All Free English Literature MCQs with Answers

• A. it led to the rise of Germanic cultures
• B. it created a conflict Christianity and paganism
• C. it led to the end of Roman forms of governing
• D. All of the Above

Explanation: The withdrawal of Roman authority ended Roman administration, allowed Germanic peoples and cultures to dominate, and produced tension…

• A. the public disinterest in popular tales about romance
• B. the increased interest in stories written in medieval Latin
• C. the decreased public interest in religious stories
• D. the French lords' lack of interest in tales of courtly love

Explanation: Troubadour poetry represented the growing taste for secular, romantic and courtly subjects rather than exclusively religious writing.

• A. "Revelations of Divine Love"
• B. "The Book of Margery Kempe"
• C. "An Orison to Almighty God"
• D. "The Wooing of Our Lord

Explanation: Julian of Norwich's Revelations of Divine Love develops the image of Christ as a nurturing or suffering mother, presenting divine love…

• A. the triptych
• B. the flail
• C. the rudder
• D. the letter press

Explanation: The printing press, or letterpress, made books faster and cheaper to produce, greatly widening access to reading material and supporting…

• A. it includes issues that pertain to the heart
• B. it refers to anchoress' everyday behavior
• C. it is part of the anchoress' inner self
• D. it is the most important part of Ancrene Wisse

Explanation: In Ancrene Wisse, outer rule concerns an anchoress's external and everyday conduct, while inner rule concerns spiritual discipline and the…

• A. most medieval women had some property
• B. married women could hold property once they had children
• C. married women could hold property without their husband's consent
• D. widows could hold property

Explanation: Medieval legal customs generally allowed widows to inherit or control property, although the rights of married women were usually…

• A. medieval lay
• B. courtly love
• C. hagiography
• D. romance

Explanation: The Passion of Saints Perpetua and Felicity recounts the lives, suffering and martyrdom of Christian saints, making it a work of…

• A. the value of practical virtues over traditional feminine virtues
• B. the merit of women
• C. the lack of truth in men's stereotypes about women
• D. All of the Above

Explanation: Christine de Pizan's Book of the City of Ladies defends women's merit, challenges male stereotypes, and values women's practical and moral…

• A. a hero in a courtly romance
• B. a member of a sect that was considered heretical
• C. a female mystic
• D. an illiterate anchoress

Explanation: The Lollards were followers of John Wycliffe whose religious ideas challenged established Church doctrine and were condemned as heretical.

• A. it improved communication between societies
• B. it increased the amount of printed material available to the masses
• C. it created a more unrestricted circulation of texts
• D. All of the Above

Explanation: Printing made texts cheaper and more plentiful, allowed them to circulate beyond restricted manuscript communities, and improved the…

• A. she said that the institution was too flawed
• B. she claimed she was already married to God
• C. she wanted to make a political statement against the Church
• D. she was concerned about loss of property

Explanation: Catherine of Siena regarded herself as mystically married to Christ and therefore chose religious virginity instead of an earthly…

• A. a type of literature concerned with the behavior of anchorites
• B. a type of early literature produced solely by medieval women writers
• C. a literary convention based on the code of behavior associated with chivalrous romance
• D. a method of oral transmission

Explanation: Courtly love was a literary ideal shaped by chivalric conduct, in which the lover served and praised an often socially superior beloved.

• A. it assured him that his children were his own
• B. it assured him that his wife would carry a dowry with her
• C. it assured him that his wife was not a sinner
• D. it assured him that her wife would never commit adultery

Explanation: In a patriarchal society, a wife’s virginity was treated as evidence that her husband could trust the paternity of her children.

• A. nobility
• B. adultery
• C. chastity
• D. All of the Above

Explanation: Courtly-love literature commonly combines aristocratic nobility, idealized chastity, and illicit or adulterous desire.

• A. people who attempt to found their own religious orders
• B. people who reject asceticism and contemplation
• C. people who attempted to contact God without the intervention of an established religious order
• D. people who were formally tied to religious orders

Explanation: Lay mystics sought a direct experience of God without belonging to, or relying entirely on, an established religious order.

• A. pilgrimages
• B. charitable donations
• C. prayers on the sinner's behalf
• D. All of the Above

Explanation: Pilgrimage, charitable giving, and prayers for sinners were all recognised forms of medieval devotion.

• A. people brought tales of romance from different literary and cultural traditions back from their trips
• B. merchants started to import rare silks and spices from new trade roots
• C. architects from Western Europe were influenced by new Eastern styles
• D. All of the Above

Explanation: Crusading travel increased contact between Western Europe and the East, bringing new stories, luxury goods, artistic influences, and…

• A. 9th century
• B. 10th century
• C. 11th century
• D. 12th century

Explanation: The Norman Conquest began in 1066, when William, Duke of Normandy, defeated Harold at the Battle of Hastings.

• A. The Romance of the Rose
• B. "Book of Hours"
• C. The Bible
• D. The Art of Courtly Love

Explanation: The Bible was copied more extensively than any other medieval book because it was the central text of Christian worship and learning.

• A. teachers
• B. scribes
• C. authors
• D. All of the Above

Explanation: Medieval nuns could teach, copy manuscripts as scribes, and compose religious writings as authors.