american literature Mcqs
1. Why do people evolve a language_______________?
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A. To articulate their circumstances

B. For existence

C. For identifying themselves

D. To communicate

2. What animal is personified as Hares grandfather ?
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A. Fox

B. Deer

C. Bear

D. Cougar

3. Whom did the corn clan member pray to for help ?
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A. His dead uncle

B. His dead grandmother

C. His dead grandfather

D. His dead father

4. We associate William Bradford with what colonial settlement ?
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A. Mayflower compact

B. Plymouth

C. Rhode Island

D. Massachusetts Bay Colony

5. It was possible, I reflected, that a mere different arrangement of the particulars of the scene, of the details of this picture, would be sufficient to modify, or perhaps to annihilate its capacity for sorrowful impression; and, acting upon this idea, I reined my horse to the precipitous brink of a black and lurid tarn that lay in unruffled lustre by the dwelling, and gazed down but with a shudder even more thrilling than before upon the re-modelled and inverted images of the gray sedge, and the ghastly tree-stems, and the vacant eyelike windows. What is the meaning of the word tarn? Veldu eitt ?
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A. A bird

B. A small mountain lake

C. A wide river

D. A high cliff

6. Henry David Thoreau lived for a while_______________?
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A. At Willow Pond.

B. At Lake Tahoe.

C. At the Feather River.

D. At Walden Pond.
7. How many children does Uncle Tom have ?
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A. seven

B. three

C. five

D. one

8. We paused before a House that seemed A Swelling of the Ground The Roof was scarcely visible The Cornice in the Ground What is Cornice ?
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A. Cracks in the ground

B. Decorative molding beneath a roof

C. Stolen goods

D. Dust

9. How was the priests sons prayer answered ?
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A. The prayer was not answered and the people continued to live in sin

B. The dead uncle sent a hail storm to destroy the land

C. The priests son was told to set fire to the village

D. The dead uncle sent an earthquake to punish the corn clan for their wrongdoings
10. What was the original title of Hemingways novel The Old Man and the Sea ?
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A. Fiesta

B. The Sea in Being

C. Farewell to Arms

D. The Assistant

11. Hawthornes ancestors are associated with what historical American event ?
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A. History of slavery

B. History of puritans

C. None of the above

D. Transcendentalism

12. Miniver Cheevys name satirically hints at his_________________?
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A. brave approach to life

B. magnanimous life style

C. hard work and sensitivity towards the society

D. a minimalist achievements in life
13. Who wrote The sound and the furry ?
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A. William Faulkner

B. Robert Lee frost

C. Eugene O Neils

D. Countee Cullen

14. According to Hare, what work did the Earthmaker send him to do ?
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A. To trample upon evil beings that were abusing his aunts and uncles

B. To play tricks on other animals to prove how intelligent he is

C. The hare has no purpose that is why his grandmother must always watch over him

D. To make mischief and cause trouble

15. According to the myth, which of the following are likely hunting preparation rituals that the Winnebago perform ?
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A. Entering into a trance to commune with the spirits of the natural world.

B. Burning tobacco as an offering

C. All of the above

D. Singing songs

16. What statement below best sums up the literary significance of Samon Occum ?
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A. None of the aboveE. All of the above

B. Indian autobiography

C. First african american to speak to mixed audience

D. Most popular slave narrative

17. Which of the following is NOT among the 13 virtues Franklin struggles to master ?
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A. Temperance

B. Order

C. None of the above

D. Silence

18. What is Mrs. Shelbys first name ?
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A. Margaret

B. Danielle

C. Emily

D. Rachel

19. The narrator returns home during the_______________?
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A. fall

B. Winter

C. summer

D. spring

20. We associate Nathaniel Hawthrone with what literary movement ?
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A. Transcendentalism

B. Nationalism

C. Indian Autobiography

D. Romanticism
21. gave a hint of the rich culture that was forgotten________________?
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A. The influence of the missionaries in lives of the Indians

B. The life of the Indians

C. Reported speech poems

D. Narratives captivity

22. Unmoved she notes the Chariots pausing At her low Gate Unmoved an Emperor be kneeling Upon her Mat Ive known her from an ample nation Then close the Valves of her attention Like Stone What does ample mean ?
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A. Fearful and gracious

B. Menacing

C. Large or abundant

D. Beautiful

23. What was one theme in the period of independence ____________?
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A. national identity

B. urban and european vs indigenous and rural

C. political conflicts

D. All the above
24. To Whom does Franklin say he is addressing his autobiography part 1 ?
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A. Himself

B. His son, William

C. Indians

D. His son, john

25. During the Revolutionary time period, what great document was written ?
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A. The Heiner Papers

B. Confessional poetry.

C. The Declaration of Independence.

D. The first romance novel.

26. Postmodern writing often uses and as literary devices ?
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A. Hyperbole; Personification.

