English Literature- Practice Exam – Flashcards
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How did Dickens' early life mirror his own novels?
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As a child, his family was thrown into debtors' prison and he had to go to work in a factory.
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During the Victorian era, improvements in technology increased rapidly. In what way was British society altered as a result of these changes?
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It altered the manner in which the British people interacted with the world.
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In The Knight's Tale from Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, who ends up getting married?
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Palamon
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What is a caesura?
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A short break in the middle of a line.
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In The Miller's Tale of 'The Canterbury Tales', when Absalon arrives at the window to ask for a kiss, Alisoun presents her _____.
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rear end
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Which buzzword is associated with new criticism?
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Close reading
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How does the work of Isabel Allende illustrate the elements of magical realism?
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Her work combines natural and magical elements together.
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What is one of the primary interests of postmodern literary theory?
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The Other
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Analysis is a method of:
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Query
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A successful analytical essay needs:
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Textual support
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What is the main goal of an analytical essay?
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To examine a work's components to see how they work together to form the whole.
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Which of the following is NOT true regarding the Theater of the Absurd?
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It was popularized in 1920s and 1930s theater.
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A technique referred to as 'shifting perspective' is utilized extensively in Virginia Woolf's _____.
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'To the Lighthouse
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Why is Joyce's Ulysses particularly challenging to read and analyze?
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There are so many different styles of writing throughout the book.
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Which turn-of-the-century author demonstrated an interest in breaking down barriers such as race, class, and sexual orientation, in order to facilitate human connections and interactions?
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E.M. Forster
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Which of the following words BEST identifies a general characteristic of Dorian Gray?
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superficial
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E.M. Forster's 'Howards End' emphasizes the realities of _____ in turn-of-the-century England.
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middle class lifestyle
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According to William Godwin, reason, and not _____, was the key to the progress of humanity.
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government regulation
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According to Philip Sidney, imagination is a central, distinguishing component of _____.
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poetry
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Which of these is the most clear indicator of Romantic influence on Ruskin's thought?
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His concept of the role of an artist.
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In addition to being a writer, Jonathan Swift was also highly involved in politics. Which issue did his sarcastic comments regarding baby-eating address?
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The living conditions of poor Irish people.
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Regarding John Stuart Mill, which of the following statements is true?
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He developed utilitarian philosophy, which argues the importance of happiness.
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Womens' access to equal rights and education is a central topic in _____.
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'A Vindication of the Rights of Women'
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According to John Stuart Mill, individuals ought to be free to pursue _____, so long as they do not cause harm to others.
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happiness
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Which is the best description of Restoration comedy?
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Risque and witty
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What is the subtitle of Richardson's Pamela?
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Or, Virtue Rewarded
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In Defoe's Robinson Crusoe, who does Crusoe meet when shipwrecked that becomes his companion?
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Friday
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What is most likely to be the content subject for an analytical essay?
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All of the answers are correct.
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Which of the following is NOT a famous literary author?
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Galileo
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Which literary technique is Joyce credited for developing?
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the purposeful use of stream of consciousness
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How are the opening lines of T. S. Eliot's The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock meant to affect the reader?
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Disorient the reader and challenge expectations.
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Why is James Joyce's work Ulysses so different from his first published work, Dubliners?
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Ulysses is much more experimental in language and style as his writing changed to that of a full Modernist.
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In a prose structure, what is the subtext?
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The ideas buried beneath the literal words of the text
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According to most modern schools of literary theory, how important is a text's author in determining its meaning?
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The author's input means just as much as her/his audience's.
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What two elements are combined in magical realism?
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Realistic elements and magical elements.
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Why does Mr. Bulstrode give alcohol to Raffles?
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To hasten his death, because Raffles knows about Bulstrode's past.
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Which Robert Brown poem features a mentally troubled narrator who possibly had his first wife murdered?
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'My Last Duchess'
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What period of time would be considered the era of Victorian literature?
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British literature written between 1837 and 1901
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What is the prevailing theme in Shelley's Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus?
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Like Prometheus, there are consequences when mankind attempts to play God.
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In Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, why does Elizabeth Bennet act in a selfish way towards her family?
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She follows her individual will and intuition rather than her reason.
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How did Jane Austen's use her narrative skills to confront the social conventions of her time?
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By using humor and comedy
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The following lines are from Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem 'Frost at Midnight': 'The Frost performs its secret ministry /Unhelped by any wind...' What technique is Coleridge using here?
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Personification
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In which type of novel would one most likely see a red herring?
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A mystery
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How do iambic verse and trochaic verse differ?
