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Free Literary Movements and Periods MCQs with Answers

529 Literary Movements and Periods MCQs from English Literature, each with the correct answer and a written explanation of why it is correct. Free and unlimited, with no account needed.

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101. Which of the following is a ceremony in which a sovereign is officially crowned ?

  • A. Investiture
  • B. Invocation
  • C. Gala
  • D. Coronation

Explanation: A coronation is the formal ceremony in which a monarch is crowned and officially invested with royal authority.

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Correct answer: Coronation

102. Staying alive was a difficult task for Elizabethans. Disease, infection, poverty, childbirth, and occupational accidents could all result in one's untimely demise. Most people never reached the age of fifty. When an Elizabethan died, intricate rituals were followed. What was NOT a funeral custom ?

  • A. Long processionals
  • B. Mourning clothes
  • C. Strict simplicity
  • D. Tolling of church bells

Explanation: Elizabethan funerals commonly included processions, mourning clothes, and the tolling of church bells.

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Correct answer: Strict simplicity

103. Who was the first Tudor King ?

  • A. Henry VIII
  • B. Henry VII
  • C. George III
  • D. James I

Explanation: Henry VII was the first Tudor king, taking the throne after defeating Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485.

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Correct answer: Henry VII

104. Everyone in Elizabethan England was born into a social class. Peasants were the unluckiest of the lot: they were denied basic comforts, security, and even the chance to dress well. Yep, the Statutes of Apparel outlined the clothes one could legally wear based on rank. Which of the following could the poor wear ?

  • A. Purple silk dresses
  • B. Woolen underwear
  • C. Sable-lined cloaks
  • D. Velvet coats

Explanation: Poor Elizabethans could wear ordinary woollen garments, including woollen underwear, whereas silk, velvet, purple clothing, and…

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Correct answer: Woolen underwear

105. What was Elizabeth's nickname for Sir Walter Raleigh ?

  • A. Waldimor
  • B. Water
  • C. William
  • D. Winter

Explanation: Elizabeth I nicknamed Sir Walter Raleigh “Water,” a playful shortening of his first name Walter.

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Correct answer: Water

106. What was a favorite entertainment in Elizabeth's court ?

  • A. Swimming
  • B. Gambling
  • C. Jousting
  • D. Backgammon

Explanation: Jousting, also called tilting, was a major court spectacle in Elizabethan England, combining martial display with pageantry.

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Correct answer: Jousting

107. The complex ranking system that Elizabethans believed ordered every single thing in the universe was known as_______________?

  • A. The Great Order of Life
  • B. The Great Chain of Being
  • C. The Great System of Shakespeare
  • D. The Great Sonnet Symbolism Maker

Explanation: The Great Chain of Being was the hierarchical order Elizabethans believed extended from God and angels through humans and animals to…

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Correct answer: The Great Chain of Being

108. Which of the following was Elizabeth known as ____________?

  • A. Unintelligent
  • B. Rude
  • C. Stingy
  • D. Fanatic

Explanation: Elizabeth I was often described as stingy or thrifty because she guarded royal finances and was reluctant to spend lavishly.

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Correct answer: Stingy

109. What religion was Mary I ?

  • A. Catholic
  • B. Anglican
  • C. Episcopalian
  • D. Presbyterian

Explanation: Mary I was a Roman Catholic monarch who attempted to restore Catholicism in England after the Protestant reigns of Henry VIII and Edward…

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Correct answer: Catholic

110. Which English king had several of his wives killed in his obsessive quest for a male heir ?

  • A. Edward VI
  • B. Richard III
  • C. George III
  • D. Henry VIII

Explanation: Henry VIII is famous for his six marriages, several of which were connected with his determination to secure a male heir.

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Correct answer: Henry VIII

111. Elizabethans had many occupational choices. One could become an apothecary, clerk, physician, or even court jester. Though there seemed to be a myriad of careers to choose from, most people still ended up being very poor. In order to survive, what illegal activity did a large number of citizens pursue ?

  • A. Begging
  • B. Money lending
  • C. Fortune-telling
  • D. Wine bottling

Explanation: Begging became widespread among the poor and was treated as an illegal or punishable activity under Tudor poor laws.

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Correct answer: Begging

112. Which language did young Elizabeth learn in secret ?

  • A. French
  • B. Gaelic
  • C. Esperanto
  • D. Welsh

Explanation: Elizabeth I learned Welsh during her childhood, reportedly with the help of her Welsh stepmother, Catherine Parr’s circle and tutors.

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Correct answer: Welsh

113. Who was the father of the Mary I_______________?

  • A. Henry VI
  • B. William
  • C. George III
  • D. Henry VIII

Explanation: Mary I was the daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, making Henry VIII her father.

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Correct answer: Henry VIII

114. The term for the reaction against corruption in the Catholic Church was known as_____________?

  • A. The Protestant Revolution
  • B. The Protestant Reformation
  • C. The Protestant Restoration
  • D. The Protestant Resolution

Explanation: The Protestant Reformation was the sixteenth-century movement that challenged corruption and doctrines within the Catholic Church and…

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Correct answer: The Protestant Reformation

115. The fine arts flourished in Elizabethan England. William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, and Edmund Spenser were some of the more famous playwrights and poets of the time. Drama, music, songs, and art were popular with noblemen and commoners alike. Exploring certain topics, however, was considered taboo in any art form. What was a strictly forbidden subject ?

  • A. Sexuality
  • B. Criticism of the queen
  • C. Murder
  • D. Witchcraft

Explanation: Open criticism of Elizabeth I was treated as sedition and could bring severe punishment, so artists avoided attacking the queen.

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Correct answer: Criticism of the queen

116. Elizabethan England was largely rural, with the majority of its population living in the verdant countryside. Towns and cities, however, were growing-and the most prominent of all was London. While Londoners were considered wealthy and arrogant, the city was begrimed, filthy, and infested with vermin. Where did people primarily dispose of their trash and wastes ?

  • A. Dump sites in the nearby country
  • B. The streets
  • C. The underground drains
  • D. Designated "trash" areas

Explanation: Elizabethan London had poor sanitation, so household rubbish and human waste were commonly thrown into the streets.

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Correct answer: The streets

117. What religion was Mary Queen of Scots ?

  • A. Episcopalian
  • B. Catholic
  • C. Presbyterian
  • D. Lutheran

Explanation: Mary, Queen of Scots, was a Roman Catholic monarch, unlike the Protestant Elizabeth I.

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Correct answer: Catholic

118. Crime was ardently followed by punishment. Elizabethans had devised various ways to fine, humiliate, torture, and kill offenders. Which crime was punishable by death ?

  • A. Skipping church on Sunday
  • B. A woman screaming at her husband in public
  • C. Stealing a horse
  • D. Public drunkenness

Explanation: Horse theft was treated as a serious capital crime in Elizabethan England, reflecting the importance of horses for transport, agriculture…

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Correct answer: Stealing a horse

119. What was Elizabeth's close circle of advisers called ?

  • A. The Star Chamber
  • B. Parliament
  • C. The Privy Council
  • D. The Cabinet

Explanation: Elizabeth I was assisted by the Privy Council, a small group of senior advisers who helped manage government and foreign policy.

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Correct answer: The Privy Council

120. Which relative did Elizabeth I have executed ?

  • A. Anne Boleyn
  • B. Mary I
  • C. Mary, Queen of Scots
  • D. Catherine of Aragon

Explanation: Elizabeth I authorised the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, in 1587 after Mary was implicated in the Babington Plot.

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Correct answer: Mary, Queen of Scots
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