Exam Questions in the English Literature

1. What period of English literature is called centuries of invasions? Why did it get such a name?
What historical events took place during these times? What were the typical ideas of this age? In
which way did they find reflection in the literature of the time?
2. What are the typical literary traditions of Old English literature? What are the main literary forms
representing these traditions? What features do these forms possess? What is an epic (poem)? Why
can we call Beowulf an epic of struggle of good and evil?
3. What is an epic (poem)? Why can we call Beowulf an epic of struggle of good and evil? Define the
term “an epic hero”. What are characteristics of such “an epic hero”? Why can we call Beowulf an
embodiment of this type?
4. What period of English literature do we call medieval? What was its historical background like?
What literary forms can be distinguished in English literature of the Middle Ages?
5. What is a romance? Prove that “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” is a typical example of a French
romance. Which other romances do you know?
6. Why is the period of Middle English literature often referred to as “the Age of Chaucer”? What do
you know about Geoffrey Chaucer? Prove that his “Prologue” for The Canterbury Tales is an estate
satire and possesses a colourful cast of characters.
7. What is a ballad? What are the typical features of ballads? What English ballads do you know?
8. What are morality and mystery plays? What ideas of the age did they reflect?
9. What period of the history of English literature is referred to as Renaissance? What is the historical
context of this epoch? What were cultural influences of this time and how were they reflected in the
literature of this period?
10. What is a pastoral poem? Who were the most distinguished Renaissance poets of this literary form?
What is a sonnet? What types of sonnets do you know? What are their typical features?
11. Define literary forms of “comedy” and “tragedy”. Which Renaissance authors excelled in these
forms? What do you know about their backgrounds? Speak on his/ her comedies and tragedies.
12. Define the terms “blank verse” and “allusion”? Which work of the Renaissance period combines
all of them? Speak about the author and this work. What was important about this poem?
13. Define the term “cavalier poetry”. Which authors of the Renaissance period belonged to the group
of cavalier poets? What are the main characteristics of cavalier poetry?
14. Define the term “metaphysical poetry”. Which authors of the Renaissance period belonged to the
group of metaphysical poets? What are the main characteristics of metaphysical poetry?
15. What is metaphysical conceit? Speak about metaphysical conceits in John Donne’s poems A
Valediction: Forbidden Morning and Holy Sonnet 10.
16. What period in English literature is called Restoration? Why did it get such a name? What were the
new philosophical ideas of the period? How was the new philosophy reflected in literature?
17. What is satire? Which authors of the Restoration period used it to the best advantage? What do you
know about his background? Speak about his poems (themes, forms). Say which social, economic,
political, and religious features of the period are reflected in them.
18. What period in the history of English literature is called Romanticism? Why is it often called “a
time of revolution”? What are its characteristic features? What were the new philosophical ideas of
the period? How was the new philosophy reflected in literature? What directions can be
distinguished in English Romanticism?
19. Define the term “symbol”. Analyse W. Blake’s poem The Tyger. Speak about its symbolism. Why
can we call this poem ‘visionary’?
20. What is conservative romanticism? Which two poets of the period represent this direction? Why are
they called “Lake District poets”? How did their interest in common life influence their poetry?
Speak about their verses and their collaboration. What late Romantics do you know? What are
characteristic features of their poetry? How is it different from conservative romanticism?
21. What is figurative language? Analyse G.G. Byron’s poems She Walks in Beauty and When We Two
are Parted. What emotions are expressed by the speakers of these poems? Who does figurative
language help to achieve this effect?
22. What is apostrophe? G.G. Byron uses apostrophe in Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage an effective
method for conveying strong emotion. Find two passages from the poem that you think serve as
good illustrations, and explain why you chose them.
23. Define the term “Byronic hero”. What are characteristics of a “Byronic hero? Why can we call
Lord Byron an embodiment of this type?
24. What is irony? Analyse P.B. Shelly’s poem Ozymandias. What is ironic about the statue’s
inscription? What does the irony suggest about the theme of the poem? What types of irony can be
found in the poem? How does the irony support the theme of the verse?