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In iambic verse, the even numbered syllables are accented, while in trochaic verse the odd numbered syllables are accented.
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William Shakespeare wrote for a organization known as _____, which performed at London's Globe Theatre.
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Lord Chamberlain's Men
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William Shakespeare is often noted to have had his plays performed at _____, which tragically burned down in the 1613, but has been restored an is open for visitors today.
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the Globe Theatre
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Act I of William Shakespeare's _____ features a protagonist intent on playing the role of villain.
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'Richard III'
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Which of the following excerpts from Tennyson's 'The Eagle' exemplifies alliteration?
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'He clasps the crag with crooked hands'
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What is the first part of Ozymandias that is described in Shelley's poem, and what is a reasonable explanation?
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Legs, because they are the first thing the traveler sees. The statue is very tall.
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In among his most famous compositions, William Blake posits that innocence and experience both come with significant advantages and disadvantages. What is the name of this poem?
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'Songs of Innocence and Experience'
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All of the following E.M. Forster novels were adapted into films, EXCEPT:
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The Longest Journey
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Aesthetic literature is literature that is written _____.
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For the sake of art.
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Which phrase from W.B. Yeats' 'The Second Coming' refers to the unfamiliar way in which history is progressing?
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'the widening gyre'
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In the General Prologue to The Canterbury Tales, the Wife of Bath is quite interesting and one of the only female characters who gets to tell stories. All of the following are true about the Wife of Bath EXCEPT:
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Her son is traveling with her.
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What does This Nicholas anon leet fle a fart mean?
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Nicholas farted
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In the General Prologue to The Canterbury Tales, the pilgrims represent a diverse group of people. Which of the following is a common trait shared by the pardoner, summoner, and friar?
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Hypocrisy
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In terms of his economic views, _____ argued in favor of a capitalism with stricter controls. This, he argued, would allow individuals to feel greater fulfillment in their work.
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John Ruskin
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Which of the following is NOT true regarding Jonathan Swift?
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He composed a total of three books.
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What happened to Samuel Beckett during WWII?
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He joined the French resistance.
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Underlining _____ words will help you select the proper response in a multiple-choice question, thus avoiding _____, or incorrect responses.
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keywords, distractors
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Why is Gerard Manley Hopkins considered to be a forerunner of modernist poetry?
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His focus on strange descriptions.
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How did the creation of Angria and Gondal impact Emily and Charlotte Bronte?
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It helped them learn how to create fictional worlds.
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You are reading a novel in which an escaped convict on the loose is surrounded by mystery and fear. This makes the reader think that perhaps he is the murderer, but in the end it turns out that he isn't. What plot technique is being used here?
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Red herring
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During which period did Spenser write?
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English Renaissance
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The Romantic era ideal of _____ is particularly palpable in 'Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey'.
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nature worship
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Oscar Wilde is known for his role in popularizing _____.
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aestheticism
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Which of the following epic poems was written in Old English?
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Beowulf
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Regarding 'A Vindication of the Rights of Men', which of the following statements is true?
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It refuted Edmund Burke's defense of the English aristocracy.
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In John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, why does Evangelist encourage Christian to journey to Celestial City?
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The city where Christian currently lives is doomed and he should seek redemption in Celestial City.
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What sort of literary works is Katherine Mansfield most remembered for?
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Short stories
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In what period did the novel really become the dominant literary form?
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The Victorian era
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Tennyson's Ulysses is primarily an example of a(n) _____.
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dramatic monologue
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How did Carton give his life meaning?
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He sacrificed his life for that of Lucie and her child.
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Great Expectations' is most accurately classified as a(n) _____.
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Bildungsroman
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What type of play was Oscar Wilde's first success in the theater?
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Victorian satire
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When the first edition of Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray was published in 1890, it was not well-received. Why?
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People found it immoral.
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How does Conrad examine colonialism in Heart of Darkness?
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By showing how Belgians treated native Africans.
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In what form did Shakespeare write many of his poems?
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Sonnets
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After the couple's wedding night, why are the nightingale and the lark referenced?
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They are used to explain the time of day.
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Which Shakespearean composition attempts to capture the state of contemporary politics, discussing topics such as corruption, infighting, and honor?
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'Julius Caesar'
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In examining author style and language, what is it that you need to already have a working knowledge of?
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Literary devices
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How is magical realism related to the Catholic religion?
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Like the Catholic religion, magical realism is based upon a belief in miracles.
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Joe is taking a literature test. He easily eliminates one answer choice. The remaining choices all seem very similar to him. Which of the following are ways for Joe to determine which one of the answers is correct?
