Here is 30 important PYQs (Previous year questions) of UGC NET JRF English, related to the University Wits, along with their answers and explanations 

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1. Who among the following writers does not belong to the group, the University Wits?  
   - Options:  
     (a) John Lyly  
     (b) Thomas Nashe  
     (c) George Peele  
     (d) Thomas Kyd  
   - Answer: (d) Thomas Kyd  
   - Explanation: Thomas Kyd, though a notable dramatist, was not formally educated at a university like the others.

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2. Which among the following group of writers is labelled as 'University Wits'?  
   - Options:  
     (a) Thomas Lodge, Thomas Wilson, Walter Raleigh  
     (b) John Fletcher, Ben Jonson, George Peele  
     (c) Thomas Kyd, Francis Beaumont, John Lyly  
     (d) Christopher Marlowe, Robert Greene, Thomas Nashe  
   - Answer: (d) Christopher Marlowe, Robert Greene, Thomas Nashe  
   - Explanation: They were prominent figures in late 16th-century English literature.

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3. Which writer is often regarded as the leader of the University Wits?  
   - Options:  
     (a) Christopher Marlowe  
     (b) Robert Greene  
     (c) Thomas Lodge  
     (d) George Peele  
   - Answer: (a) Christopher Marlowe  
   - Explanation: Marlowe was a trailblazer of English drama with works like Doctor Faustus.

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4. Who is credited with introducing blank verse into English drama?  
   - Options:  
     (a) John Lyly  
     (b) Thomas Kyd  
     (c) Christopher Marlowe  
     (d) George Peele  
   - Answer: (c) Christopher Marlowe  
   - Explanation: Marlowe popularized blank verse in plays like Tamburlaine.

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5. What is the primary contribution of the University Wits to English drama?  
   - Options:  
     (a) Introduction of comedy of manners  
     (b) Revival of classical unities  
     (c) Establishment of secular drama  
     (d) Development of romantic drama  
   - Answer: (d) Development of romantic drama  
   - Explanation: They laid the foundation for Elizabethan romantic drama.

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6. Which of the following works is associated with Robert Greene?  
   - Options:  
     (a) The Spanish Tragedy  
     (b) Pandosto  
     (c) Tamburlaine  
     (d) The White Devil  
   - Answer: (b) Pandosto  
   - Explanation: Pandosto inspired Shakespeare’s The Winter's Tale.

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7. Thomas Nashe is best known for his work:  
   - Options:  
     (a) Doctor Faustus  
     (b) Anatomy of Absurdity  
     (c) Euphues  
     (d) The Shoemaker’s Holiday  
   - Answer: (b) Anatomy of Absurdity  
   - Explanation: Nashe was a pamphleteer and satirist.

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8. Who wrote Euphues, an influential prose work?  
   - Options:  
     (a) Thomas Nashe  
     (b) John Lyly  
     (c) George Peele  
     (d) Robert Greene  
   - Answer: (b) John Lyly  
   - Explanation: Lyly’s Euphues is known for its ornate style.

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9. Which member of the University Wits attacked Shakespeare in Groatsworth of Wit?  
   - Options:  
     (a) Thomas Nashe  
     (b) John Lyly  
     (c) Robert Greene  
     (d) Christopher Marlowe  
   - Answer: (c) Robert Greene  
   - Explanation: Greene called Shakespeare an "upstart crow."

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10. George Peele is associated with which genre of drama?  
   - Options:  
     (a) History plays  
     (b) Pastoral comedies  
     (c) Satirical plays  
     (d) Revenge tragedies  
   - Answer: (b) Pastoral comedies  
   - Explanation: Peele's The Old Wives' Tale is a key example.

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11. Christopher Marlowe’s Tamburlaine is an example of:  
   - Options:  
     (a) A romantic comedy  
     (b) A historical tragedy  
     (c) An epic drama  
     (d) A morality play  
   - Answer: (c) An epic drama  
   - Explanation: Tamburlaine portrays the grandeur of heroic ambition.

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12. Which University Wit collaborated with Thomas Dekker?  
   - Options:  
     (a) George Peele  
     (b) Thomas Lodge  
     (c) John Lyly  
     (d) Thomas Nashe  
   - Answer: (d) Thomas Nashe  
   - Explanation: Nashe co-wrote The Isle of Dogs.

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13. Which of these plays is incorrectly attributed to the University Wits?  
   - Options:  
     (a) Doctor Faustus  
     (b) Gorboduc  
     (c) The Jew of Malta  
     (d) Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay  
   - Answer: (b) Gorboduc  
   - Explanation: Gorboduc predates the University Wits.

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14. Which writer was known for his pamphlets satirizing the London society?  
   - Options:  
     (a) George Peele  
     (b) John Lyly  
     (c) Thomas Nashe  
     (d) Christopher Marlowe  
   - Answer: (c) Thomas Nashe  
   - Explanation: Nashe’s pamphlets include Pierce Penniless.

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15. Who wrote The Spanish Tragedy, influencing revenge tragedies?  
   - Options:  
     (a) Thomas Kyd  
     (b) Christopher Marlowe  
     (c) Robert Greene  
     (d) John Lyly  
   - Answer: (a) Thomas Kyd  
   - Explanation: Kyd, often associated with but not a part of the University Wits, penned this seminal work.

