All Free English Literature MCQs with Answers
Every English Literature question in the bank, across all chapters, each with the correct answer and a written explanation. Free and unlimited, with no account needed.
3,192 questions · page 57 of 160
- A. cancelled out punishment due to sin
- B. depended entirely on literacy
- C. were considered "unimportant" by mystics
- D. were only performed by men
Explanation: Medieval Christians believed that prayers, fasting, pilgrimages, and similar devotional acts could lessen or cancel the temporal…
Correct answer: cancelled out punishment due to sin- A. it was normally supervised by a midwife
- B. it was typically dangerous for mother and infant
- C. it was normally done without medical equipment
- D. All of the Above
Explanation: Childbirth was usually attended by a midwife, lacked modern medical equipment, and carried serious risks for both mother and child.
Correct answer: All of the Above- A. 8th and 9th centuries
- B. 9th and 10th centuries
- C. 10th and 11th centuries
- D. 14th and 15th centuries
Explanation: The major women mystics associated with medieval English writing, including Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe, wrote mainly in the…
Correct answer: 14th and 15th centuries- A. Age of Enlightenment
- B. Age of Reason
- C. Platonic Period
- D. Dark Ages
Explanation: The Middle Ages are commonly called the Dark Ages, especially when they are contrasted with the classical world and the Renaissance.
Correct answer: Dark Ages- A. meditation
- B. wearing white clothing
- C. weeping
- D. All of the Above
Explanation: Margery Kempe's devotional life included meditation, habitual weeping, and distinctive white clothing associated with chastity and…
Correct answer: All of the Above- A. they were exposed to new opportunitiesto learn in universities
- B. they were not able to attend so they were virtually unaffected
- C. they were not able to attend so their education levels declined, compared to men
- D. most of them were unable to read, so they were not admitted
Explanation: Medieval universities generally excluded women, so the expansion of university education widened the educational difference between men…
Correct answer: they were not able to attend so their education levels declined, compared to men- A. popular books before the invention of the printing press
- B. books of prayers used at Christian Mass
- C. books of information about the history of the Church
- D. private books of prayers to be recited throughout the dayBooks
Explanation: A book of hours was a privately owned Christian prayer book containing prayers and devotions arranged for different hours of the day.
Correct answer: private books of prayers to be recited throughout the dayBooks- A. it provided women with the opportunity to protect their own property
- B. it provided women with a place to nourish their intellectual growth
- C. it allowed women to exercise political authority in their communities
- D. All of the Above
Explanation: Monasteries offered women protection for property, access to education and intellectual life, and opportunities for authority as abbesses…
Correct answer: All of the Above- A. secular authorities said that virginity was unimportant, while the Church highly valued it
- B. the Church said that virginity was unimportant, while the secular authorities highly valued it
- C. secular authorities said that virginity was an ethereal treasure, while religious doctrines said it was spendable
- D. religious doctrines said that virginity was an ethereal treasure, while secular authorities said it was spendable
Explanation: Religious teaching treated virginity as a valuable, almost sacred spiritual treasure, while secular society often viewed it as something…
Correct answer: religious doctrines said that virginity was an ethereal treasure, while secular authorities said it was spendable- A. they were not allowed to divorce their husbands
- B. they were not allowed to own a business without permission
- C. they were not allowed to inherit land if they had any brothers
- D. All of the Above
Explanation: Medieval women generally faced restrictions on divorce, independent business activity within marriage, and inheritance when male heirs…
Correct answer: All of the Above- A. retailers
- B. domestic servants
- C. spinners
- D. All of the Above
Explanation: Women worked in several common occupations, including domestic service, spinning and textile production, and retail or small-scale trade.
Correct answer: All of the Above- A. she was considered her husband's property
- B. she was considered equal to her husband
- C. she was more legally powerful than her husband
- D. she was her husband's property, but could not be mistreated under law
Explanation: Under the medieval doctrine of coverture, a married woman's separate legal identity and property rights were largely absorbed into those…
Correct answer: she was considered her husband's property- A. a method of communication used solely by the early Church
- B. the spreading of material by word of mouth
- C. a mode of communication used mainly after the rise of literacy
- D. a method of communication that became prominent at the end of the Middle Ages
Explanation: Oral transmission means passing stories, traditions, or information from one person to another by speaking rather than writing.
Correct answer: the spreading of material by word of mouth- A. it was a period of surging Roman institutions
- B. the production of historical records increased
- C. there are few primary sources that reconstruct the history of the time
- D. the lack of technology made it literally dark
Explanation: The label Dark Ages reflects the relative scarcity of surviving primary records for parts of the early medieval period, which makes its…
Correct answer: there are few primary sources that reconstruct the history of the time- A. invasions from barbarian tribes
- B. financial deficits from increased military expenditures
- C. falling birth rates
- D. All of the Above
Explanation: The medieval period included barbarian invasions, serious financial pressures caused by warfare, and demographic decline in several…
Correct answer: All of the Above- A. enchantment
- B. spells
- C. fairy trickery
- D. All of the Above
Explanation: Medieval romances commonly use enchantments, magical spells, and the trickery of fairies to create supernatural adventures.
Correct answer: All of the Above- A. she was the only woman to work in the oral tradition
- B. she was the first female mystic
- C. she wrote in order to support herself
- D. she was the only woman to write medieval lays
Explanation: Christine de Pizan was unusual because she earned her living through writing after becoming widowed, making her one of the earliest…
Correct answer: she wrote in order to support herself- A. estate satire
- B. medieval lays
- C. conduct books
- D. medieval allegory
Explanation: Ancrene Wisse is a guide for anchoresses, giving practical and spiritual rules for their religious life.
Correct answer: conduct books- A. it includes issues that pertain to the heart
- B. it is part of the anchoress' inner self
- C. it is the most important part of Ancrene Wisse
- D. All of the Above
Explanation: In Ancrene Wisse, the inner rule concerns the anchoress's spiritual and emotional discipline, especially the governance of the heart and…
Correct answer: All of the Above- A. Marie de France
- B. Hildegard of Bingen
- C. Christine de Pizan
- D. The Wife of Bath
Explanation: Hildegard of Bingen was a German Benedictine abbess, mystic, theologian, and writer, so she is directly associated with monastic life.
Correct answer: Hildegard of Bingen