ENG 441: SURVEY OF ENGLISH LITERATURE

SAMPLED PAST QUESTIONS AND SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS

QUIZ ONE
1. King Lear went mad because ______________.
A. he was hurt by his daughters’ mistreatment of him
B. he missed his youngest daughter, Cordelia, so much
C. he was disappointed by his son in-laws
D. None of the above

2. Which character in Shakespeare’s King Lear was blinded?

A. Kent
B. Lear
C. Cordelia
D. Gloucester p. 78 (Gloucester’s eyes are gouged by Cornwall)

3. Which of the following statements is TRUE about humanism?

A. It focuses on man rather than the church p. 62
B. It considers God as the ultimate in all things
C. It focuses on human and nature relations
D. It is an abstract philosophy about God

4. What was the purpose of the Canterbury Tales?

A. To illustrate how English stories were told during pilgrimages
B. To give an idea about English manners
C. To give a vivid description about English life and manners of the 14th century
D. To describe English life of the 15th century to the outside world p. 6

5. Which of the following is NOT a renaissance figure?

A. Galileo
B. Thomas Hobbes p. 62
C. Desiderius Erasmus
D. Petrarch

6. Secular translations made during the renaissance were mostly from __________.
A. Greek and English
B. Vernacular and Latin
C. Latin and Greek p. 69
D. Hebrew and Latin

7. Roughly how many plays did William Shakespeare complete?

A. 28
B. 48
C. 36
D. 38 p. 74

SURVEY OF ENGLISH LITERATURE QUIZ ONE

8. Which one of the following is NOT a character in Shakespeare’s King Lear?
A. Regan
B. Gloucester
C. Rochester
D. Kent

9. The Wife of Bath was a very religious woman.

A. True
B. False p. 32

10. The Knight came on pilgrimage straight from the battlefield.

A. True*** p. 12 “…just home from service, he had joined our ranks”
B. False

11. People often went on pilgrimage in the summer.

A. True
B. False p. 8

12. Phoebus loved his crow very much.

A. True p. 48
B. False

13. What kind of tale is the Manciple’s Tale?

A. Aetiological tale
B. Morality tale
C. Fabliaux p. 54
D. Fairytale

14. Which one of the following plays is an example of the histories?

A. Troilus and Crissda
B. Julius Caesar
C. Henry V p. 74
D. King Lear

15. Which one of the following is a theme in Shakespeare’s King Lear?

A. Fate p. 79
B. Love
C. Fear
D. Envy

SURVEY OF ENGLISH LITERATURE QUIZ ONE

16. 680 AD – 1480 AD
A. Romantic Period
B. Middle Period p. 3
C. Augustan Period
D. Neo-Classical Period

17. 1793 AD – 1832 AD

A. Modern Period
B. Victorian Period
C. Romantic Period p. 3
D. Renaissance Period

18. The Book of Duchess was written by _____________.

A. Geoffrey Chaucer p. 5
B. Jonathan Swift
C. Thomas Moore
D William Shakespeare

19. Chaucer’s Knight was gaily dressed

A. True
B. False p. 16

20. Chaucer portrays the prioress as a very religious person.

A. True
B. False p. 18

21. “He was a wealthy man who lived an epicurean lifestyle.” Who is this
character in Chaucer’s Prologue?
A. The Merchant
B. The Franklin p. 24
C. The Monk
D. The Miller

22. Which of the following is presented as a more committed Christian?

A. The Monk
B. The Friar
C. The Nun
D. The Parson p. 32

23. Which one of the following is NOT a metaphysical poet?

A. Andrew Marvel
B. John Donne
C. George Herbert
D. John Milton p. 70

SURVEY OF ENGLISH LITERATURE QUIZ ONE

24. Which of the following writers is associated with The Canterbury Tales?
A. Geoffrey Chaucer p. 5
B. Philip Sydney
C. Thomas A. Becket
D. William Shakespeare

25. The Merchant in The Canterbury Tales is described as a _____________.

A. man ruled by animalistic instincts
B. man who lived an austere life
C. very stylish and elegant man p. 23
D. wealthy man who believes in living in luxury

