Poetry & Drama
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: Poetry & Drama
Question 1: A sonnet has how many lines?
- A 14
- B 10
- C 12
- D 20
Explanation: A sonnet traditionally has 14 lines, in iambic pentameter.
Question 2: A Shakespearean sonnet has how many quatrains and a couplet?
- A 3 quatrains + 1 couplet
- B 2 quatrains + 1 couplet
- C 4 quatrains
- D 1 octave + 1 sestet
Explanation: The Shakespearean (English) sonnet has three quatrains and a closing couplet (4+4+4+2).
Question 3: The Petrarchan sonnet is divided into:
- A An octave and a sestet
- B Three quatrains and a couplet
- C Two sestets
- D Four tercets
Explanation: The Petrarchan (Italian) sonnet has an octave (8 lines) and a sestet (6 lines).
Question 4: Blank verse refers to:
- A Unrhymed iambic pentameter
- B Rhymed couplets
- C Free verse without meter
- D Haiku form
Explanation: Blank verse is unrhymed iambic pentameter — the meter of Shakespeare's plays and Milton's Paradise Lost.
Question 5: An elegy is a poem of:
- A Mourning or lament
- B Celebration
- C War
- D Romantic love
Explanation: An elegy mourns the death of a person or meditates on mortality (e.g., Gray's 'Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard').
Question 6: A ballad is a:
- A Narrative poem often sung
- B 14-line poem
- C Dramatic monologue
- D Lyric of three lines
Explanation: A ballad is a narrative poem often set to music, with simple language and strong rhythm, typically of folk origin.
Question 7: A limerick has how many lines?
- A Five
- B Three
- C Four
- D Seven
Explanation: A limerick is a five-line humorous poem with an AABBA rhyme scheme.
Question 8: A haiku has how many syllables (traditionally)?
- A 5-7-5
- B 8-8-8
- C 10-10-10
- D 7-5-7
Explanation: Haiku is a Japanese form with 5-7-5 syllables in three lines.
Question 9: A metaphor that continues throughout an entire poem is called:
- A Extended metaphor (conceit)
- B Simile
- C Personification
- D Alliteration
Explanation: An extended metaphor (or conceit) is a metaphor sustained throughout a poem, popular with Metaphysical poets.
Question 10: The repetition of initial consonant sounds is called:
- A Alliteration
- B Assonance
- C Consonance
- D Onomatopoeia
Explanation: Alliteration is the repetition of the same initial consonant sound in nearby words (e.g., 'wild and windy').
Question 11: The repetition of vowel sounds in nearby words is called:
- A Assonance
- B Alliteration
- C Onomatopoeia
- D Rhyme
Explanation: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds (e.g., 'hear the mellow wedding bells').
Question 12: 'Romeo and Juliet' is classified as a:
- A Tragedy
- B Comedy
- C History play
- D Romance
Explanation: Romeo and Juliet is one of Shakespeare's tragedies, written c. 1595.
Question 13: 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' is a:
- A Comedy
- B Tragedy
- C History play
- D Problem play
Explanation: A Midsummer Night's Dream (c. 1595) is one of Shakespeare's romantic comedies.
Question 14: Shakespeare's four great tragedies are Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, and:
- A Macbeth
- B Julius Caesar
- C Antony and Cleopatra
- D Romeo and Juliet
Explanation: The four great tragedies are Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth.
Question 15: 'Macbeth' is often called the:
- A Scottish play
- B Danish play
- C Roman play
- D Greek play
Explanation: Macbeth is known as 'the Scottish play' due to theatrical superstition.
Question 16: 'Hamlet' is set in which country?
- A Denmark
- B England
- C Italy
- D Scotland
Explanation: Hamlet is set in Denmark, in and around Elsinore castle.
Question 17: The famous soliloquy 'To be, or not to be' is from:
- A Hamlet
- B Macbeth
- C King Lear
- D Othello
Explanation: It is from Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 1.
Question 18: Who wrote 'Doctor Faustus'?
- A Christopher Marlowe
- B William Shakespeare
- C Ben Jonson
- D John Webster
Explanation: Christopher Marlowe wrote Doctor Faustus (c. 1592), a tragedy about a scholar who sells his soul to the devil.
Question 19: The first permanent English theatre was built in London in which year?
- A 1576
- B 1599
- C 1600
- D 1550
Explanation: The Theatre, the first permanent English playhouse, was built in 1576 by James Burbage.
Question 20: The Globe Theatre was built in:
- A 1599
- B 1576
- C 1610
- D 1550
Explanation: The Globe Theatre was built in 1599 by Shakespeare's company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men.
Question 21: The Metaphysical Poets were known for:
- A Elaborate conceits and intellectual wit
- B Nature imagery only
- C Simple language
- D Heroic couplets
Explanation: The Metaphysicals (Donne, Herbert, Marvell) used elaborate conceits, intellectual wit, and philosophical themes.
Question 22: 'The Sun Rising' was written by:
- A John Donne
- B Andrew Marvell
- C George Herbert
- D John Dryden
Explanation: John Donne wrote 'The Sun Rising', a metaphysical poem about lovers rejecting the sun's authority.
Question 23: The Restoration comedy is also known as:
- A Comedy of manners
- B Comedy of errors
- C Tragicomedy
- D Farce
Explanation: Restoration comedies (post-1660) are also called 'comedies of manners'.
Question 24: Who wrote 'The Rape of the Lock'?
- A Alexander Pope
- B John Dryden
- C Jonathan Swift
- D Samuel Johnson
Explanation: Alexander Pope wrote The Rape of the Lock (1712), a mock-epic about a lock of stolen hair.
Question 25: 'Waiting for Godot' was written by:
- A Samuel Beckett
- B Eugene Ionesco
- C Harold Pinter
- D Tom Stoppard
Explanation: Samuel Beckett wrote Waiting for Godot (1953), a defining work of the Theatre of the Absurd.