cultural and literary english renaissance Mcqs
1. Which of the following plays by William Shakespeare is a comedy ?
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A. Henry IV, Part I

B. Romeo and Juliet

C. Hamlet

D. Much Ado about Nothing
2. Which writer spent more than twelve years imprisoned in the Tower of London ?
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A. Sir Walter Raleigh

B. Sir Philip Sidney

C. Sir Thomas More

D. John Milton

3. Many of William Shakespeares plays were performed at what theater in Elizabethan England ?
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A. The Globe

B. The Curtain

C. The Rose

D. The Anchor

4. Fill in the blank. John Foxe was deeply disgusted by the _______________, and could not believe that any honest Christian could accept its doctrinal basis ?
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A. Mass

B. Transubstantiation

C. Resurrection

D. both A and C

5. Which of the following figures was an important political theorist of the Renaissance ?
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A. Niccolo Machiavelli

B. Aristotle

C. Plato

D. Francesco Petrarcha

6. What author wrote the poem Whoso list to hunt ?
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A. Thomas Wyatt

B. Sir Thomas More

C. Sir Philip Sidney

D. Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey

7. William Shakespeares Henry V is an example of what dramatic genre ?
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A. Tragedy

B. Comedy

C. History

D. Romance

8. Which of the following statements best describes the Great Chain of Being ?
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A. It regarded human beings as social creatures who could create meaningful lives only in association with other social beings.

B. Its major premise was that every existing thing in the universe had its place in a divinely planned hierarchical order which was pictured as a chain, vertically extended.

C. It could only be achieved through faith in Gods grace.

D. Both A and B

9. William Shakespeares Hamlet is an example of what dramatic genre ?
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A. Satire

B. Romance

C. Comedy

D. Tragedy
10. What author fell in love with Anne Boleyn while she was married to King Henry VIII ?
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A. Thomas Wyatt

B. Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey

C. Sir Thomas More

D. Sir Philip Sidney

11. Who was King Henry VIIIs first wife ?
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A. Mary, Queen of Scots

B. Catherine of Aragon

C. Anne of Cleves

D. Anne Boleyn

12. A total of how many sonnets constitute the entirety of Astrophil and Stella ?
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A. 10

B. 20

C. 30

D. 40

13. The character of Falstaff is important in which play(s) by William Shakespeare ?
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A. All of the above

B. Henry IV, Part I

C. Titus Andronicus

D. Henry IV, Part II

14. On which of the following topics did Sir Thomas More focus in his Utopia ?
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A. Marriage and divorce

B. Riches, jewels, and gold

C. Suicide

D. All of the above
15. What Renaissance text uses martyrology as a device to historicize the conflict between the true Church and the false Church in England ?
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A. Euphues

B. Acts and Monuments

C. Paradise Regained

D. Paradise Lost

16. Which of the following statements is TRUE concerning the Globe theater in Elizabethan England ?
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A. All of the above

B. It burned down and was reconstructed hundreds of years later.

C. It was situated on the Thames River.

D. It was lit from natural sunlight as well as by candle light.

17. Fill in the blank. In 1585, _______________ sponsored the first English colony in America on Roanoke Island (now North Carolina)?
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A. Sir Thomas More

B. John Lyly

C. Sir Walter Raleigh

D. John Foxe

18. How did the invention of the printing press affect European culture ?
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A. Learning to read was made easier as print was standardized and made clearer.

B. Print halted the corruption of texts by copyists, giving everyone identical texts.

C. Scientific research became a more collaborative effort.

D. All of the above
19. Fill in the blank. Sir Philip Sidneys strong_____________ convictions made him publicly oppose a projected marriage for Queen Elizabeth?
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A. Catholic

B. Quaker

C. Protestant

D. Buddhist

20. Which of the following plays were written by Christopher Marlowe ?
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A. The Jew of Malta

B. Edward II

C. All of the above

D. Doctor Faustus

21. Who was considered to be Englands first literary celebrity ?
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A. John Foxe

B. John Donne

C. Sir Walter Raleigh

D. Sir Thomas More

22. What text greatly popularized the sonnet form in England during the Elizabethan period ?
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A. Astrophil and Stella

B. Canterbury Tales

C. Utopia

D. Paradise Lost

23. Fill in the blank. Although there is dispute about the actual invention of the printing press with movable metal type, _________ is usually the man credited with the invention.
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A. Johan Gutenberg

B. Niccolo Machiavelli

C. Johannes Fust

D. Peter Schoeffer

24. Fill in the blank. John Lylys ________ exercised considerable influence upon its authors contemporaries?
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A. Euphues

