All Free English Literature MCQs with Answers

• A. A play that depicts the downfall of a noble person
• B. A play in which someone gets revenge
• C. A play in which a hero faces likely defeat and overcomes it
• D. A play in which no form of humor appears

Explanation: A traditional theatrical tragedy presents the serious downfall of a central, often noble, figure through error, conflict, or fate.

• A. Hamlet's father's ghost is not really a ghost.
• B. Hamlet feels a sense of desire for both his mother and his father.
• C. Hamlet is truly insane in the play.
• D. Hamlet is an impossible play to truly understand.Collect Classic Novels

Explanation: Shoaf's reading connects Hamlet's feelings toward Gertrude with his identification and desire concerning his father, giving the play a…

• A. A play in which characters make humorous remarks
• B. A play in which characters experience reversals of fortune, usually for the better
• C. A play in which no characters die or suffer
• D. A play in which elite members of society are mocked

Explanation: Greek comedy characteristically moves through conflict and reversals toward a more favourable resolution, often restoring social order.

• A. They involve the solving of a crime.
• B. They explore mysterious religious topics.
• C. They were written by medieval mystics.
• D. They were produced by medieval craft guilds, which were knows as "mysteries".

Explanation: The term mystery comes from the medieval craft guilds, whose French name métier was associated with the production of these religious…

• A. In a Greek tragedy, evil people are vanquished by the forces of good.
• B. In a Greek tragedy, characters undergo reversals of fortune, usually for the worse.
• C. In a Greek tragedy, the hero suffers but always survives at the end of the play.
• D. In a Greek tragedy, the tragic hero dies at the end of the play.

Explanation: Greek tragedy commonly centres on a serious reversal of fortune, in which a prominent character moves from prosperity or power towards…

• A. Shakespeare presents political rulers as flawless, perfect human beings.
• B. Shakespeare presents political rulers as often meeting ruinous and violent endings.
• C. Shakespeare only presents fictional political rulers and does not explore any political realities.
• D. Shakespeare considers all political rulers to be corrupt.

Explanation: In this reading of Hamlet, political authority is shown as unstable and dangerous rather than ideal: rulers and those involved in…

• A. A character who is always cheerful and gay
• B. A character who is by nature melancholy
• C. A character whose temper is determined by the predominance of one out of the four fluids in the human body
• D. An eccentric person

Explanation: For Jonson, a humorous character is governed by one dominant bodily humour, or fluid, such as blood, phlegm, yellow bile, or black bile.

• A. Simple
• B. Complex
• C. Loose
• D. Episodic

Explanation: Aristotle distinguishes simple and complex plots, but regards the complex plot, involving reversal and recognition, as the superior tragic…

• A. It is only lyrical songs in the play
• B. It should be regarded as one of the actors
• C. It should make only reports
• D. It should only comment on the action

Explanation: Aristotle argues that the chorus should not be an ornamental singing group detached from the plot; it should function as one of the actors…

• A. John Dryden's
• B. Alexander Pope's
• C. Joseph Addison's
• D. Dr. Johnson's

Explanation: Joseph Addison condemned English tragicomedy for mixing tragic and comic effects in a way he considered artistically monstrous.

• A. 1945
• B. 1947
• C. 1949
• D. 1950

Explanation: Arthur Miller’s tragedy was first produced and published in 1949, placing it in the major post-war phase of American drama.

• A. Mildred
• B. Yank
• C. The Secretary of I.W.W.
• D. None of the above

Explanation: Yank, the stoker, is the central figure of Eugene O’Neill’s The Hairy Ape.

• A. Book of poetry
• B. A radio play
• C. A stage play
• D. a short film

Explanation: Under Milk Wood first became known as a radio play, broadcast by the BBC in 1954.

• A. George Bernard Shaw
• B. John Dryden
• C. Christopher Marlowe
• D. William Shakespeare

Explanation: The Winter’s Tale is one of Shakespeare’s late romances, combining tragedy, comedy, separation and reunion.

• A. 1564
• B. 1544
• C. 1578
• D. 1582

Explanation: William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564, traditionally recorded as 23 April.

• A. Titus Andronicus
• B. Othello
• C. Macbeth
• D. None of the above

Explanation: Titus Andronicus, Othello, and Macbeth are all classified as Shakespearean tragedies. Therefore, none of the listed plays is an exception.

• A. Anthony Hopkins
• B. Richard Burton
• C. Tom Jones
• D. Dylan Thomas

Explanation: Under Milk Wood is Dylan Thomas’s poetic radio drama, subtitled A Play for Voices.

• A. A Midsummer Night's Dream
• B. Hamlet
• C. Othello
• D. Romeo and Juliet

Explanation: Romeo speaks these words when he first sees Juliet at the Capulet feast, immediately before their famous shared sonnet.

• A. Burdock
• B. Hebenon
• C. Baneberry
• D. Hemlock

Explanation: In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the Ghost says Claudius poured “hebenon” into his ear while he slept, killing him.

• A. Accidentally stabbed by Laertes.
• B. Drowns in the river outside the castle.
• C. Suffers a fatal heart attack while watching Hamlet fight Laertes.
• D. Poisoned by drinking from Hamlet's cup.

Explanation: Gertrude unknowingly drinks from the cup Claudius has poisoned for Hamlet during the fencing match.