26. The Franklin in The Canterbury Tales is described as a _______________.

A. man ruled by animalistic instincts
B. man who lived an austere life
C. very stylish and elegant man
D. wealthy man who believes in living in luxury p. 24

27. The Parson in The Canterbury Tales is described as a ________________.

A. crafty and ambitious man
B. perfect man
C. sincere, truthful and sympathetic man p. 32
D. tough, hardened and knowledgeable man

28. The main character in the Manciple’s Tale is ______________.

A. MacFlecknoe
B. Phoebus p. 53
C. Shadwell
D. The Manciple

29. All the following were major writers of the Renaissance except ______.
A. Andrew Marvel
B. John Spenser
C. Oliver Goldsmith pp. 70, 71
D. Thomas Kyd

30. Select the ODD work out.

A. A Midsummer Night Dream
B. Anthony and Cleopatra p. 74 (only B is a tragedy, the rest are comedies)
C. The Taming of the Shrew
D. Twelfth Night

SURVEY OF ENGLISH LITERATURE QUIZ ONE

31. One of the themes in King Lear is _____________.
A. Allusion and prevalence
B. Corruption
C. Heroism
D. Illusion and reality p. 78

32. Studies in English Literature began from the Middle Ages.

A. True p. 4
B. False

33. The period 1360 to 1400 is generally regarded as the highest point in the
literary achievement of the Middle Ages.
A. True p. 4
B. False

34. The Middle Ages is sometimes referred to as the Age of Renaissance.

A. True
B. False p. 4 (rather known as the Medieval Period)

35. The division of English Literature into periods is to make it convenient to give
close attention to each segment.
A. True p. 3
B. False

36. The Manciple’s Tale is a satire.

A. True
B. False pp. 54, 55

37. The Canterbury Tales is divided into _____________ parts.

A. forty-five
B. three
C. twenty-five
D. two p. 5 (the prologue and the tales)

38. The Canterbury Tales gives a broad view of ____________ century England.
A. 12th
B. 13th
C. 14th p. 6
D. 15th

SURVEY OF ENGLISH LITERATURE QUIZ ONE

39. One of the factors that influenced the rise and spread of the Renaissance was
________________.
A. humanism p. 62
B. Literature
C. the industrial revolution
D. religion

40. The most dominant genre of the Renaissance period were _____________.
A. prose and poetry
B. poetry and drama p. 65
C. drama and prose
D. drama, prose and poetry

41. One of Shakespeare’s Histories plays is _______________.

A. Romeo and Juliet
B. Julius Caesar
C. Titus Androcus
D. Henry VIII p. 74

42. The daughters of King Lear were Goneril, Cordelia and _______________.
A. Kent
B. Edgar
C. Regan p. 77
D. Cornwall

43. Which of the following period best describes the Metaphysical Period?
A. 1485 – 1603
B. 1603 – 1660 p. 3
C. 1660 – 1785
D. 1793 – 1832

44. Which of the following is also referred to as “The Medieval Period”?

A. The Renaissance Period
B. The Metaphysical Period
C. The Middle Ages p. 4
D. The Victorian Period

45. Geoffrey Chaucer wrote _____________.

A. The Silent Woman
B. Volpone
C. The Alchemist
D. The Book of the Duchess p. 5

SURVEY OF ENGLISH LITERATURE QUIZ ONE

46. The Canterbury Tales provides the reader a broad view of ___________
England.
A. 12th century
B. 13th century
C. 14th century p. 6
D. 15th century

47. Each pilgrim in the Canterbury Tales was to tell two stories.
A. True
B. False p. 5 (four stories; two on the way to Canterbury and two on the way back from
Canterbury)

48. “Paradise Lost” was written by ____________.

