A TO Z Literary Principles from History of English Literature: Note 105 (Miscellaneous)

A Set of Objective Questions & Answers
UGC NET ENGLISH QUESTION BANK
Here is some kind of random stuff for the test with the sole purpose of time management. 


  1. Match the List I with List II
    List I
  2. Dr. Johnson says
  3. The Mistakes of a Night
  4. Oscar Wilde
  5. Cavalier poets
  6. Carlyle’s Sartor Resartus
  7. The phrase ‘Sweetness and Light’
  8. Lord Peter’s forcibly cutting of a lock of Miss Arabella Fermor’s hair
  9. "Father of English Poetry"
  10. Adonis
  11. Modern Fiction, Virginia Woolf

List II
A. “Life is not a series of gig lamps symmetrically arranged; life is a luminous halo, a semi-transparent envelope surrounding us from the beginning of consciousness to the end.”
B. Fictional biography
C. “There is no moral purpose in Shakespeare”
D. First used by Swift in The Battle of the Books
E. Geoffrey Chaucer
F. Sub-title of She Stoops to Conquer
G. Not a member of the ‘pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood’
H. An elegy written on the death of John Keats
I. The Rape of the Lock
J. Band of poets in 17th Century who supported Charles I. They include Ben Jonson, Thomas Carew, Richard Lovelace, John Suckling, and Robert Herrick.

Ans: 1C, 2F, 3G, 4J, 5B, 6D, 7I, 8E, 9H, 10A

Explanation: The correct pairings reflect the contributions of key figures in literature, such as Carlyle’s fictional biography in Sartor Resartus and Dr. Johnson’s views on Shakespeare.

  1. What is ‘Negative Capability’?
    a) Personal experience with poetry
    b) The poet’s ability to remain objective
    c) Depersonalized empathy with experience
    d) Ability to distinguish between good and evil

Ans: c) Depersonalized empathy with experience

Explanation: John Keats coined ‘Negative Capability,’ which refers to the poet's capacity to remain comfortable with uncertainty and mystery without seeking factual answers.

  1. Why is the 18th century called the ‘Age of Reason’?
    a) Poetry flourished
    b) Emotion was prioritized over reason
    c) Classical ideals of perfection and intellectual appeal dominated
    d) Prose was suited for romantic expression

Ans: c) Classical ideals of perfection and intellectual appeal dominated

Explanation: The 18th century emphasized reason, logic, and classical style, favoring prose that suited intellectual discourse.

  1. Name two prose works by Jonathan Swift.
    a) The Rape of the Lock and Gulliver’s Travels
    b) Gulliver’s Travels and A Tale of a Tub
    c) The Pilgrim’s Progress and Gulliver’s Travels
    d) Robinson Crusoe and A Tale of a Tub

Ans: b) Gulliver’s Travels and A Tale of a Tub

Explanation: These works by Swift are notable examples of satire and prose from the 18th century.

  1. To whom is The Rape of the Lock, Pope’s earliest satire, dedicated?
    a) Miss Arabella Fermor
    b) Lady Montague
    c) The Queen
    d) Lord Byron

Ans: a) Miss Arabella Fermor

Explanation: Pope’s mock-epic The Rape of the Lock satirizes the trivialities of high society, dedicating the work to Miss Arabella Fermor.

  1. Who said, “The Lunatic, the lover, and the poet are of imagination all compact”?
    a) Hamlet
    b) Othello
    c) Prospero
    d) Theseus

Ans: d) Theseus

Explanation: Theseus, in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night’s Dream, makes this statement in Act V, reflecting on the shared imaginative nature of these figures.

  1. What is a Curtal Sonnet, as used by Hopkins?
    a) A 14-line sonnet
    b) A 9-line sonnet
    c) A sonnet consisting of 10 and a half lines
    d) A 12-line sonnet

Ans: c) A sonnet consisting of 10 and a half lines

Explanation: Hopkins introduced the Curtal Sonnet, shortening the traditional sonnet to ten and a half lines.

  1. When was Osborne’s Look Back in Anger first staged?
    a) 1954
    b) 1955
    c) 1956
    d) 1957

Ans: c) 1956

Explanation: John Osborne’s Look Back in Anger, a key play in the "Angry Young Man" movement, debuted in 1956.

  1. Which poet was also a painter?
    a) Coleridge
    b) Rossetti
    c) Byron
    d) Keats

Ans: b) Rossetti

Explanation: Dante Gabriel Rossetti was a poet and painter, influential in the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.

  1. Who referred to Oxford as “that sweet city with her dreaming spires”?
    a) Matthew Arnold
    b) T.S. Eliot
    c) Thomas Gray
    d) Wordsworth

Ans: a) Matthew Arnold

Explanation: Matthew Arnold used this phrase in his poem Thyrsis to describe Oxford, later featured in Ralph Vaughan Williams' Oxford Elegy.

  1. In which play does the line “Cover her face, mine eyes dazzle; She died young” appear?
    a) Hamlet
    b) Macbeth
    c) The Duchess of Malfi
    d) The Tempest

Ans: c) The Duchess of Malfi

Explanation: Ferdinand speaks these lines in John Webster’s The Duchess of Malfi after his sister’s death.

  1. What is a hallmark of synaesthesia in Keats’s poetry?
    a) The blending of moral judgments
    b) The blending of sensory experiences
    c) A focus on logical reasoning
    d) The dominance of intellectual expression

Ans: b) The blending of sensory experiences

Explanation: Synaesthesia in Keats’s work blends senses (e.g., taste, touch, sound), contributing to the richness of his imagery.

