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introduction to literary studies MCQs

Practise focused introduction to literary studies questions with marked answers for exam preparation and subject revision.

introduction to literary studies Mcqs

1. Which of the following are examples of literary interpretation ?
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A. Researching an authors biography for clues about how to understand his or her writing

B. Investigating the relationship between words and objective reality

C. Researching what previous critics have said about a literary work

D. Comparing the Bible to folk tales from other cultures

2. A postmodern play would most likely not make use of which of the following theatrical traditions ?
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A. A pastiche of different literary and historical sources

B. A minimalist stage and strict adherence to the script

C. Nonlinear storytelling and the embracement of popular culture

D. Video clips and the use of popular music

3. What form of verse is usually sung and details a dramatic or exciting episode ?
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A. An epitaph

B. A ballad

C. An ode

D. An elegy

4. In Samuel Taylor Coleridges Rime of the Ancient Mariner, why does the Mariner kill the albatross ?
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A. To bring forth life-in-death

B. To change the weather

C. It is never directly stated why he does so.

D. For revenge

5. Which of the following statements offers the best definition of rhetoric ?
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A. Writing that is complicated and scholarly

B. Questions for which the answers are obvious

C. Logical writing and speaking

D. Persuasive writing and speaking

6. Which of the following concepts does Aristotle consider to be the most important element of a Greek tragedy ?
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A. Song composition

B. Stage design

C. Plot

D. Poetic diction

7. Which of the following offers the best description of the concept of logos ?
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A. Logos refers to a writers ability to inspire emotional responses in readers.

B. Logos refers to a writers ability to inspire action in readers.

C. Logos refers to a writers presentation of character and image.

D. Logos refers to a writers ability to present evidence.

8. Which of the following are common literary elements used to analyze novels ?
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A. Plot

B. Setting

C. Character

D. All of these

9. Which of the following statements best exemplifies the main idea put forward by John Milton in book 9 of Paradise Lost ?
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A. The fall of Adam and Eve was a tragic event.

B. Adam and Eve were driven to evil by their children.

C. Satan was ultimately heroic.

D. God abandoned the realm of Eden without reason.

10. Which of the following offers the best definition of the theatrical concept of a chorus ?
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A. Characters who remind the audience that the play is fictional

B. A group of characters who comment

C. Members of the audience who comment on the plays actions

D. A group of characters who comment on the actions of the play while not participating in them

E. the actions of the play while participating in them

11. Feminist criticism focuses on exploring which of the following aspects of literary texts ?
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A. How women are portrayed in literary texts

B. All of these

C. The psychologies of female writers

D. How women have been socially oppressed in literary texts

12. Which of the following is a component of a gothic novel ?
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A. An isolated protagonist

B. a villain

C. An atmosphere of dread, fear, and darkness

D. All of these

E. A hero or protagonist who is tempted

13. In Shakespeares Hamlet, what does Hamlet mean when he states that, there is more in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy ?
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A. There is such a thing as an afterlife.

B. Dreams always tell the truth.

C. There are some aspects of existence that cannot be explained through reason.

D. Heaven exists on earth.

14. Which of the following assertions would William Wordsworth most likely agree with ?
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A. Poetry should never concern itself with the natural world.

B. Poetry should be written in the common language of ordinary people.

C. Poetry should focus on the lives and thoughts of elite people.

D. Poetry should rhyme.

15. Which of the following statements offers the best definition of a novel of manners ?
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A. A novel that explores the behavior and values of a particular class of people

B. A novel set in Europe in the 18th century

C. A novel that explores class conflict

D. A novel that attacks the lower classes

16. Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream can be described as what kind of play ?
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A. A tragi-comedy

B. A comedic play

C. A tragic play

D. A modern play

17. Which of the following statements is a proper example of what Aristotle termed a syllogism ?
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A. All dogs have hair, all people have hair, hence anything with hair is a dog or a person.

B. All mammals are warm-blooded, all dogs are mammals, hence all dogs are warm-blooded.

C. All dogs have four legs, all creatures do not have four legs, hence all creatures with four legs are dogs.

D. All men breathe air, all dogs breathe air, hence all men are dogs.

18. What are the basic questions literary theory asks ?
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A. What are the effects of literature?

B. All of these.

C. Why do people write literature?

D. What is literature?

19. A work of literary criticism that considers how social and economic power structures are depicted in a 19th-century English novel would be an example of which type of literary criticism ?
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A. Psychoanalytic criticism

B. New Criticism

C. Marxist criticism

D. Reader-response criticism

20. In Characters of Shakespeares Plays, what does William Hazlitt mean when he states the following: We do not like to see our authors plays acted, and least of all, Hamlet. There is no play that suffers so much in being transferred to the stage ?
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A. Hamlet is not relevant to the Romantic age.

B. Hamlet is a work that was written to be read, not performed.

C. Hamlet cannot be staged properly because of the complexity of the plays use of language.

D. The role of Hamlet cannot be properly played by any actor.

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