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

English Literature MCQ (Multiple Choice Questions)

 Que- Which of the following is NOT a common attribute of Byronic heroes ? 

a. Arrogance  

b. Nihilism  

c. Good spirits  

d. Dark humor 


Answer- Good spirits


Que- The line "fools are my theme, let satire be my song" demonstrates a sentiment that would likely appear in a poem by_________________? 

a. William Wordsworth  

b. Samuel Taylor Coleridge  

c. William Blake  

d. Lord Byron 


Answer- Lord Byron


Que- The lines "The loveliest and the last\The bloom, whose petals nipped before they blew\Died on the promise of the fruit" are from a poem honoring________________? 

a. Percy Shelley  

b. John Keats  

c. Lord Byron  

d. Samuel Taylor Coleridge 


Answer- John Keats


Que- The "Reign of Terror" refers to_________________? 

a. France's war with a foreign nation  

b. The mass execution of enemies of the revolution  

c. Napoleon's rise to power  

d. The death of the king of France 


Answer- The mass execution of enemies of the revolution


Que- Shelley's "Ode to the West Wind" can be best understood as a poem about _____________? 

a. The passion between a husband and wife  

b. The loss of innocence  

c. The horrors of the French Revolution  

d. How poets can bring about political revolution 


Answer- How poets can bring about political revolution


Que- Which of the following authors would be most likely to use the supernatural in his poems ? 

a. William Wordsworth  

b. John Keats  

c. Percy Shelley  

d. William Blake? 


Answer- William Blake?


Que- Duncan Wu discusses the presentation of "spots of time" in the poetry of______________? 

a. William Wordsworth  

b. William Blake  

c. Percy Shelley  

d. Lord Byron 


Answer- William Wordsworth


Que- Which of the following was NOT considered a proper form of literary expression in the Neoclassical Period ? 

a. The essay  

b. Satire  

c. Blank verse poetry  

d. The rhymed couplet 


Answer- Blank verse poetry


Que- Which British philosopher of the Romantic era despised monarchies, believed that the best form of government was no government at all, and argued that change can only come from people treating each other with sincerity and benevolence ? 

a. Samuel Taylor Coleridge  

b. Edmund Burke  

c. William Godwin  

d. John Locke 


Answer- William Godwin


Que- Duncan Wu rejects the assertion that Wordsworth's Lucy poems were primarily about ______________? 

a. Death  

b. Perception  

c. Exhaustion  

d. Love 


Answer- Love


Que- William Blake's "Little Black Boy" advocates for __________________? 

a. The abolition of slavery  

b. The equality of all people  

c. The innate brilliance of children  

d. The beauty of common language 


Answer- The equality of all people


Que- A tortured, dark-spirited, wry, and intellectual protagonist would most likely be found in a poem by______________? 

a. William Blake  

b. Lord Byron  

c. William Wordsworth  

d. John Keats 


Answer- Lord Byron


Que- Paul O'Brien's essay on Shelley suggests that Shelley was______________? 

a. Not an atheist  

b. In love with Lord Byron  

c. Suicidal  

d. Fiercely anti-war 


Answer- Fiercely anti-war


Que- Which of the following sentiments would be LEAST likely in a poem by Lord Byron ? 

a. An expression of love for common man.  

b. Mockery toward William Wordsworth.  

c. An expression of doubt and angst.  

d. Dark humor. 


Answer- An expression of love for common man.


Que- In her essay "Wordsworth Balladry: Real Men Wanted," Elizabeth Fey argues that the Romantics were interested in the medieval focus upon _______________? 

a. Courtly love and modern-seeming emotion  

b. Violence  

c. Nature  

d. Death and disease 


Answer- Courtly love and modern-seeming emotion


Que- Which contemporary fictional character can be understood as a Byronic hero ? 

a. Superman  

b. Dr. House  

c. Luke Skywalker  

d. Yoda 


Answer- Dr. House


Que- Referring to poets as "unacknowledged legislators of the world" suggests that_____________? 

a. Most Romantic poets were politicians  

b. Poets have no actual effect upon the world  

c. Poets actually help the world grow and develop  

d. Hardly anyone actually reads Romantic poetry 


Answer- Poets actually help the world grow and develop


Que- Which of the following would probably NOT be the topic of a Romantic poem ? 

