Que- Who is the main focus of a number of Shakespeare's sonnets ? 

a. The Dark Lady  

b. Hamlet  

c. Christopher Marlow  

d. Hamnet Shakespeare 


Answer- The Dark Lady


Que- Which of the following poems was authored by Shakespeare ? 

a. Tintern Abbey  

b. A Lover's Complaint  

c. El Cid  

d. The Wasteland 


Answer- A Lover's Complaint


Que- Which of the following are not among the subjects of Shakespeare's sonnets ? 

a. The Dark Lady  

b. Shakespeare's father  

c. A young man  

d. A rival poet 


Answer- Shakespeare's father


Que- The concept of "prose" refers to which of the following ? 

a. Ordinary speech  

b. Blank verse  

c. Rhyming verse  

d. Non-English word use 


Answer- Ordinary speech


Que- Shakespeare sometimes used the trochee, which in meter refers to which of the following? In Shakespeare's plays, a troche is___________________? 

a. The same as an iamb with an unstressed and stressed syllable in a foot  

b. The opposite of an iamb with a stressed and then unstressed syllable in a foot  

c. Only one syllable for the length of a foot  

d. None of the above 


Answer- The opposite of an iamb with a stressed and then unstressed syllable in a foot


Que- In the narrative poem, "The Rape of Lucrece," who is Lucretia ? 

a. A fairy queen  

b. A Roman matron  

c. A villainess  

d. A beggar woman 


Answer- A Roman matron


Que- In Shakespeare's plays, when is rhyme often used ? 

a. When ghosts speak  

b. When characters speak naturally  

c. When a lower class character speaks  

d. When the play necessitates ritualistic, choral, and sensuous effect 


Answer- When the play necessitates ritualistic, choral, and sensuous effect


Que- In his reading of Shakespeare's "Fair Youth Sonnets," who does Charlton Ogburn suppose Shakespeare to have really been ? 

a. Marlowe  

b. Swift  

c. Oxford  

d. Bacon 


Answer- Oxford


Que- For his poems, Shakespeare is thought to have drawn upon all of the following for influence and ideas EXCEPT ? 

a. Greek mythology  

b. European history  

c. Early scientific studies  

d. The works of earlier poets 


Answer- The works of earlier poets


Que- Fill in the blank. In Shakespeare's plays, prose is often used in_________________? 

a. Serious letters  

b. Iambic pentameter  

c. Rhyming verse  

d. Couplets 


Answer- Serious letters


Que- What type of play is "Richard III" ? 

a. Tragedy  

b. History  

c. Comedy  

d. Lyric 


Answer- History


Que- Who directly challenges Richard for the throne in the play, "Richard III" ? 

a. Tyrell  

b. King Edward IV  

c. Queen Elizabeth  

d. The Earl of Richmond 


Answer- The Earl of Richmond


Que- The play, "Richard III," takes place in what country ? 

a. Greece  

b. France  

c. Norway  

d. England 


Answer- England


Que- In the play, "Richard III," who is the mother of Prince Edward ? 

a. Lady Anne  

b. Queen Elizabeth  

c. Margaret  

d. Duchess of York 


Answer- Margaret


Que- In the play, "Richard III," who is Richard's primary accomplice ? 

a. Buckingham  

b. Clarence  

c. Tyrell  

d. Richmond 


Answer- Buckingham


Que- In the play, "Richard III," who does Richard hire to kill the young princes ? 

a. Ratcliffe  

b. Richmond  

c. Clarence  

d. Tyrell 


Answer- Tyrell


Que- In the play, "Henry V," who is the Queen of France ? 

a. Queen Isabel  

b. Queen Nim  

c. Queen Alice  

d. Queen Montjoy 


Answer- Queen Isabel


Que- In the play, "Henry V," who is the close friend and mentor of young Henry ? 

a. Montjoy  

b. Horatio  

c. Falstaff  

d. Nim 


Answer- Falstaff


Que- In the play, "Henry V," the Chorus serves to do which of the following ? 

a. Make jokes about Henry  

b. Sing songs about the events  

c. Comment on the plot and themes of the play  

d. Dance upon the stage 


Answer- Comment on the plot and themes of the play


Que- In Shakespeare's play, Henry V is king of what country ? 

a. England  

b. Norway  

c. Denmark  

d. France 


Answer- England


Que- At the end of the play "Richard III," what happens to Richard ? 

a. He is killed.  

b. He is arrested.  

c. He is crowned king.  

d. He was sent into exile. 


Answer- He is killed.


Que- Who kills Macbeth at the end of the play, "Macbeth" ? 

a. Duncan  

b. Lady Macbeth  

c. Lady Macduff  

d. Macduff 


Answer- Macduff


Que- The play, "Macbeth," is set in what country ? 

a. England  

b. Scotland  

c. France  

d. Norway 


Answer- Scotland


Que- In "Macbeth," where is Macduff when he learns of his family's execution ? 

a. England  

b. France  

c. Scotland  

d. Norway 


Answer- England


Que- In "Hamlet," which character is left alive at the end of the play ? 

a. Hamlet  

b. Claudius  

c. Horatio  

d. Gertrude 


Answer- Horatio


Que- In the play, "Macbeth," who is the goddess of witchcraft ? 

a. Lennox  

b. Lady Macbeth  

c. The porter  

d. Hecate 


Answer- Hecate


Que- In the play, "Macbeth," who assists Macbeth with planning Duncan's murder ? 

a. Banquo  

b. Macduff  

c. Malcolm  

d. Lady Macbeth 


Answer- Lady Macbeth


Que- In the play, "Macbeth," how does Macbeth kill Duncan ? 

a. He shoots him.  

b. He strangles him.  

c. He stabs him.  

d. He beheads him. 


Answer- He stabs him.


Que- In the play, "Hamlet," who is Yorick ? 

a. King Hamlet's former jester  

b. A friend of Hamlet's from school  

c. The King of Norway  

d. A castle guard 


Answer- King Hamlet's former jester


Que- In his lectures on Shakespeare's tragedies, A.C. Bradley states that he will not do which of the following ? 

a. Compare Shakespeare to other writers.  

b. Evaluate and examine Hamlet.  

c. Consider anything about Shakespeare's comedies.  

d. Discuss any aspect of Shakespeare's philosophy. 


Answer- Compare Shakespeare to other writers.


Que- According to Dr. Roger Dunkle, in ancient times, what was considered a tragedy ? 

a. A worship of the gods  

b. A song for the prize or sacrifice of a goat  

c. A comedic performance  

d. A story that ended with a marriage 


Answer- A song for the prize or sacrifice of a goat


Que- All's Well that Ends Well is considered to be what kind of a play ? 

a. History  

b. Comedy  

c. Tragedy  

d. Epic poem 


Answer- Comedy

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