B. Black humor; metafiction.

C. Symbolism; Imagery.

D. Metaphors; verbal irony.

27. Rabbit Angstrom Novels are written by ____________?
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A. R. Ellison

B. Henry Miller

C. John Updike

D. Harper Lee

28. What term describes Cassys racial heritage ?
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A. Hectoroon

B. Octoroon

C. Quadroon

D. Mulatto
29. Which of the following is not one of the 4 part of Puritan Sermon ?
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A. Text

B. Bibliography

C. Doctrine

D. None of the above

30. In what year was the Fugitive Slave Act passed ?
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A. 1784

B. 1841

C. 1850

D. 1857

31. Whom does St. Clare give to Ophelia to educate ?
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A. Eva

B. Prue

C. Emmeline

D. Topsy
32. Pre-colonial theme ?
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A. creation stories

B. A and B

C. None of the above

D. religious stories

33. Which of the following is NOT a feature of the Indian autobiography genre ?
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A. Birth

B. Sovereignty

C. Assimilation

D. Religious in nature

34. This mode of discourse is used to explain. (Example: repair manuals) ?
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A. Constitution

B. Connotation

C. Convocation

D. Exposition
35. The intellectual movement that believed that the observation of nature elevates the nature of humans, that deep truths can be grasped through intuition, and that God, Nature and humanity are united in a shared universe is______________?
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A. Transcendentalism

B. Feudalism

C. Totalitarianism

D. Communism

36. Who is the narrator in F. Scott Fitzgeralds novel The Great Gatsby (1925) ?
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A. Nick

B. Buchannan

C. None of the above

D. Gatsby

37. A language come into existence when_____________?
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A. there are speakers of the language

B. a new language id discovered

C. there is brutal necessity

D. ancient elements force to become a language

38. He glanced with rapid eyes_____________ they looked like frightened beads. The figure of speech used here is ?
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A. Simile

B. Oxymoron

C. Irony

D. Metahor

39. When the prophets prophesied, of whom did they speak? When they spoke of heathens, was it not the whites and others who were counted Gentiles? And I ask if all nations with the exception of the Jews were not counted heathens. The author of this passage was_______________?
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A. A slave

B. An indentured servant

C. A Transcendentalist

D. The son of itinerant actors

40. Bear is supposed to be brave, so how does Hare trick him into being afraid ?
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A. Hare told thim that the country is full of wars.

B. Hare took out his quiver and showed him four arrows.

C. Hare threated to kill him.

D. Hare told him of a large beast living near Bears home.

41. This author wrote of the Pilgrims voyage to the New World ?
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A. Bradford Nelson

B. Nelson Holden

C. William Bradford

D. William Holden

42. Well, then; I have received personal information, from a very high quarter, that a certain document of the last importance, has been purloined from the royal apartments. The individual who purloined it is known; this beyond a doubt; he was seen to take it. It is known, also, that it still remains in his possession. What is the meaning of the verb to purloin ?
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A. To borrow

B. To ruin

C. To return

D. To steal
43. This mode of discourse attempts to convince someone______________?
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A. Persuasion

B. Promise

C. Prejudice

D. Promotion

44. What statement below best sums up the literary significance of Emily Dickinson ?
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A. Slant Rhyme

B. True Rhyme

C. All of the above

D. oversoul

45. This character survived a massacre______________?
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A. Hope

B. Magawisca

C. Faith

D. Madeline

46. All of the following are traits demonstrated by the hero except ?
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A. Patience

B. Jealousy

C. Loyalty

D. Obedience

47. Parkers report to Margaret is_________________?
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A. painful and disgustingly low

B. straightforward and simple

C. simple and heartwarming

D. complex and heart wrenching

48. What is Augustine St. Clares selfish wifes name ?
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A. Ophelia

B. Eliza

C. Marie

D. Rachel

49. According to Hares Adventure, how does he get his burnt buttocks ?
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A. Grandmother burned him with a hot poker for being so mischievous

B. His buttocks was scorched by the sun which he had caught in a trap

C. Hare caught his own tale on fire trying to cook himself some dinner

D. He was born that way

50. From where does Eliza cross into Cananda ?
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A. Niagara Falls

B. Lake Huron

C. Northern Minnesota

D. Lake Erie