About English MCQs
English is a compulsory section in almost every competitive examination, including CSS, PMS, PPSC, FPSC, NTS, and university entry tests. Unlike conversational English, competitive English tests a specific set of measurable skills: grammar rules, vocabulary in context, sentence structure, and reading comprehension. Scoring high in this section requires both conceptual clarity and consistent practice.
What Topics Are Covered in This Category?
Our English section is broken down into focused subjects to help you study systematically:
- Competitive English Practice – A mix of grammar, vocabulary, and error-spotting questions designed to simulate actual exam papers.
- English Literature – Questions on major literary movements, authors, poets, and classic texts.
- Grammar & Usage – Tenses, active/passive voice, direct/indirect speech, prepositions, and subject-verb agreement.
- Vocabulary – Synonyms, antonyms, idioms, phrasal verbs, and one-word substitutions.
- Reading Comprehension – Practice passages with questions on inference, tone, and main idea.
How to Master English for Competitive Exams
Many candidates struggle with English because they try to memorize word lists without context. To truly improve your score, follow these strategies:
- Read Daily: Read English newspapers (like Dawn or The News) and editorials. This improves both your reading speed and your vocabulary.
- Learn Grammar Rules: Don’t rely on what "sounds right." Learn the actual rules for subject-verb agreement, tenses, and prepositions.
- Practice Error Spotting: MCQs often test your ability to find the single grammatical error in a sentence. Practice this daily.
- Maintain a Vocabulary Journal: Whenever you encounter a new word, write down its definition, synonyms, and an example sentence.
Start by selecting a topic below. We recommend attempting 15–20 MCQs per day, and always reading the explanations for the questions you get wrong.
Question 1: Who is considered the father of English poetry?
- A Geoffrey Chaucer
- B William Shakespeare
- C John Milton
- D Edmund Spenser
Explanation: Geoffrey Chaucer (c. 1343–1400) is called the father of English poetry for establishing Middle English literary tradition, especially via The Canterbury Tales.
Question 2: The Canterbury Tales was written by:
- A Geoffrey Chaucer
- B John Gower
- C William Langland
- D Thomas Malory
Explanation: Geoffrey Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales (c. 1387–1400), a collection of stories told by pilgrims.
Question 3: Who wrote 'Paradise Lost'?
- A John Milton
- B John Donne
- C John Dryden
- D Alexander Pope
Explanation: John Milton wrote Paradise Lost (1667), an epic poem about the fall of man.
Question 4: Shakespeare wrote how many plays (approximately)?
- A 37–39
- B 20
- C 50
- D 100
Explanation: Shakespeare wrote approximately 37–39 plays, alongside 154 sonnets.
Question 5: Shakespeare's sonnets number:
- A 154
- B 100
- C 50
- D 200
Explanation: Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets, published in 1609.
Question 6: Who wrote 'Pride and Prejudice'?
- A Jane Austen
- B Charlotte Brontë
- C George Eliot
- D Mary Shelley
Explanation: Jane Austen wrote Pride and Prejudice (1813), a novel of manners about the Bennet family.
Question 7: Who wrote 'Oliver Twist'?
- A Charles Dickens
- B Thomas Hardy
- C William Thackeray
- D George Eliot
Explanation: Charles Dickens wrote Oliver Twist (1838), about an orphan in Victorian England.
Question 8: Which poet is known as the 'Lake Poet' along with Wordsworth?
- A Samuel Taylor Coleridge
- B Lord Byron
- C Percy Bysshe Shelley
- D John Keats
Explanation: Samuel Taylor Coleridge, along with William Wordsworth, was a central Lake Poet. Robert Southey was also included.
Question 9: The Romantic Movement in English literature peaked during which period?
- A 1798–1832
- B 1660–1700
- C 1837–1901
- D 1900–1950
Explanation: The Romantic Movement flourished c. 1798 (Lyrical Ballads) to c. 1832.
