Armed with newfound knowledge and a deeper appreciation for the written word, you emerge from this literary odyssey enriched and enlightened. Whether you’re a casual reader or a dedicated scholar, our English literature quiz offers something for everyone. So, English literature general knowledge, gather your wits and embark on this exhilarating journey through the annals of literary history. The adventure awaits!
Welcome to an enriching journey through the realm of English literature! Delve into the depths of literary trivia, where each question is a portal to knowledge, and every answer unveils a new layer of understanding. Whether you’re a seasoned bibliophile or a curious novice, this quiz promises to tantalize your intellect and ignite your passion for the written word. Prepare to embark on a captivating exploration of literary landscapes, where characters come to life, and words weave magic.
Unveiling Literary Enigmas
Dive into the labyrinth of English literature with our meticulously crafted quiz questions. Each query is a tapestry of words, intricately woven to challenge and enlighten. From the haunting verses of Shakespeare to the whimsical tales of Lewis Carroll, our questions span centuries of literary excellence. Explore the depths of symbolism in “Moby Dick” or unravel the mysteries of Gothic literature with questions inspired by Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein.” With each answer, you’ll unravel the threads of literary enigma, uncovering hidden meanings and newfound knowledge.
Journey Through Literary Epochs
Embark on a voyage through the annals of literary history, traversing diverse epochs and genres. From the poetic sonnets of the Romantic era to the avant-garde experiments of modernist literature, our quiz traverses the vast expanse of literary evolution. Encounter the wit and satire of the Victorian novelists or immerse yourself in the existential ponderings of twentieth-century writers. Each question is a gateway to a different era, offering glimpses into the social, cultural, and intellectual landscapes that shaped English literature over the centuries.
Revelations in Quizzical Form
Prepare to be astounded by the revelations hidden within each quiz question. As you ponder the intricacies of meter and rhyme, symbolism and allegory, you’ll unearth a treasure trove of literary insights. Marvel at the ingenuity of Jane Austen’s characterizations or ponder the philosophical dilemmas posed by Dostoevsky. With each correct answer, you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment, knowing that you’ve delved deeper into the rich tapestry of English literary tradition.
English literature general knowledge
1. What is the other name of The Old English Period?
The Anglo-Saxon Period
2. What are the three types of literature?
Drama, epic, and lyric
3. Which era was a fervent period of European cultural, artistic, political, and economic “rebirth” following the Middle Ages?
Renaissance period in English literature
4. What is the name of the pig who emerges as the leader of Animal Farm after the Rebellion?
Napoleon
5. Who is the father of English literature?
Geoffrey Chaucer
6. What is the paragraph of a poem called?
Stanza
7. What is a play on words, using multiple meanings or similar sounds to make a joke?
A pun
8. Who is the most famous English writer?
William Shakespeare
9. The Post Modern Period of English literature starts in which year?
1945
10. Regarding A Vindication of the Rights of Men, which of the following statements is true?
It refuted Edmund Burke’s defense of the English aristocracy.
11. What is a short lyrical poem, often in praise of something?
An ode
12. The Restoration (1660–1700), The Augustan Age (1700–1745), and The Age of Sensibility (1745–1785) are called what?
The Neoclassical Period (1600–1785)
13. “Absolutely Mahvelous” is the autobiography of a person who wrote to great book at the age of only 21. Who is he?
Billy Crystal
14. “Lines on the Antiquity of Microbes”, also known simply as “Fleas”, is a couplet commonly cited as the shortest poem ever written, composed by whom?
American poet Strickland Gillilan in the early 20th century.
15. Who was an English author, poet, philosopher, bureaucrat (courtier), and diplomat?
Geoffrey Chaucer
16. What is an acrostic poem?
The acrostic is a poem in which the first letter of each line spells out a word, message, or the alphabet
17. How many lines the longest poem “reputed to be My Blah Story” have?
23,161 lines
18. Who is the author of “The White Company”?
Arthur Conan Doyle
19. What’s a long poem called?
Epic
20. According to John Stuart Mill, individuals ought to be free to pursue _____, so long as they do not cause harm to others.
happiness
21. What device refers to the rhythm of a poem or other written work as it’s expressed through the number and length of the feet in each line?
Meter
22. Which Violent Film of 1971 was An Adaptation of The Siege Of Trencher’s Farm?
Answer: Straw Dogs
23. How many loyal attack dogs do Napoleon, and the pig have in Animal Farm?
Nine
24. What is a 14-line poem called?
The Spenserian sonnet
25. When was the Anglo-Saxon Period ended?
1066
26. In which book of Agatha Christi did the demise of Poirot take place?
Curtain
27. How many parts of the play Tamburlaine were written by Christopher Marlowe?
Two parts
28. What is a 28-line poem called?
Ballade
29. What are very short poems called?
Haiku
30. Which of the following nonfiction compositions pioneered a path for English literary criticism?
The Defense of Poesy
31. “Rites of Passage” is a novel written by?
William Golding
32. What is when a writer compares one thing to another?
A metaphor
33. Beauty is truth, truth beauty; that is all — first poetry line written by whom?
Keats
34. What is a poem that doesn’t rhyme called?
Free verse
35. Which is the first historical drama in English?
Marlowe’s ‘Edward II’
36. Who is the author of “Roots” that inspired a TV blockbuster?
Alex Haley
37. Of all the things that drive men to sea, the most common disaster, I’ve come to learn, is women.—— what novel starts with this line?