A. Samuel Johnson
B. John Dryden
C. John Donne
D. John Milton p. 70

49. Chaucer originally wrote in Old English.

A. True
B. False p. 6 (Middle English)

50. Chaucer joined the company of 26 people on the pilgrimage to Canterbury.

A. True
B. False p. 8 (29 people)

51. Chaucer tells the reader that the Knight’s uniform is old and unattractive.
A. True p. 16
B. False

52. The Yeoman is the young son of the Knight.

A. True
B. False p. 17 (the squire is rather the son of the Knight)

53. Which of the following is described as greedy, sexually promiscuous and

corrupt?
A. The Knight
B. The Yeoman
C. The Monk
D. The Friar p. 19

SURVEY OF ENGLISH LITERATURE QUIZ ONE

54. “He has the wisdom of Solomon.” What literary device is found in this line?
A. Metaphor
B. Allusion p. 55
C. Hyperbole
D. Analogy

55. This prose style is lively, jumpy and has short sentences.
A. Ciceronian
B. Ornate
C. Renaissance
D. Senecan p. 65

56. Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure and Troilus & Crissda are examples of
______________.
A. dark comedies p. 74
B. tragedies
C. farces
D. dark farces

57. Choose the ODD one out.

A. Kent (of the four options A-D, Kent is the only one loyal to King Lear).
B. Regan
C. Goneril
D. Edmund

58. In Chaucer’s General Prologue, which month is appropriate for pilgrimage?

A. May
B. April pp. 7, 8
C. March
D. June

59. Who was the Yeoman in the General Prologue?

A. A servant of pilgrims
B. A servant to a squire
C. A servant to the knight p. 17
D. A servant to Chaucer

60. Which one of the following is NOT an appropriate description of the Friar?
A. Greedy
B. Snobbish
C. Promiscuous
D. Thief p. 19

SURVEY OF ENGLISH LITERATURE QUIZ ONE

61. Which one of the following does NOT appropriately describe the Franklin?
A. He had a white beard
B. He was a wealthy man
C. He believed in pleasure
D. He was a wise man p. 24

62. How many tales in all was each pilgrim expected to tell?
A. 1
B. 2
C. 3
D. 4 p. 5

63. Which of Shakespeare’s plays is a tragi-comedy?

A. Julius Caesar
B. Twelfth Night
C. Hamlet
D. The Merchant of Venice p. 75

64. The Canterbury Tales is a collection of 24 stories in verse and prose.

A. True p. 5
B. False

65. Which lines in “The Manciple’s Tale” introduces the reader to the main
character? First ________ lines.
A. 10
B. 15
C. 20
D. 25 p. 53

66. Chaucer tells the reader that the Cook had a ________ on his leg.
A. ring
B. sign
C. sore p. 25
D. tattoo

67. Which of the following characters in The Canterbury Tales led an epicurean
lifestyle? The ___________.
A. Franklin p. 24
B. Merchant
C. Cook
D. Squire

SURVEY OF ENGLISH LITERATURE QUIZ ONE

68. Which Renaissance writer began the translation of the Bible into English?
A. Sir Thomas Elyot
B. John Wycliff p. 69
C. Sir Philip Sydney
D. John Milton

69. Shakespeare’s plays can be divided into ______________.

A. two
B. three p. 74 (histories, comedies and tragedies)
C. four
D. five

70. Which of the following marks the Metaphysical Period in English Literature?
A. 680 – 1480 AD
B. 1485 – 1603 AD
C. 1603 – 1660 AD p. 3
D. 1660 – 1785 AD

71. In “The Manciple’s Tale”, Phoebus’ wife is Amphion.

A. True
B. False p. 48

72. Which of the following pilgrims was introduced first in the Canterbury Tales?
A. The Friar
B. The Knight p. 16
C. The Monk
D. The Squire

73. Who is the youngest of King Lear’s daughters?

A. Cordelia p. 82
B. Goneril
C. Gloucester
D. Regan

74. Which of the following characters in the Canterbury Tales is described as a

greedy, snobbish, sexually promiscuous and corrupt person?
A. The Franklin
B. The Merchant
C. The Monk
D. The Friar p. 19

