English Language
Literary Analysis
4,216 Questions
Analyze classic and modernist novels, autobiographies, plays, and graphic novels across various genres. This topic tests your familiarity with prominent authors, literary movements, and thematic elements. Questions appear regularly in the English language sections of SSC, banking, and teaching competency exams.
Classic and modernist novelsAutobiographies and biographiesPoetic language and farcesThematic literary elements
Literary Analysis Questions
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Paths Of Glory
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A Prisoner Of Birth
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And Therby Hangs A Tale
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The First Miracle
A
Correct answer
Explanation
Jeffrey Archer's 'Paths Of Glory' was published in 2009 and was his latest fiction that year. 'A Prisoner Of Birth' was 2008, 'And Thereby Hangs A Tale' was 2010, and 'The First Miracle' is not an Archer novel. The typo 'Whick' should be 'Which'.
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The Fourth Estate
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Cat O'Nine Tales
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A Quiver Full of Arrows
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The Clifton Chronicles
D
Correct answer
Explanation
This tests knowledge of Jeffrey Archer's book series. 'The Clifton Chronicles' is a multi-novel saga by Jeffrey Archer, while the other options are standalone books or short story collections. The numbered sequels mentioned indicate a chronological series.
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"Little Women" - Louisa May Alcott
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"Pride and Prejudice" - Jane Austen
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"The Other Boleyn Girl" - Philippa Gregory
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"Gone with the wind" - Margaret Mitchell
C
Correct answer
Explanation
The Other Boleyn Girl tells the story of Anne and Mary Boleyn, two sisters who compete for the affection of King Henry VIII of England. Philippa Gregory's historical novel dramatizes this famous rivalry for the king's love. Little Women is about sisters but not competing for a king's love. Pride and Prejudice involves romantic competition but not between sisters for a monarch.
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The Life of Pi
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Johnny Gone Down
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The Alcemist
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The 3 mistakes of my Life
B
Correct answer
Explanation
Johnny Gone Down by Karan Bajaj follows a NASA scientist's surreal transformations through multiple identities over 20 years. The novel was a major bestseller in India, selling 45,000 copies in 3 days. Life of Pi is about survival at sea, not multiple identities. The Alchemist focuses on a single character's spiritual journey. Three Mistakes of My Life has no such surreal transformations.
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The Red-headed league
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Scandal at Bohemia
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Hound of Baskerville
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The Master Blackmailer
C
Correct answer
Explanation
The Hound of the Baskervilles (1902) is the only full-length Sherlock Holmes novel among these options. Most Holmes stories are short stories published in collections. 'The Red-Headed League' and 'Scandal in Bohemia' are short stories. 'The Master Blackmailer' refers to a short story titled 'The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans'.
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Mein Kampf (My Struggle)
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An Autobiography
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The Story of my life
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The Way I am
A
Correct answer
Explanation
'Mein Kampf' (My Struggle) is indeed Hitler's autobiography, written during his imprisonment in 1925. The book outlines his political ideology and future plans for Germany. The other options are autobiographies of different people - 'The Story of My Life' is by Helen Keller, 'An Autobiography' is generic, and 'The Way I Am' is associated with other figures.
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Who Killed the Mocking bird
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Oliver Twist
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The Prisoner of Birth
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Masters of the Game
B
Correct answer
Explanation
Charles Dickens wrote 'Oliver Twist', the novel about the orphan who escapes from a workhouse and joins a gang of pickpockets in London. 'To Kill a Mockingbird' is by Harper Lee (not Dickens, and the title is wrong). The other options are by modern thriller writers.
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Oliver Twist
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The Deception point
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Windmills of the Gods
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The Apocalypse Watch
C
Correct answer
Explanation
Sidney Sheldon wrote 'Windmills of the Gods', a Cold War thriller about a diplomat appointed to a fictional Eastern European country. Sheldon was known for suspense novels with strong female protagonists. 'Oliver Twist' is by Dickens, 'Deception Point' by Dan Brown, and 'The Apocalypse Watch' by Robert Ludlum.
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Cullen's home
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Ballet Studio
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At Bella's college
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In the mountain
B
Correct answer
Explanation
James is killed in the ballet studio during the climactic fight scene where the Cullen family protects Bella from the tracker vampire.
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The Great Gatsby
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Jane Eyre
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Budden Brooks
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Tender is the Night
D
Correct answer
Explanation
Dick and Nicole Diver are the central characters in F. Scott Fitzgerald's 'Tender is the Night' (1934). The novel explores their marriage, Nicole's mental health, and their deterioration.
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My Sister's Keeper
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The Catcher in the Rye
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Nineteen Eighty Four
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Catch 22
A
Correct answer
Explanation
The book described is 'My Sister's Keeper' by Jodi Picoult, published in 2004. It tells the story of Anna Fitzgerald, a 13-year-old who sues her parents for medical emancipation when she is expected to donate a kidney to her older sister Kate, who is dying from leukemia. The book was indeed controversial and was challenged/banned in some schools and libraries. The other options are famous books but don't match this description.
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A road trip around the USA
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A swarn of killer flies
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Schoolboys on desert island
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Parody of Lord of the Rings
C
Correct answer
Explanation
William Golding's novel 'Lord of the Flies' (1954) is about a group of British schoolboys who are stranded on a deserted island after their plane is shot down during a fictional war. The boys attempt to govern themselves but descend into savagery. The correct answer is 'Schoolboys on desert island' (C). The other options are incorrect: option A describes a road trip story, option B is a literal misinterpretation of the title, and option D incorrectly suggests it's a parody of Tolkien's work.
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Longest novel ever published
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Shortest novel ever published
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The Oldest novel
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None of these
A
Correct answer
Explanation
Les Hommes de bonne volonté (Men of Good Will) by Jules Romains, published in 27 volumes between 1932 and 1946, is indeed recognized as one of the longest novels ever published, spanning approximately 2 million words and 7,000+ pages. It is not the shortest novel, nor the oldest, making options B and C incorrect.
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The Lost Symbol
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Angels & Demons
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Davinci Code
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All the above
D
Correct answer
Explanation
Dan Brown wrote all three listed Robert Langdon novels: Angels & Demons (2000), The Da Vinci Code (2003), and The Lost Symbol (2009). These thriller-adventure books feature symbologist Robert Langdon solving historical mysteries. All the above correctly identifies all as Browns works.