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: The novel as a literary genre rose to prominence in which century?
- A 18th century
- B 16th century
- C 14th century
- D 20th century
Explanation: The English novel rose in the 18th century, with Defoe, Richardson, and Fielding as pioneers.
Question 2: 'Pamela' (1740) was written by:
- A Samuel Richardson
- B Henry Fielding
- C Daniel Defoe
- D Laurence Sterne
Explanation: Samuel Richardson wrote Pamela, an epistolary novel considered a landmark in the development of the English novel.
Question 3: 'Tom Jones' (1749) was written by:
- A Henry Fielding
- B Samuel Richardson
- C Laurence Sterne
- D Tobias Smollett
Explanation: Henry Fielding wrote Tom Jones, a picaresque comic novel.
Question 4: 'Tristram Shandy' was written by:
- A Laurence Sterne
- B Henry Fielding
- C Samuel Richardson
- D Jonathan Swift
Explanation: Laurence Sterne wrote Tristram Shandy (1759–67), an experimental novel notable for digressions.
Question 5: The Brontë sisters published their novels under the pen names:
- A Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell
- B George Eliot and others
- C Lewis Carroll and others
- D Various male names
Explanation: Charlotte (Currer Bell), Emily (Ellis Bell), and Anne (Acton Bell) used male pseudonyms.
Question 6: George Eliot was the pen name of:
- A Mary Ann Evans
- B Charlotte Brontë
- C Emily Brontë
- D Jane Austen
Explanation: George Eliot was the pen name of Mary Ann Evans.
Question 7: 'Middlemarch' was written by:
- A George Eliot
- B Thomas Hardy
- C Charles Dickens
- D Anthony Trollope
Explanation: George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans) wrote Middlemarch (1871–72), considered one of the greatest English novels.
Question 8: 'Tess of the d'Urbervilles' was written by:
- A Thomas Hardy
- B George Eliot
- C Charles Dickens
- D George Meredith
Explanation: Thomas Hardy wrote Tess of the d'Urbervilles (1891), a tragic novel about a rural woman.
Question 9: 'Great Expectations' is a novel by:
- A Charles Dickens
- B Thomas Hardy
- C William Thackeray
- D George Eliot
Explanation: Charles Dickens wrote Great Expectations (1860–61), a bildungsroman about Pip.
Question 10: 'Vanity Fair' was written by:
- A William Thackeray
- B Charles Dickens
- C George Eliot
- D Anthony Trollope
Explanation: William Makepeace Thackeray wrote Vanity Fair (1847–48), a satirical novel of Victorian society.
Question 11: 'Mrs Dalloway' was written by:
- A Virginia Woolf
- B James Joyce
- C D.H. Lawrence
- D E.M. Forster
Explanation: Virginia Woolf wrote Mrs Dalloway (1925), a modernist novel covering a single day in London.
Question 12: 'Ulysses' (1922) was written by:
- A James Joyce
- B Virginia Woolf
- C Marcel Proust
- D Franz Kafka
Explanation: James Joyce wrote Ulysses, a landmark Modernist novel set on a single day (June 16, 1904) in Dublin.
Question 13: Ulysses is structured around which classical work?
- A Homer's Odyssey
- B Virgil's Aeneid
- C Dante's Divine Comedy
- D Milton's Paradise Lost
Explanation: Ulysses parallels Homer's Odyssey, with each chapter corresponding to episodes.
Question 14: 'The Sound and the Fury' was written by:
- A William Faulkner
- B Ernest Hemingway
- C F. Scott Fitzgerald
- D John Steinbeck
Explanation: William Faulkner wrote The Sound and the Fury (1929), set in the American South.
Question 15: 'The Grapes of Wrath' was written by:
- A John Steinbeck
- B William Faulkner
- C Ernest Hemingway
- D F. Scott Fitzgerald
Explanation: John Steinbeck wrote The Grapes of Wrath (1939), about Dust Bowl migrants during the Great Depression.
Question 16: 'To Kill a Mockingbird' was written by:
- A Harper Lee
- B Truman Capote
- C Carson McCullers
- D Flannery O'Connor
Explanation: Harper Lee wrote To Kill a Mockingbird (1960), about racial injustice in the American South.
Question 17: 'Lord of the Flies' was written by:
- A William Golding
- B George Orwell
- C Aldous Huxley
- D Anthony Burgess
Explanation: William Golding wrote Lord of the Flies (1954), an allegory about boys stranded on an island.
Question 18: 'Brave New World' was written by:
- A Aldous Huxley
- B George Orwell
- C Ray Bradbury
- D H.G. Wells
Explanation: Aldous Huxley wrote Brave New World (1932), a dystopian novel about a genetically engineered future society.
Question 19: 'A Passage to India' was written by:
- A E.M. Forster
- B Rudyard Kipling
- C Paul Scott
- D Somerset Maugham
Explanation: E.M. Forster wrote A Passage to India (1924), set during the British Raj.
Question 20: An epistolary novel is written as:
- A A series of letters
- B A single monologue
- C A poem sequence
- D A diary of one day
Explanation: An epistolary novel is composed primarily of letters (e.g., Pamela, Dracula).
Question 21: A bildungsroman is a novel about:
- A Coming-of-age and personal growth
- B A journey to a foreign land
- C Detective investigations
- D Historical events
Explanation: Bildungsroman means a 'coming-of-age' novel focusing on the protagonist's psychological and moral growth.
Question 22: A roman à clef is a novel that:
- A Disguises real people as fictional characters
- B Follows a strict plot structure
- C Is written in Latin
- D Focuses on a single day
Explanation: A roman à clef ('novel with a key') masks real people behind fictional characters.
Question 23: A picaresque novel typically features:
- A A roguish hero's episodic adventures
- B A single tragic event
- C A philosophical debate
- D A fixed setting only
Explanation: A picaresque novel follows a roguish hero (picaro) through episodic adventures (e.g., Tom Jones, Don Quixote).
Question 24: Stream of consciousness as a narrative technique is most associated with:
- A Modernist writers like Woolf and Joyce
- B Victorian novelists
- C Augustan satirists
- D Romantic poets
Explanation: Stream of consciousness is associated with modernists like Virginia Woolf and James Joyce.
Question 25: The 'theatre of the absurd' overlaps most with which novelistic mode?
- A Existentialist and absurdist fiction
- B Sentimental comedy
- C Historical romance
- D Detective fiction
Explanation: Absurdist fiction (Beckett, Kafka) shares with absurdist drama the theme of existential meaninglessness.