SURVEY OF ENGLISH LITERATURE QUIZ ONE

75. Which of the following manifested Shakespeare’s genius?
A. Comedies
B. Histories
C. Tragi-comedies
D. Tragedies p. 74

76. Chaucer’s aim in the Tales was to give a vivid idea about the life and manners
of the 15th century England.
A. True
B. False p. 6

77. The Yeoman is the Squire’s travelling companion and also his personal body
guard.
A. True p. 17
B. False

78. He is described as someone who leads an epicurean lifestyle. Who is he? The
__________.
A. Friar
B. Franklin p. 24
C. Miller
D. Plowman

79. Which of the following characters in the Canterbury Tales has a sore on his
leg?
A. The Knight
B. The Monk
C. The Cook p. 25
D. The Skipper

80. One of Shakespeare’s comedies is ___________.

A. Anthony and Cleopatra
B. Titus Androcus
C. The Winter’s Tale
D. A Midsummer Night’s Dream p. 74

81. Which of the following is true about England after the return of Charles II?
A. The Tory party was made up of dissenters
B. The Whigs supported the Anglican Church
C. There were two main parties; the Tories and the Whigs p. 88
D. The bubonic plague claimed over 100,000 people

SURVEY OF ENGLISH LITERATURE QUIZ ONE

82. John Lock’s philosophy held that _______.
A. man’s capacity to understand everything was immerse
B. man’s capacity to understand everything was limited
C. humans have a disorganized mind
D. the human mind was difficult to understand

83. Dryden’s “Mac Flecknoe” is an example of a/an ___.

A. mock heroic poem p. 111
B. mock satirical poem
C. elegy
D. panegyric

84. In which period was it insisted that rules of writing tragedy, comedy and epic
be strictly followed?
A. Augustan period p. 94
B. Classical period
C. Romantic period
D. Modern period

85. 1793 AD – 1832 AD

A. Modern period
B. Victorian period
C. Romantic period p. 3
D. Renaissance period

86. Which of the following is an epic poem?

A. “Epithalamion”
B. “L’Allegro”
C. “Paradise Lost” p. 100
D. “The Conquest of Granada”

87. One of the devices below that is NOT used in “Mac Flecknoe” is ________.
A. allusion
B. analogies pp. 111, 112
C. hyperbole
D. invectives

88. An example of Horatian satire is _______.

A. The Aeneid
B. A Modest Proposal
C. The Rape of the Lock p. 104
D. The Rivals

SURVEY OF ENGLISH LITERATURE QUIZ ONE

89. The poem “Mac Flecknoe” is an example of ________.
A. comic epic
B. Horatian satire
C. Juvenelian satire
D. mock heroic p. 107

90. Whereas The Illiad contains 12 books, “Mac Flecknoe” has only _____ lines.
A. 12
B. 120
C. 217 p. 111
D. 270

91. Which writer argued that human nature should be regulated by the
imposition of an absolute government since man was selfish and full of passion?
A. John Lock
B. Alexander Pope
C. Thomas Hobbes
D. Jonathan Swift

92. One of the terms used to describe the 18th century is the _______.
A. Neo classical age p. 87
B. industrial revolution
C. Renaissance revolution
D. age of sentimentalism

93. The most popular genre of the 18th century was _______.
A. drama
B. poetry p. 100
C. prose
D. tragi-comedy

94. One of the devices used in the satire “Mac Flecknoe” is ________.
A. Invectives pp. 111, 112
B. Metaphors
C. Similes
D. Sarcasm

95. Which period in English Literature is also known as “The Enlightenment”?

A. Augustan p. 87
B. Renaissance
C. Victorian
D. Modern

SURVEY OF ENGLISH LITERATURE QUIZ ONE

96. Two characters in “Mac Flecknoe” are Mac Flecknoe and _______.
A. Shadwell p. 109
B. Defoe
C. Edmund
D. Gloucester

97. Goldsmith’s She Stoops to Conquer is an example of _________.

A. comedy of errors
B. comedy of manners
C. sentimental comedy p. 101
D. romantic comedy

98. Which of the following is an example of a Juvenelian Satire?

A. “A Modest Proposal” p. 103
B. “The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born”
C. “The Rape of the Lock”
D. “The Aeneid”