B. Utopia

C. Paradise Lost

D. Zelauto

25. In 1534, King Henry VIII was declared head of what church ?
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A. The Catholic Church

B. The English Church

C. The Church of God

D. Both A and B

26. Who became a favorite of Queen Elizabeth I and was knighted and appointed captain of the Queens Guard in 1587 ?
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A. Sir Thomas More

B. Sir Philip Sidney

C. Sir William Shakespeare

D. Sir Walter Raleigh
27. Fill in the blank. John Foxe was extremely sensitive to the_______________?
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A. Quaker

B. Anglican

C. Catholic

D. Buddhist

28. Fill in the blank. The term Renaissance literally translates as _____________ ?
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A. Recapitulation

B. Rebirth

C. Reproduction

D. Reincarnation

29. John Miltons Paradise Lost focuses attention on the relationship between which opposing entities ?
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A. Heaven vs. hell

B. All of the above

C. God vs. Satan

D. Good vs. evil

30. There was greater emphasis placed on human potentiality for growth and excellence through Europe by which year ?
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A. 1500

B. 1650

C. 1400

D. 1600

31. According to many British Romantic poets, who is the protagonist of John Miltons Paradise Lost ?
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A. Christ

B. Satan

C. Eve

D. Adam

32. Fill in the blank. Th . was a movement that had profound implications not only for the modern world in general but also for literary history.
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A. None of

B. Protestant Reformation

C. Catholic Restoration

D. Catholic Reformation

33. Which of the following theaters could be found in England after Queen Elizabeth I came to the throne ?
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A. The Globe

B. All of the above

C. The Curtain

D. The Rose

34. What author defines the function of poetry with reference to the Horatian dictum of to teach and delight ?
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A. Sir Philip Sidney

B. Sir Thomas More

C. John Lyly

D. Sir Walter Raleigh

35. Fill in the blank. _______ was a Christian theologian and Augustinian monk whose teachings inspired the Protestant Reformation?
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A. Niccolo Machiavelli

B. John Wycliffe

C. John Milton

D. Martin Luther
36. Which queen of England attended a number of William Shakespeares play ?
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A. Queen Elizabeth I

B. Queen Elizabeth II

C. Queen Anne

D. Both A and B

37. Sir Thomas More wrote what famous text ?
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A. Paradise Lost

B. Toxophilus

C. The Inferno

D. Utopia
38. Greek theatre took place where ?
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A. Small indoor theaters

B. Large indoor theaters

C. Large hillside amphitheaters

D. All of the above

39. Who is largely considered to be the father of epic poetry ?
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A. Milton

B. Homer

C. Dante

D. Virgil

40. Compared to Aquinas, the writers of Florentine humanism considered which of the following only unsystematically ?
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A. All of the above

B. Emotions

C. Psychology

D. Sex

41. Which of the following characters is NOT found in the dramatis personae ofWilliam Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet ?
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A. Mercutio

B. Falstaff

C. Benvolio

D. Lady Capulet

42. Sir Thomas More held which of the following positions in the English court ?
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A. Master of Requests

B. Speaker of the House of Commons

C. Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster

D. All of the above
43. The conceit of the Petrarchan sonnet in English during the Elizabethan period often involves what topic ?
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A. Drugs

B. Animals

C. Propaganda

D. Sex
44. Which of the following is an important component of John Foxes martyrology ?
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A. Heroic couplets

B. Epigrams

C. Hexagrams

D. All of the above

45. Edmund Spenser wrote what famous text ?
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A. Paradise Lost

B. The Faerie Queen

C. Canterbury Tales

D. The Prelude

46. According to John Miltons Paradise Lost, what is Satans tragic flaw ?
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A. Jealousy

B. Pride

C. Lust

D. Love

47. Fill in the blank. Christopher Marlowes influence on William Shakespeare was in all probability _______________?
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A. Impossible

B. Insignificant

C. Very great

D. Somewhat significant

48. Which of the following texts is an example of epic poetry ?
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A. The Odyssey

B. Paradise Lost

C. All of the above

D. The Iliad

49. Stephen Greenblatts work on the Renaissance is best described by what theoretical paradigm ?
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A. Psychoanalysis

B. Marxism

C. Feminism

D. New Historicism
50. Choose the best answer to complete the following sentence. All of the following are Shakespearean plays EXCEPT?
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A. The Winters Tale

B. Two Gentlemen of Verona

C. Faustus

D. The Tempest