British Literature – Previous Year Questions
441 questions from past UGC NET English papers, each with the correct answer. Open any question for its explanation.
Topic-wise mock tests
- Which of these are correct combinations of works by Doris Lessing and their themes? A. The Golden Notebook – a journey to Rhodesia B. The Good Terrorist – a doomed love affair C. Shikasta – a planet (Earth) cut off from…
- Arrange the following periodicals in chronological order: A. Fraser's Magazine B. The Spectator (1828 revival) C. The Westminster Review D. The Quarterly Review E. The Edinburgh Review
- Which of the following are the main schools of Hellenistic philosophy? A. Cynicism B. Epicureanism C. Stoicism D. Surrealism E. Expressionism
- Which of the following statements about Virgil's Aeneid are true? A. It gathers legends of Aeneas and makes him the founder of Roman greatness. B. It tells of the founding of Rome itself. C. It tells of the legendary fo…
- Arrange the following events in chronological order: A. Caxton prints Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur B. Caxton sets up his press at Westminster C. Gutenberg prints the Bible at Mainz D. Caxton's Recuyell of the Historyes of…
- Arrange the following works in chronological order: A. Ariosto, Orlando Furioso B. Luther, Ninety-five Theses at Wittenberg C. Cranmer, The First Book of Common Prayer D. More, Utopia E. Machiavelli, The Prince
- Arrange the following plays by Shakespeare in chronological order: A. Twelfth Night B. The Taming of the Shrew C. Much Ado About Nothing D. Romeo and Juliet E. The Winter's Tale
- Who wrote: 'If a man will begin with certainties, he shall end in doubts; but if he will be content to begin with doubts, he shall end in certainties'?
- Who held that a writer's merit lies not in original thought but in apt expression of what others have thought ('What oft was thought, but ne'er so well expressed')?
- Who among the following were NOT members of the Kit-Cat Club? A. George Etherege B. Richard Steele C. Samuel Johnson D. William Congreve E. Joseph Addison
- Which play mocks the heroic drama of Dryden and his contemporaries?
- Who wrote that poetry 'is not a branch of authorship: it is the stuff of which our life is made'?
- From which book of Paradise Lost is the epigraph of Frankenstein taken?
- Godwin's Things as They Are; or, The Adventures of Caleb Williams (1794) was written to expose:
- Which of the following are NOT by Mary Wollstonecraft? A. The Wrongs of Man B. A Vindication of the Rights of Men C. Thoughts on the Education of Sons D. A Vindication of the Rights of Woman E. The Wrongs of Woman
- Who wrote 'Plan of a Novel, According to Hints from Various Quarters'?
- Under what title were Thackeray's three satirical stories of unhappy marriage collected?
- Arnold's Friendship's Garland (1871) is a sequel to:
- Who among the following were members of the Metaphysical Society, founded by James Knowles in 1869? A. Robert Browning B. T. H. Huxley C. Alfred Tennyson D. Matthew Arnold E. W. E. Gladstone
- In which work did Sherlock Holmes first appear?
- Women in Love is a sequel to Lawrence's:
- Which of Forster's novels is about homosexual love?
- Which statement about the Booker Prize is NOT correct?
- Arrange the following texts in chronological order of publication: A. The Pilgrim's Progress B. Beowulf C. Endymion D. The Faerie Queene E. Paradise Lost
- Which of Everyman's companions goes with him into the grave?
- Which of the following statements about The Canterbury Tales are true? A. The General Prologue describes 'wel nyne and twenty' pilgrims meeting at the Tabard Inn. B. The Parson's Tale is the introductory tale and deals…
- Which English Bible translator was burnt at the stake and is remembered for the care of his translation?
- Which of the following statements correctly describe 'utopia' and 'dystopia'? A. More's Utopia (1516) is an essay in four books. B. More first gave the genre its name by calling his imaginary republic Utopia. C. Utopia…
- Thomas Norton wrote the first three acts of Gorboduc, the first regular English tragedy. Who wrote the last two?
- According to Spenser's plan for The Faerie Queene, how many knights (one for each virtue) were to feature?