a. The French Revolution  

b. Man's relationship to nature  

c. The experience of common people  

d. A celebration of the aristocratic 


Answer- A celebration of the aristocratic


Que- The French Revolution had a tremendous impact on which of the following aspects of British life ? 

a. Politics  

b. Literature  

c. Relations with France  

d. All of the above 


Answer- All of the above


Que- The poem "London" can be best understood as ______________? 

a. A celebration of the city's beauty  

b. A protest against social inequality  

c. An examination of the city's past  

d. An attack on William Wordsworth 


Answer- A protest against social inequality


Que- Which British philosopher believed that monarchs repressed citizens and that revolution is proper when a government does not protect its people ? 

a. Thomas Paine  

b. James Mackintosh  

c. Edmund Burke  

d. John Locke 


Answer- Thomas Paine


Que- During the 19th century, the term "middle class" described people who were______________? 

a. Workers  

b. Aristocrats  

c. Between workers and aristocrats  

d. Land owners only 


Answer- Between workers and aristocrats


Que- Which poet would be least likely to write about the beauty of nature ? 

a. William Wordsworth  

b. John Keats  

c. Samuel Taylor Coleridge  

d. Lord Byron 


Answer- Lord Byron


Que- Dr. Samuel Gladden, in his essay "Shelley's Agenda Writ Large: Reconsidering Oedipus Tyrannus; or, Swellfoot the Tyrant ," argues that Shelley's "Oedipus- Tyrannus" is important because a_______________? 

a. Shelley himself dismissed the poem  

b. The poem was incomplete  

c. Shelley recognizes the power of sexual transgression in it  

d. Shelley writes about Byron's sexuality in it 


Answer- Shelley writes about Byron's sexuality in it


Que- The final line of "We Are Seven" is: "And said, 'Nay' we are seven." This line suggests that________________? 

a. The little girl refuses to cast the dead out of her life.  

b. The little girl is insane or delusional  

c. The little girl's siblings have not died  

d. The little girl herself is dead 


Answer- The little girl refuses to cast the dead out of her life.


Que- Which action served to ignite the French Revolution ? 

a. The rise of King William  

b. The execution of King Louis XVI  

c. The ruling of Bonaparte  

d. The madness of King George 


Answer- The execution of King Louis XVI


Que- Thomas Paine's "The Rights of Man" argues that ________________? 

a. Revolution is inhumane  

b. Revolution never succeeds  

c. Revolution is proper when a government does not take care of its people  

d. Every government should be revolted against 


Answer- Revolution is proper when a government does not take care of its people


Que- William Blake's "Songs of Innocence and Experience" explores ________________? 

a. The loss of childhood and discovery of the adult world  

b. The fall of Satan  

c. The life of Blake  

d. The history of London 


Answer- The loss of childhood and discovery of the adult world


Que- Which Romantic poet died relatively unknown but would become famous posthumously, in the 19th century ? 

a. William Blake  

b. Lord Byron  

c. Samuel Taylor Coleridge  

d. William Wordsworth 


Answer- William Blake


Que- Which poet defines poetry as "the expression of the imagination" ? 

a. William Hazlitt  

b. William Wordsworth  

c. Percy Shelley  

d. Lord Byron 


Answer- Percy Shelley


Que- In "Rime of the Ancient Mariner," what kind of animal does the Mariner kill ? 

a. A hawk  

b. A nightingale  

c. A dove  

d. An albatross 


Answer- An albatross


Que- Which Romantic poet would be the least likely to write a piece of literary criticism ? 

a. Lord Byron  

b. Percy Shelley  

c. William Hazlitt  

d. Samuel Taylor Coleridge 


Answer- Lord Byron


Que- Percy Shelley can be understood as a poet with _________________? 

a. No sense of reality  

b. A desire to make the world into a better place  

c. A dark and twisted outlook on the world  

d. A strong dislike of women 


Answer- A desire to make the world into a better place


Que- In "A Defense of Poetry," Percy Shelley argues that humans have an impulse to ____________________? 