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Check any absolutes, eliminate any red flags, and conduct the true/false test with the remaining answer choices.
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Which of the following is a Chivalric Romance?
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The Knight's Tale
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What type of characters are likely to be found in a beast fable?
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human-like animals
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In 'The Pardoner's Tale' in Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, two of the friends send the third to town for supplies and plot to kill him when he returns, in order to increase their share of the prize. How does the third friend plan to kill the other two?
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By poisoning some of the wine he's bringing back.
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In Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, Jane accepts a job as a governess at Thornfield Hall after leaving where?
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Lowood
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In Jane Eyre, the lives of the author and protagonist seem to parallel one another; both Charlotte Bronte and Jane Eyre experienced all of the following EXCEPT:
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Charlotte and Jane inherited large fortunes.
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Why is Wuthering Heights considered to be a framed narrative?
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Because it contains a story within a story.
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In Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway, why was Septimus Smith traumatized?
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He was a shell-shocked veteran of World War I.
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In Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Stephen's encounter with the 'bird girl' on the beach is an example of which typically Joycean technique?
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Epiphany
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Virginia Woolf was a member of a bohemian group of artists, writers, and thinkers called the _____.
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Bloomsbury Group
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What is the rhythm of a poem?
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Meter
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The best definition of British drama is _____.
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any play serious or comedic
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What type of verse does Samuel Taylor Coleridge use in his poem Frost at Midnight?
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Blank, because there is no rhyme scheme and the poem is in iambic pentameter.
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Milton's 'Paradise Lost' explicitly offers up a silver lining of sorts, an eventual redemption, that results from Adam and Eve getting cast out of the Garden of Eden. What is it?
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Mankind will eventually be redeemed by Jesus Christ.
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During the English Civil War, why did John Milton support Oliver Cromwell?
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He favored republicanism.
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Which of the following is a composition by John Bunyan and relies heavily on Christian allegory?
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'Pilgrim's Progress'
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Which of the following was one of the reasons for the development of Ruskin's interest in social and economic justice?
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Studying poor people for one of his books.
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In William Godwin's 'The Adventures of Caleb Williams', which English social class is scrutinized?
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The aristocracy
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Which of the following is NOT a significant literary contribution of Mary Wollstonecraft?
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She wrote Frankenstein but did so under the pseudonym Mary Shelley.
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How did Coleridge support himself financially?
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He received annuity from benefactors.
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With whom did Coleridge devise a plan to create a pantisocracy?
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Robert Southey
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What historical event inspired Shelley to write Ode to the West Wind?
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The Peterloo Massacre
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What led to Tennyson's recognition as England's Poet Laureate?
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Queen Victoria's attention to his poem, 'In Memoriam A.H.H.'.
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How does the end of A Passage to India reflect Forsters' view of colonialism?
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It ends with Aziz and Fielding unable to be truly friends until British rule leaves India.
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In Shakespeare's King Lear, how is Gloucester affected by his metaphorical and literal blindness?
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Gloucester cannot see Edgar's loyalty and Edmund's treachery.
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What is the basic unit of measurement in poetry?
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Feet
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Which of the following BEST explains the frame narrative of The Canterbury Tales presented in the General Prologue?
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A group of pilgrims traveling to Canterbury tell stories to impress their host, who will reward his favorite pilgrim with a dinner paid for by the rest.
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What crucial characteristic of Romantic literature is exemplified in Sir Walter Scott's Ivanhoe?
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Identity
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Which event in T.S. Eliot's life brought about the change in his poetic style and subject matter seen in the poem Ash Wednesday (1930) and the play Murder in the Cathedral (1935)?
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Conversion to Anglicanism
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Explicitly comparing two things is called a _____, implicitly comparing two things is called a _____
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simile; metaphor
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Which novel by Radcliffe features feuding Scottish clans?
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The Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne
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What did Mary Wollstonecraft principally argue in A Vindication of the Rights of Woman?
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Women have rights and deserve an education as much as men do.
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In Songs of Innocence's The Little Black Boy, why does the boy have dark skin?
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He is close to God.
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What theme/trope really drives George Eliot's work?
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Both realism and a focus on rural life
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Which turn-of-the-century author wrote extensively about the effects colonialism?
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Joseph Conrad
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In Shakespeare's Sonnet #18, how is the subject's beauty described?
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More permanent than a summer's day
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T.S. Eliot's 'The Waste Land' is a crucial example of which period?
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Modernism
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Which of the following do you think that you wouldn't be able to understand?
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Old English
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Why did the Bronte sisters use pseudonyms when they published their collection of poetry?
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They didn't think women would be taken seriously.
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