Question 10: Lyrical Ballads (1798) was co-authored by:
- A Wordsworth and Coleridge
- B Keats and Shelley
- C Byron and Shelley
- D Blake and Burns
Explanation: Lyrical Ballads was jointly written by Wordsworth and Coleridge, marking the start of English Romanticism.
Question 11: 'Ode to a Nightingale' was written by:
- A John Keats
- B Percy Bysshe Shelley
- C Lord Byron
- D William Wordsworth
Explanation: John Keats wrote 'Ode to a Nightingale' in 1819, one of his six great odes.
Question 12: 'Ozymandias' was written by:
- A Percy Bysshe Shelley
- B John Keats
- C Lord Byron
- D Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Explanation: Percy Bysshe Shelley wrote 'Ozymandias' (1818), about the ruins of a once-great king.
Question 13: 'Kubla Khan' was written by:
- A Samuel Taylor Coleridge
- B William Blake
- C Robert Southey
- D John Keats
Explanation: Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote 'Kubla Khan', reportedly from an opium dream.
Question 14: Who wrote 'The Waste Land'?
- A T.S. Eliot
- B Ezra Pound
- C W.B. Yeats
- D W.H. Auden
Explanation: T.S. Eliot wrote The Waste Land (1922), a landmark of Modernist poetry.
Question 15: 'The Old Man and the Sea' was written by:
- A Ernest Hemingway
- B F. Scott Fitzgerald
- C William Faulkner
- D John Steinbeck
Explanation: Ernest Hemingway wrote The Old Man and the Sea (1952), which won the Pulitzer Prize.
Question 16: Which novel begins with 'Call me Ishmael'?
- A Moby-Dick
- B The Great Gatsby
- C Huckleberry Finn
- D The Scarlet Letter
Explanation: Herman Melville's Moby-Dick opens with 'Call me Ishmael'.
Question 17: George Orwell's '1984' describes:
- A A dystopian totalitarian future
- B Victorian England
- C A romance between two aristocrats
- D A rural farming community
Explanation: 1984 (1949) describes a dystopian totalitarian future dominated by Big Brother and the Party.
Question 18: Who wrote 'Animal Farm'?
- A George Orwell
- B Aldous Huxley
- C H.G. Wells
- D Arthur Koestler
Explanation: George Orwell wrote Animal Farm (1945), a political allegory about the Russian Revolution.
Question 19: The first English novel is often considered to be:
- A Robinson Crusoe
- B Pamela
- C Tom Jones
- D Gulliver's Travels
Explanation: Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe (1719) is often called the first English novel.
Question 20: 'Gulliver's Travels' was written by:
- A Jonathan Swift
- B Daniel Defoe
- C Samuel Richardson
- D Henry Fielding
Explanation: Jonathan Swift wrote Gulliver's Travels (1726), a satirical novel.
Question 21: Who is the author of 'Frankenstein'?
- A Mary Shelley
- B Percy Bysshe Shelley
- C Lord Byron
- D Bram Stoker
Explanation: Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein (1818), considered the first science fiction novel.
Question 22: 'Jane Eyre' was written by:
- A Charlotte Brontë
- B Emily Brontë
- C Anne Brontë
- D Jane Austen
Explanation: Charlotte Brontë wrote Jane Eyre (1847) under the pen name Currer Bell.
Question 23: 'Wuthering Heights' was written by:
- A Emily Brontë
- B Charlotte Brontë
- C Anne Brontë
- D Jane Austen
Explanation: Emily Brontë wrote Wuthering Heights (1847) under the pen name Ellis Bell.
Question 24: Who wrote 'The Great Gatsby'?
- A F. Scott Fitzgerald
- B Ernest Hemingway
- C William Faulkner
- D John Steinbeck
Explanation: F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote The Great Gatsby (1925), a novel about the Jazz Age.
Question 25: The Nobel Prize in Literature was first awarded in which year?
- A 1901
- B 1895
- C 1910
- D 1920
Explanation: The Nobel Prize in Literature was first awarded in 1901 to Sully Prudhomme.