a. Write stories  

b. Resist understanding poetry  

c. Reproduce rhythm and order  

d. Strive to express love 


Answer- Reproduce rhythm and order


Que- Which of the following was NOT a primary cause of the Industrial Revolution ? 

a. The popularity of Romantic poetry  

b. The European economy shifting into a global economy  

c. The population increase in Europe  

d. Europe's shift into being a manufacturing economy 


Answer- The popularity of Romantic poetry


Que- Keats was most famous for__________________? 

a. His odes  

b. His wild lifestyle  

c. His popularity with readers  

d. His extensive writings 


Answer- His odes


Que- Who is the narrator of "Don Juan" ? 

a. Lord Byron  

b. Bob Southey  

c. Don Juan  

d. A nameless narrator 


Answer- A nameless narrator


Que- According to the essay "A Defense of Poetry," which of the following is one of the two "classes of mental action" ? 

a. Reason  

b. Fear  

c. Illogic  

d. Indifference 


Answer- Reason


Que- Who was the co-author of "Lyrical Ballads" with William Wordsworth ? 

a. Samuel Taylor Coleridge  

b. John Keats  

c. William Blake  

d. Lord Byron 


Answer- Samuel Taylor Coleridge


Que- Which of the following would a neoclassical poet be most likely to use as a central theme in his or her poetry ? 

a. The plight of common, ordinary people  

b. A celebration of the medieval  

c. A satirical representation of current events  

d. A warm remembrance of childish idealism 


Answer- A satirical representation of current events


Que- Which poet would be most likely to write a poem reflecting upon the psychological changes he has undergone since his youth ? 

a. William Blake  

b. John Keats  

c. Samuel Taylor Coleridge  

d. William Wordsworth 


Answer- William Wordsworth


Que- The line "It is an honourable characteristic of Poetry that its materials are to be found in every subject which can interest the human mind" appears in which essay ? 

a. A Defense of Poetry  

b. The Rights of Man  

c. Advertisement to Lyrical Ballads  

d. An Essay on Dramatic Poetry 


Answer- Advertisement to Lyrical Ballads


Que- The primary subject of "Ode to Psyche" is ___________________? 

a. The possibility of sudden death  

b. The expansion of consciousness  

c. The relationship between art and humanity  

d. The death of Byron 


Answer- The expansion of consciousness


Que- According to Laura Smith, that which "affect[s] the human mind with a sense of overwhelming grandeur or irresistible power; calculated to inspire awe, deep reverence, or loft emotion, by reason of its beauty, vastness, or grandeur" is known as the______________? 

a. Beautiful  

b. Sublime  

c. Terrifying  

d. Romantic 


Answer- Sublime


Que- In "Mont Blanc," Shelley likens the power of the mountain to the power of human imagination in order to __________________? 

a. Demonstrate how the human imagination is fragile  

b. Demonstrate how the human mind comprehends and perceives truth  

c. Demonstrate the power of the French Revolution on the British Romantic consciousness  

d. Demonstrate the intrinsic connection between imagination and death 


Answer- Demonstrate how the human mind comprehends and perceives truth


Que- Which poet would be most likely to compose a poem using the language of common, ordinary people ? 

a. William Wordsworth  

b. Lord Byron  

c. Percy Shelley  

d. John Keats 


Answer- William Wordsworth


Que- Which Romantic poet would be most likely to feature a main character or narrator in a poem who is heroic, tortured, cynical, highly emotional, and intelligent ? 

a. John Keats  

b. William Blake  

c. Lord Byron  

d. Samuel Taylor Coleridge 


Answer- Lord Byron


Que- Which Romantic poet did Shelley consider a close friend ? 

a. Lord Byron  

b. William Wordsworth  

c. Samuel Taylor Coleridge  

d. William Blake 


Answer- Lord Byron


Que- John Keats would probably NOT have written a poem celebrating _______________? 

a. The beauty of the natural world  

b. The pains of love  

c. Political and philosophical conservatism  

d. The nature of artistic creation 


Answer- Political and philosophical conservatism


Que- Dr. Samuel Gladden believes Shelley's agenda was to _____________? 

a. Revolutionize France  

b. Expose the nature of reality  

c. Expose how intimate relationships inform political realities  

d. Change sexual morals 


Answer- Expose how intimate relationships inform political realities

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