Middle Passage (1990)
38. Saul Bellow wrote the novel Herzog in which year?
1964
39. To be or not to be: that is the question — first poetry line written by whom?
Shakespeare
40. Departure from reason, focus on nature, and the supernatural are all features of the literature of what period?
Romanticism
41. Name the Shakespearean character who had spoken the maximum number of lines.
Hamlet
42. I write this sitting in the kitchen sink.—— what novel starts with this line?
I Capture the Castle (1948)
43. In the countable sense, what is formally a single metrical line in a poetic composition?
A verse
44. ‘Androcles And The Lion’ is an interesting play written by?
George Bernard Shaw
45. Tweedledum and Tweedledee are two characters of which Children’s book?
Alice in Wonderland.
46. Name the novel ‘Harry Potter’ which has the title with the word ‘Blood’ in it for the first time.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
47. David Foster Wallace wrote the novel The Broom of the System in which year?
1987
48. The famous poem To His Coy Mistress is written by whom?
Andrew Marvell
49. In Flanders fields the poppies blow — first poetry line written by whom?
John McCrae
50. Which author wrote Sense and Sensibility and Mansfield Park?
Jane Austen
51. Who Is My Last Duchess Based on?
Duke Alfonso II
52. Justice?—You get justice in the next world, in this world you have the law.—— what novel starts with this line?
A Frolic of His Own (1994)
53. “The Old Pond” by Matsuo Bashō is a what type of poetry?
haiku
54. Bram Stoker gave birth to a popular literary character in one of his novels in the year 1897. What was the name of that character?
Count Dracula
55. What is the oldest document of English literature?
Beowulf
56. The proper study of mankind is man — first poetry line written by whom?
Alexander Pope
57. What is the meaning of the phrase ‘Mein Kampf’ in Hitler’s autobiography of the same name?
My Struggle
58. The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie is written in which year?
1988
59. The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there. —— what novel starts with this line?
The Go-Between (1953)
60. In Mary Shelley’s novel, what is Frankenstein’s main motivation?
To animate dead tissue
61. Name the book of the Bible that follows Matthew.
Mark
62. Who is the author of ‘Kidnapped’?
Answer: Robert Louis Stevenson.
63. Sylvia Plath wrote the novel The Bell Jar in which year?
1963
64. Elements like line lengths and meters, stanza lengths, rhyme schemes (if any), and systems of repetition are called what?
A poem’s form
65. When was the first English Tragedy Gorbuduc staged?
1561
66. The character of Mustardseed was found in which Shakespearean play?
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
67. Who wrote the novel The Color Purple?
Alice Walker
68. Name the book rated by Americans as their second favorite, only next to ‘The Bible’.
Sears Roebuck Catalog
69. What is the easiest type of poem to write?
Acrostic poetry
70. Which William Wordsworth composition offers a pantheistic perspective of nature?
”Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey”
71. What term do novelists use for writing a novel that will be published under the name of someone else who is not the author?
Ghosting
72. A little learning is a dangerous thing — first poetry line written by whom?
Alexander Pope
73. what is the longest period in English literature?
Old English (Anglo-Saxon) Period (450–1066)
74. ‘What You Can Do To Avoid AIDS’ is a brilliant book written by a basketball player. Name the player.
Magic Johnson
75. What is the first English Comedy?
Ralph Roister Doister
76. Which library at Oxford University is well-known for its unique holdings of rare books and manuscripts?
The Bodleian Library
77. Vaughan died yesterday in his last car crash. —— what novel starts with this line?
Crash (1973)
78. Name the British dramatist who wrote, “The Norman Conquests” – a trilogy?
Alan Ayckbourn
79. What links Rhyme and Rhyme Scheme, Rhythm and Meter, Simile, Imagery, Symbolism, and Stanza?
Basic elements of a poem
80. In Jane Eyre, Mr. Rochester reveals himself to be a hero who is mysterious, intelligent, and compelling. What type of hero does this describe?
Byronic
81. What is the repetition of a sound or letter at the beginning of multiple words in a series?
Alliteration
82. Who is called the father of English Essays?
Francis Bacon (1561-1626)
83. Scientists have borrowed the term ‘Quark’ from a book written by a famous author. What is the name of that author?
James Joyce
84. Who wrote the novel The Great Gatsby?
F. Scott Fitzgerald
85. What is the first novel in English?
Pamela
86. The Series Of Harry Potter Books was written by whom?
Joanne ‘Jo’ Rowling (J.K. Rowling)
87. Who is called the bird of Avon?
Shakespeare
88. The towers of Zenith aspired above the morning mist; austere towers of steel and cement and limestone, sturdy as cliffs and delicate as silver rods. — what novel starts with this line?
Babbitt (1922)
89. What is a poetic device where the writer addresses a person or thing that isn’t present with an exclamation?
An apostrophe
90. Who from the list of individuals is NOT a Romantic-era poet — William Wordsworth, Lord Byron, Ann Radcliffe, and Percy Bysshe Shelley?
Ann Radcliffe
91. what are the most influential periods of English literature?
The Renaissance Period (1500-1660)
92. What is the first printed book in English?
Morte d’ Arthur
93. What device refers to poetry written without rhyme, especially if that poetry is written in iambic pentameter?
Blank verse
94. Alfred Jingle is a character from which Charles Dickens’ novel?
Pickwick Papers
95. ‘I cannot rest from travel: I will drink; Life to the lees: all times I have enjoyed; Greatly, have suffered greatly, both with those’ – are from which literature?
Tennyson’s ‘Ulysses’
96. But at my back, I always hear — first poetry line written by whom?
Andrew Marvell
97. When was the first English printing press founded?
1476
98. What is the repetition of specific consonant sounds nearby?
Consonance
99. Who is the author of The Origin Of Species?
Charles Darwin
100. Which author contributed greatly to the social acceptance of Gothic literature?
Ann Radcliffe
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