Table of Contents
- Question 1: Tiresias in Greek Tragedy
- Question 2: Instructors of Faustus
- Question 3: Shakespeare's Quartos and Folios
- Question 4: Spenser's Letter to Raleigh
- Question 5: Ben Jonson's Poetaster
- Question 6: Chronology of Classic English Plays
- Question 7: Match List - Metaphysical Poets
- Question 8: Chronology of Foundational Prose Texts
- Question 9: Milton's Epic Model for Paradise Lost
- Question 10: Daniel Defoe's Historical Narratives
Question 1
In which two of the following plays does the blind seer, Tiresias, appear?
A. Oedipus the King
B. Agamemnon
C. Antigone
D. Oedipus at Colonus
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Tiresias, the legendary blind prophet of Thebes, plays a crucial role in two of Sophocles's "Theban Plays."
- (A) Oedipus the King: Tiresias is summoned to solve the plague. He refuses to speak at first, but after Oedipus insults him, Tiresias reveals the horrific truth: "You are the murderer whom you seek."
- (C) Antigone: Tiresias warns King Creon that the gods are angry because Creon has refused to bury Polynices and has entombed Antigone alive.
Why B and D are wrong: Agamemnon is by Aeschylus and takes place in Argos/Mycenae (featuring Cassandra, not Tiresias). Tiresias does not appear in Oedipus at Colonus.
Question 2
Which of the following characters instruct Faustus in the dark arts?
In Christopher Marlowe's Doctor Faustus, Valdes and Cornelius are the two infamous scholars and magicians who officially initiate Faustus into the black arts.
Early in the play, Faustus invites them to dinner. They provide him with the foundational books and instructions on necromancy, drawing circles, and summoning spirits, which ultimately allows Faustus to summon Mephistopheles.
Why the others are wrong: Robin and Rafe provide comic relief. Wagner is Faustus's servant. The Old Man is a symbol of repentance trying to save Faustus's soul.
Question 3
Which of the following statements is correct in relation to Shakespeare's works?
Understanding the printing history of Shakespeare is vital for English literature studies.
During Shakespeare's actual lifetime, about half of his plays were printed as Quartos (small, cheap, individual paperback booklets). Shakespeare died in 1616. It wasn't until seven years later, in 1623, that his friends John Heminges and Henry Condell gathered 36 of his plays and published them in a massive, expensive, authoritative hardcover book known as the First Folio (published posthumously).
Question 4
Which of the following is true in relation to Edmund Spenser's Faerie Queene?
The "Letter to Raleigh" is an incredibly important piece of literary criticism where Spenser explains the entire allegory and structure of The Faerie Queene.
He states his goal is to "fashion a gentleman or noble person in virtuous and gentle discipline." Crucially for the exam, this letter was not placed at the beginning (prefixed), but rather appended (added to the back/end) of the first publication in 1590 (which only contained Books I-III).
Question 5
Who among the following called the Poetasters, “The rhyming friends”?
Context: Poetaster (1601) is a famous satirical play by Ben Jonson, written during the "War of the Theatres." In the play, Jonson uses the character of the Roman poet Horace as a stand-in for himself to ruthlessly mock his rival playwrights, John Marston (Crispinus) and Thomas Dekker (Demetrius), painting them as untalented hacks ("poetasters").
Question 6
Arrange the following plays in their chronological order:
A. The Tempest
B. All For Love
C. Volpone
D. The School for Scandal
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
The correct chronological order spanning the Jacobean, Restoration, and Neoclassical eras is:
- (C) Volpone (1605): Ben Jonson's dark, beast-fable city comedy.
- (A) The Tempest (1611): William Shakespeare's late romance.
- (B) All For Love (1677): John Dryden's Restoration tragedy (a rewriting of Antony and Cleopatra).
- (D) The School for Scandal (1777): Richard Brinsley Sheridan's iconic 18th-century comedy of manners.
Question 7
Match List I with List II:
| List I (Poet) | List II (Poem) |
|---|---|
| A. John Donne | (i) “The Retreat” |
| B. Andrew Marvell | (ii) “A Valediction: of Weeping” |
| C. George Herbert | (iii) “The Garden” |
| D. Henry Vaughan | (iv) “The Collar” |
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Matching the seminal Metaphysical Poets to their famous works:
A. John Donne — (ii) "A Valediction: of Weeping". Famous for its tear/coin/globe metaphysical conceit.
B. Andrew Marvell — (iii) "The Garden". Famous for the line "Annihilating all that's made / To a green thought in a green shade."
C. George Herbert — (iv) "The Collar". A poem detailing a priest's rebellion against God's discipline, ending with submission ("My Lord").
D. Henry Vaughan — (i) "The Retreat". A poem expressing a deep desire to return to the innocence and purity of childhood before the soul was corrupted.
Question 8
Arrange the following in the chronological order of their publication:
A. Past and Present
B. Leviathan
C. Unto This Last
D. The Life of Samuel Johnson
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
The chronological order of these major philosophical, biographical, and social prose works is:
- (B) Leviathan (1651): Thomas Hobbes's monumental work of political philosophy advocating for an absolute sovereign.
- (D) The Life of Samuel Johnson (1791): James Boswell's defining biography, creating the modern biographical form.
- (A) Past and Present (1843): Thomas Carlyle's sharp critique of Victorian industrialism, contrasting it with medieval monastic life.
- (C) Unto This Last (1860): John Ruskin's fierce attack on capitalist "political economy" (which heavily influenced Mahatma Gandhi).
Question 9
Who was Milton's model when he recast the first edition (1667) of Paradise Lost in 10 books to 12 books of the second edition (1674)?
The Roman poet Virgil was the direct structural model for the second edition of Paradise Lost.
John Milton originally published Paradise Lost in 1667 divided into 10 books. However, to firmly establish his work within the grand classical epic tradition, he revised it in 1674. He split Books 7 and 10 to create a total of 12 books, perfectly mirroring the 12-book structure of Virgil's Roman epic, the Aeneid.
Question 10
Which two of the following works are Daniel Defoe's historical narratives?
A. History of the Rebellion
B. Meditations on a Broomstick
C. A Journal of the Plague Year
D. Memoirs of a Cavalier
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Daniel Defoe was a pioneer of realistic, journalistic fiction (historical narratives).
- (C) A Journal of the Plague Year (1722): A highly realistic, fictionalized account of the 1665 Great Plague of London, presented as a historical diary.
- (D) Memoirs of a Cavalier (1720): A historical novel set during the Thirty Years' War and the English Civil War.
Why A and B are wrong: The History of the Rebellion was written by Edward Hyde (Earl of Clarendon), a real history of the English Civil War. A Meditation upon a Broomstick is a parody/satire written by Jonathan Swift.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a Quarto and a Folio?
A Quarto is made by folding a large sheet of paper twice, creating 8 small pages. It was cheap, like a modern paperback, usually containing just one play. A Folio is made by folding a sheet of paper only once, creating 4 large pages. It was expensive, like a large coffee-table book, used for collected works (like the 1623 First Folio of Shakespeare).
Why is "A Journal of the Plague Year" important?
It blurs the line between journalism and fiction. Defoe was only a young child when the actual 1665 plague happened, so he used historical records, mortality bills, and interviews to write a book that feels exactly like a real eyewitness diary. It is considered a masterpiece of literary realism.
What is a "Metaphysical Conceit"?
It is an extended, highly complex, and often bizarre metaphor used by the 17th-century Metaphysical poets. Instead of comparing a lover to a rose (which is common), John Donne famously compares two lovers' souls to the two stiff legs of a drawing compass. It requires intellect, rather than just emotion, to understand.
