Here are 20 MCQs with answers and descriptions on the History of English Literature:


1. Who is considered the father of English literature?
A) Geoffrey Chaucer
B) William Shakespeare
C) John Milton
D) Alexander Pope

Answer: A) Geoffrey Chaucer

Description: Chaucer's Canterbury Tales is a foundational work of English literature, showcasing his mastery of language and storytelling.

2. Which literary movement emerged in the 14th century, characterized by courtly love and chivalry?
A) Romanticism
B) Realism
C) Gothic Revival
D) Medievalism

Answer: D) Medievalism

Description: Medievalism marked the beginning of English literature, with works like Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.

3. Who wrote the epic poem Paradise Lost?
A) John Milton
B) William Shakespeare
C) Alexander Pope
D) John Dryden

Answer: A) John Milton

Description: Milton's Paradise Lost is a seminal work of English literature, exploring themes of sin, redemption, and the human condition.

4. Which 18th-century literary movement emphasized reason, satire, and realism?
A) Romanticism
B) Enlightenment
C) Augustanism
D) Victorianism

Answer: C) Augustanism

Description: Augustanism, named after the Roman Emperor Augustus, characterized 18th-century English literature with its focus on reason, satire, and realism.

5. Who wrote the novel Pride and Prejudice?
A) Jane Austen
B) Mary Shelley
C) Emily Brontë
D) Charlotte Brontë

Answer: A) Jane Austen

Description: Austen's Pride and Prejudice is a landmark novel of English literature, exploring themes of love, class, and social status.

6. Which literary movement emerged in the late 18th century, emphasizing emotion, imagination, and nature?
A) Romanticism
B) Realism
C) Gothic Revival
D) Victorianism

Answer: A) Romanticism

Description: Romanticism marked a significant shift in English literature, with poets like Wordsworth, Coleridge, and Keats emphasizing emotion, imagination, and nature.

7. Who wrote the poem "The Tyger"?
A) William Blake
B) William Wordsworth
C) Samuel Taylor Coleridge
D) Lord Byron

Answer: A) William Blake

Description: Blake's "The Tyger" is a iconic poem of the Romantic era, exploring themes of creation, innocence, and experience.

8. Which 19th-century literary movement emphasized social reform, realism, and the struggles of the working class?
A) Victorianism
B) Edwardianism
C) Modernism
D) Realism

Answer: A) Victorianism

Description: Victorian literature addressed social issues like poverty, inequality, and injustice, with authors like Dickens, Eliot, and the Brontë sisters.

9. Who wrote the novel Great Expectations?
A) Charles Dickens
B) Jane Austen
C) Mary Shelley
D) Emily Brontë

Answer: A) Charles Dickens

Description: Dickens' Great Expectations is a classic novel of English literature, exploring themes of identity, class, and redemption.

10. Which 20th-century literary movement emphasized experimentation, fragmentation, and disillusionment?
A) Modernism
B) Postmodernism
C) Realism
D) Romanticism

Answer: A) Modernism

Description: Modernist literature, exemplified by authors like Woolf, Joyce, and Eliot, rejected traditional forms and explored new modes of expression.

11. Who wrote the poem "The Waste Land"?
A) T.S. Eliot
B) Ezra Pound
C) Wallace Stevens
D) William Carlos Williams

Answer: A) T.S. Eliot

Description: Eliot's "The Waste Land" is a modernist masterpiece, exploring themes of disillusionment and spiritual decay.

12. Which novel by George Orwell is a dystopian critique of totalitarianism?
A) 1984
B) Animal Farm
C) Brave New World
D) The Handmaid's Tale

Answer: A) 1984

Description: Orwell's 1984 is a classic dystopian novel, depicting a chilling vision of government control and manipulation.

13. Who wrote the play "Waiting for Godot"?
A) Samuel Beckett
B) Harold Pinter
C) Tom Stoppard
D) Eugene Ionesco

Answer: A) Samuel Beckett

Description: Beckett's "Waiting for Godot" is an absurdist play, exploring themes of existentialism and the human condition.

14. Which literary movement emerged in the 1950s, emphasizing spontaneity and nonconformity?
A) Beat Generation
B) Hippie Movement
C) Punk Rock
D) Surrealism

Answer: A) Beat Generation

Description: The Beat Generation, led by authors like Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac, celebrated spontaneity, nonconformity, and creative freedom.

15. Who wrote the novel "Mrs. Dalloway"?
A) Virginia Woolf
B) E.M. Forster
C) D.H. Lawrence
D) James Joyce

Answer: A) Virginia Woolf

Description: Woolf's "Mrs. Dalloway" is a modernist novel, exploring themes of time, consciousness, and human experience.

16. Which poet is known for his collection "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"?
A) T.S. Eliot
B) Ezra Pound
C) Wallace Stevens
D) William Carlos Williams

Answer: A) T.S. Eliot

Description: Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" is a modernist poem, exploring themes of alienation and spiritual disillusionment.

17. Who wrote the novel "Brave New World"?
A) Aldous Huxley
B) George Orwell
C) Ray Bradbury
D) Kurt Vonnegut

Answer: A) Aldous Huxley

Description: Huxley's "Brave New World" is a dystopian novel, depicting a future where people are genetically engineered and conditioned for happiness.

18. Which literary movement emerged in the 1970s, emphasizing diversity and multiculturalism?
A) Postcolonialism
B) Feminism
C) Postmodernism
D) Multiculturalism

Answer: A) Postcolonialism

Description: Postcolonial literature, led by authors like Salman Rushdie and Chinua Achebe, explores themes of identity, culture, and colonialism.

19. Who wrote the novel "The Handmaid's Tale"?
A) Margaret Atwood
B) Alice Walker
C) Toni Morrison
D) Joyce Carol Oates

Answer: A) Margaret Atwood

Description: Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale" is a dystopian novel, depicting a patriarchal society where women's bodies are controlled by the state.

20. Which poet is known for his collection "The Dream Songs"?
A) John Berryman
B) Robert Lowell
C) Sylvia Plath
D) Anne Sexton

Answer: A) John Berryman

Description: Berryman's "The Dream Songs" is a collection of poems, exploring themes of identity, mortality, and the human condition.









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