English Literature MCQs
About Literature MCQs
Literature MCQs test your knowledge of the written word, including prose, poetry, and drama. This subject is highly relevant for students of English Literature, as well as candidates preparing for competitive exams where English is a major component. Understanding literary history, famous authors, and thematic elements is essential for scoring high.
Topics Covered in This Category
- Classical & Modern Poetry: Major poets, poetic devices, and movements.
- Novels & Prose: Famous novels, their authors, characters, and themes.
- Drama & Theater: Playwrights like Shakespeare, and the evolution of theater.
- Literary Criticism & Theory: Major critical approaches and theorists.
How to Master Literature MCQs
The best way to study literature is to read widely and take notes on major authors and their works. Create a timeline of literary periods (Renaissance, Romanticism, Modernism, etc.) to understand the context of the works. When attempting MCQs, look for clues in the question that might point to a specific era or author. Pay attention to quotes and character names.
All Questions for: English Literature MCQs
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.