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16. Which of the following works by Thomas Lodge is considered a pastoral romance?  
   - Options:  
     (a) Rosalynde  
     (b) Pandosto  
     (c) Euphues  
     (d) Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay  
   - Answer: (a) Rosalynde  
   - Explanation: Lodge’s *Rosalynde* inspired Shakespeare’s *As You Like It*.

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17. Which of the following playwrights wrote extensively for child actors?  
   - Options:  
     (a) George Peele  
     (b) Thomas Lodge  
     (c) John Lyly  
     (d) Robert Greene  
   - Answer: (c) John Lyly  
   - Explanation: Lyly’s plays, such as *Gallathea*, were performed by child actors.

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18. The University Wits were primarily active during which reign?  
   - Options:  
     (a) Queen Mary I  
     (b) Queen Elizabeth I  
     (c) King James I  
     (d) King Charles I  
   - Answer: (b) Queen Elizabeth I  
   - Explanation: The University Wits flourished during the Elizabethan Age, producing innovative works.

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19. Who among the following University Wits is associated with the play *The Battle of Alcazar*?  
   - Options:  
     (a) Christopher Marlowe  
     (b) George Peele  
     (c) Thomas Nashe  
     (d) Thomas Kyd  
   - Answer: (b) George Peele  
   - Explanation: *The Battle of Alcazar* reflects Peele’s skill in crafting historical dramas.

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20. Which of the following was a shared characteristic of the University Wits?  
   - Options:  
     (a) Satirical writing  
     (b) Aristocratic patronage  
     (c) Experimentation with dramatic form  
     (d) Religious themes  
   - Answer: (c) Experimentation with dramatic form  
   - Explanation: They introduced new dramatic structures, including the use of blank verse.

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21. Which play by Robert Greene explores the theme of learning and magic?  
   - Options:  
     (a) Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay  
     (b) Tamburlaine  
     (c) The Jew of Malta  
     (d) Doctor Faustus  
   - Answer: (a) Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay  
   - Explanation: The play blends humor, love, and the theme of scientific discovery.

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22. Thomas Nashe’s prose style is best described as:  
   - Options:  
     (a) Plain and direct  
     (b) Ornate and euphuistic  
     (c) Satirical and vigorous  
     (d) Scholarly and dry  
   - Answer: (c) Satirical and vigorous  
   - Explanation: Nashe’s prose is lively and often targets societal issues.

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23. What is the significance of Christopher Marlowe’s *The Jew of Malta*?  
   - Options:  
     (a) It is a comedy of errors.  
     (b) It explores the theme of racial harmony.  
     (c) It portrays religious conflict and greed.  
     (d) It follows the Aristotelian unities.  
   - Answer: (c) It portrays religious conflict and greed.  
   - Explanation: The play critiques societal hypocrisies through the character of Barabas.

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24. Which of the following works is a notable collaboration of Thomas Nashe?  
   - Options:  
     (a) The Isle of Dogs  
     (b) The Spanish Tragedy  
     (c) Arden of Faversham  
     (d) Tamburlaine  
   - Answer: (a) The Isle of Dogs  
   - Explanation: This controversial play led to censorship and Nashe’s brief imprisonment.

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25. Who wrote *The Honourable History of Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay*?  
   - Options:  
     (a) Thomas Nashe  
     (b) George Peele  
     (c) Robert Greene  
     (d) Thomas Lodge  
   - Answer: (c) Robert Greene  
   - Explanation: Greene’s play explores themes of magic and learning.

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26. Which University Wit was also a prolific pamphleteer?  
   - Options:  
     (a) Thomas Lodge  
     (b) Thomas Nashe  
     (c) Christopher Marlowe  
     (d) George Peele  
   - Answer: (b) Thomas Nashe  
   - Explanation: Nashe is famous for pamphlets like *Pierce Penniless* and *Anatomy of Absurdity*.

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27. What theme dominates Marlowe’s *Doctor Faustus*?  
   - Options:  
     (a) Romantic love  
     (b) Human ambition and its limits  
     (c) Religious devotion  
     (d) Political power  
   - Answer: (b) Human ambition and its limits  
   - Explanation: Faustus’ thirst for knowledge leads to his tragic downfall.

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28. Which University Wit is credited with the play *Summer’s Last Will and Testament*?  
   - Options:  
     (a) George Peele  
     (b) Christopher Marlowe  
     (c) Robert Greene  
     (d) John Lyly  
   - Answer: (a) George Peele  
   - Explanation: Peele reflects on mortality and change in this poetic play.

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29. Who among the University Wits is considered the originator of the ‘revenge tragedy’ genre?  
   - Options:  
     (a) Thomas Kyd  
     (b) Christopher Marlowe  
     (c) George Peele  
     (d) John Lyly  
   - Answer: (a) Thomas Kyd  
   - Explanation: Kyd’s *The Spanish Tragedy* influenced later revenge tragedies.

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30. Which of these writers experimented with combining prose and drama?  
   - Options:  
     (a) Robert Greene  
     (b) Thomas Nashe  
     (c) John Lyly  
     (d) Christopher Marlowe  
   - Answer: (c) John Lyly  
   - Explanation: Lyly’s prose works, like *Euphues*, showcase his innovative blending of forms.

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