25. Define the term “stanza’. What is the structure of P.B. Shelly’s poem Ode to the West Wind? What
ideas are symbolized by the elements of nature in it?
26. What is rhythmic pattern? How is rhythm used in P.B. Shelly’s ode To a Skylark? How skillfully
does he use other sound devices besides meter?
27. What is an ode? Analyse J. Keats’ ode To Autumn. In what ways are his experiences reflected in the
poems?
28. John Keats has been widely praised for creating vivid imagery (e.g. pleasing sound patterns) in his
poems. Analyse his Ode to a Nightingale. How does each image contribute to the poem’s effect?
29. What is a Gothic novel? Why can we say that Mary Shelly’s “Frankenstein” is “a testament to the
overwhelming power and scope of her imagination”. Which episodes of her life resulted in the
creation of the novel? Why can the novel be called allegorical?
30. What is a sentimental novel? Prove that Jane Austen’s novels belong to this type. Why can we call
her works “marriage-and-manners novels”? Prove the truth of the term on one of her novels. What
was important about her novels?
31. What period is called the Victorian Age? Speak about its historical, social and cultural forces. What
were Victorian values? Why did Victorian writers move in the direction of realism?
32. What is a novel? Which forms of novels emerged during the 19 th century? What are their
characteristic features? What is a realistic novel? Which authors of the Victorian Age worked in
this literary direction? Which representative of this period can be called “the writer with the
mission”? Prove your ideas by names of the novels and problems raised in them.
33. Define the term “a regionalist novel”. Give the names of authors who worked in this literary
direction. Prove that Charlotte and Emily Bronte’s works are regionalist novels.
34. What period in the history of English literature is called modernistic? What caused the emergence
of Modernism in Britain? What are its characteristic features? Who are the best representatives of
this movement in English Literature?
35. Speak about the Bloomsberries? What kind of group were they? What was their political
philosophy like? Who were the main representatives of this group?
36. Define the term “stream of consciousness”. Which author of the modernistic period uses this
technique to the best advantage?
37. What is the Irish Revival? What caused its emergence? Which authors are closely associated with
this movement? What do you know about their backgrounds?
38. Define the term “imagery”? Prove that T.S. Eliot’s The Hollow Men is rich in sensory imagery.
Describe the images that you find to be the most striking. Explain what they have in common, what
mood they evoke, and what they suggest about the hollow men and their world.
39. Define the term “style”. Prove that T.S. Eliot created a new, modern style of poetry using Preludes
as an example.
40. What is psychological fiction? Which technique is closely associated with it? Which authors of the
modernistic period excelled in this genre? Explain your choice. Prove that V. Woolf’s short story
The Duchess and the Jeweller is a vivid example of psychological fiction.
41. Define the term “symbol”. What is a controlling symbol? Prove that D.H. Laurence’s story The
Rocking-Horse Winner is full of symbols?
42. Define the term “theme”. What methods do writers use to develop it? What theme(s) does D.H.
Laurence communicate to the reader in The Rocking-Horse Winner? What literary elements does he
employ to convey this theme?
43. Define the term “viewpoint”? What types of point of your do you know? What are advantages and
disadvantages of different viewpoints? Which one characterizes J. Joyce’s Araby? Would a third-
person omniscient narrator have presented a more engaging depiction of romantic infatuation?
Explain why or why not.
44. Define the term “a descriptive detail”. Prove that J. Joyce’s Araby is full of descriptive details.
Which of them most strongly convey the narrator’s reality and his romantic vision?
45. Define the terms ‘foreshadowing” and “flashback”. Prove that E. Bowen’s in her dark, spine-
tingling story The Demon Lover often relies on these narrative techniques to engage readers.
46. Speak about English literature of the 1930s. What are its main trends? Who are the best
representatives of this period? Describe two authors of the period.
47. Speak about English literature after 1945. What are the main directions, genres and themes?
Describe two authors of the period.
48. Speak about fantastic worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. What is similar and different in the
fictional worlds they created?
49. Define the term “irony”. Why can we characterize Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series as ironic
fiction? Explain on the example of the novel you have read.
50. Speak about English literature of the 2000s. What are the main directions, genres and themes?
Describe two authors of the period.