  1. What is the title of Edmund Spenser’s epic poem?
    a) Paradise Lost
    b) The Faerie Queene
    c) The Rape of the Lock
    d) The Canterbury Tales

Ans: b) The Faerie Queene

Explanation: Spenser's The Faerie Queene is an allegorical poem praising Queen Elizabeth I.

  1. Who is often called “The Bard of Avon”?
    a) Edmund Spenser
    b) John Donne
    c) William Shakespeare
    d) John Milton

Ans: c) William Shakespeare

Explanation: Shakespeare is famously known as “The Bard of Avon” due to his literary supremacy and lasting influence.

  1. Who is regarded as the master of metaphysical poetry?
    a) John Milton
    b) George Herbert
    c) John Donne
    d) Andrew Marvell

Ans: c) John Donne

Explanation: John Donne is known for metaphysical poetry, characterized by complex imagery and themes of love and religion.

  1. What is the supreme quality of Milton’s poetry?
    a) Simplicity
    b) Irony
    c) Sublimity
    d) Wit

Ans: c) Sublimity

Explanation: John Milton is renowned for the sublimity of his poetry, especially in his epic Paradise Lost, which explores profound themes of faith and humanity.

  1. Which of the following works by Dryden is one of the greatest satires in English literature?
    a) Mac Flecknoe
    b) Absalom and Achitophel
    c) The Hind and the Panther
    d) Annus Mirabilis

Ans: b) Absalom and Achitophel

Explanation: Dryden's Absalom and Achitophel is a famous political satire that skillfully uses the heroic couplet and cleverly critiques contemporary figures.

  1. Alexander Pope’s The Rape of the Lock satirizes which aspect of society?
    a) Religious institutions
    b) The education system
    c) High society’s vanity and trivialities
    d) Political corruption

Ans: c) High society’s vanity and trivialities

Explanation: The Rape of the Lock is a mock-epic poem that humorously critiques the frivolity of the aristocratic class, focusing on a minor incident involving a stolen lock of hair.

  1. Which poet began as a classicist and ended as a romanticist?
    a) Samuel Johnson
    b) Thomas Gray
    c) William Wordsworth
    d) Alexander Pope

Ans: b) Thomas Gray

Explanation: Gray transitioned from the classical style of Dryden and Pope to a more emotional and introspective tone that anticipated the Romantic movement, most famously in his Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard.

  1. Who was second in influence to Thomas Gray as a precursor of Romantic poetry?
    a) William Collins
    b) John Dryden
    c) Alexander Pope
    d) William Blake

Ans: a) William Collins

Explanation: William Collins is regarded as a significant forerunner of Romanticism, with poems like Ode to Evening and Ode Written in the Beginning of the Year 1746, which show a shift towards personal emotion and natural themes.

  1. In which novel is God referred to as the ‘president of Immortals’?
    a) Moby Dick
    b) Tess of the d'Urbervilles
    c) Heart of Darkness
    d) Frankenstein

Ans: b) Tess of the d'Urbervilles

Explanation: In Thomas Hardy's Tess of the d'Urbervilles, God is referred to as the "president of the immortals" in a poignant reflection on fate and Tess's tragic life.

  1. Who is known as the high-priest of nature in Romantic poetry?
    a) William Blake
    b) Percy Bysshe Shelley
    c) William Wordsworth
    d) Lord Byron

Ans: c) William Wordsworth

Explanation: William Wordsworth is celebrated for his deep connection with nature, which is central to his poetry. Along with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, he helped launch Romanticism with Lyrical Ballads.

  1. Which of the following works by Lord Byron is a lengthy narrative poem?
    a) She Walks in Beauty
    b) Don Juan
    c) Kubla Khan
    d) To Autumn

Ans: b) Don Juan

Explanation: Don Juan is one of Lord Byron’s most famous works, a long satirical narrative poem that presents a comedic and critical view of society and its conventions.

  1. What is Percy Bysshe Shelley’s temperament known for?
    a) His philosophical detachment
    b) His political activism
    c) His lyrical impulses and sensibility
    d) His ironic wit

Ans: c) His lyrical impulses and sensibility

Explanation: Shelley's poetry is characterized by intense emotional sensitivity and lyrical beauty, as seen in works like Ode to the West Wind and To a Skylark.

  1. Which sonnet by Keats conveys his emotional reaction to Homer’s poetry?
    a) On First Looking into Chapman’s Homer
    b) Ode on a Grecian Urn
    c) Endymion
    d) To Autumn

Ans: a) On First Looking into Chapman’s Homer

Explanation: In On First Looking into Chapman’s Homer, Keats expresses his awe at discovering the works of Homer through George Chapman’s translation, using vivid imagery to depict his experience.

  1. Keats is often associated with which literary period?
    a) The Renaissance
    b) The Enlightenment
    c) The Romantic Revival
    d) The Victorian Era

Ans: c) The Romantic Revival

Explanation: John Keats was a major figure in the Romantic Revival of the early 19th century, celebrated for his odes and his focus on beauty, nature, and sensuous experiences.

This concludes the 26 MCQ questions with explanations. These questions are designed to help students understand key figures and concepts in English literature, crucial for UGC NET exam preparation.


 


 Ardhendu De
Ref: 1. History of English Literature- Albert     
2. The Concise Cambridge History of English Literature
3. UGC NET OLD QUESTION PAPERS
4. Baugh, A.C and Cable T . A History of the English Language. th ed. London: Routledge
"Dear Readers and Students, I am a huge fan of books, English grammar, and literature. I write this blog to instill that passion in you. Whether you're a student, an English literature enthusiast, or just looking to expand your literary horizons, “AD's English Literature” is the perfect resource for all your literary needs." Ardhendu De, An English Teacher; M. A.(English) , D. Ed., B. Ed., UGC- NET Qualified

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