99. ‘Awake my St. John! Leave meaner things/ To low ambition and the pride of
Kings’.
These lines contain ___________.
A. sestet
B. couplet p. 96
C. interior rhyme
D. wit

100. Name the character satirized in Dryden’s “Mac Flecknoe”.

A. Flecknoe
B. Shadwell p. 107
C. Heywood
D. Shirley

101. King Charles was restored to the English throne in ___________.

A. 1560
B. 1660 p. 87
C. 1760
D. 1650

102. Which of the following period best describes the Victorian Period?
A. 1603 – 1660
B. 1660 – 1785
C. 1793 – 1832
D. 1832 – 1901

SURVEY OF ENGLISH LITERATURE QUIZ ONE

103. Which of the pilgrims is the young son of the Knight?
A. The Franklin
B. The Friar
C. The Squire
D. The Yeoman

104. Geoffrey Chaucer wrote ………

A. the alchemist
B. the legend of good women
C. the silent woman
D. volpone

105. Who wrote Paradise Lost?

A. Andrew Marvel
B. George Herbert
C. Ben Jonson
D. John Milton

106. Which book argues that human nature should be regulated by the
imposition of an absolute government since man was selfish and full of passion?
A. Gulliver’s Travels
B. Leviathan
C. Essay on Man
D. The Way of the World ***

107. ……… is an example of epic poem.

A. A Modest Proposal
B. The Rape of the Lock
C. Volpone
D. The Aeneid

108. Initially, each pilgrim in The Canterbury Tales is to tell ……… stories.
A. two
B. three
C. four
D. five

109. In an epic, the opening/introduction is also known as ………

A. prologue
B. proposition
C. procession
D. proposal

SURVEY OF ENGLISH LITERATURE QUIZ ONE

110. Which of the pilgrims devoted his time and energy to learning?
A. The Friar
B. The Merchant
C. The Oxford Cleric
D. The Knight

111. The period 1360 – 1400 is generally regarded as the highest point in the
literary achievement of the Middle Ages.
A. True
B. False

112. Cordelia is the eldest daughter of King Lear.

A. True
B. False

113. “Mac Flecknoe” is a satire.

A. True ***
B. False

114. Pope’s poem, “The Rape of the Lock” is an example of Juvenelian Satire.
A. True
B. False

115. The comedy of manners highlighted and ridiculed the manners of the
fashionable upper-class.
A. True
B. False

116. His job involved buying food and provisions for institutions such as colleges,
monasteries among others Who is this pilgrim in The Canterbury Tales?
A. The Miller
B. The Monk
C. The Manciple
D. The Merchant

117. Which of the pilgrims has a sore on his leg?

A. The Squire
B. The Friar
C. The Yeoman
D. The Cook

SURVEY OF ENGLISH LITERATURE QUIZ ONE

118. The term invented during the Renaissance to describe the attempt to
transition the future of man by refocusing the light on his past is ………
A. humanism
B. humanitatis
C. humanitas
D. humanista

119. Who wrote the poem “To His Coy Mistress”?

A. John Donne
B. George Herbert
C. Ben Jonson
D. Andrew Marvel

120. One of the histories of Shakespeare is ………

A. Richard II
B. Romeo and Juliet
C. Merry Wives of Windsor
D. Titus Androcus

121. Which writer wrote “Mac Flecknoe”?

A. Christopher Marlowe
B. John Donne
C. John Dryden
D. Ben Jonson

DISCLAIMER!!!
UCC as a top-notch educational institution, has loads of questions in its bank and is
well versed in the setting of examination questions. The likelihood of shying away
from past questions and setting totally new questions from the modules is very high,
and candidates are hereby cautioned not to rely ENTIRELY on past questions;
neglecting their modules in the process. Thank you.

OCTOBER 2022.

SURVEY OF ENGLISH LITERATURE QUIZ ONE