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

Multiple choice

Which musical is based on the novel "Les Misérables" by Victor Hugo?

  1. Cats

  2. Phantom of the Opera

  3. Les Misérables

  4. Sweeney Todd
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Les Misérables is a musical adaptation of Victor Hugo's novel of the same name, which tells the story of Jean Valjean, a former convict who struggles for redemption.

Multiple choice

In "The Tell-Tale Heart," what is the narrator's primary motive for murdering the old man?

  1. A. The old man's evil eye

  2. B. The old man's wealth

  3. C. The old man's snoring

  4. D. The old man's cruelty
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The narrator is obsessed with the old man's vulture-like eye, which he believes is evil and must be destroyed.

Multiple choice

Which literary work features a doppelganger who is a mirror image of the protagonist?

  1. The Great Gatsby

  2. The Scarlet Letter

  3. The Tell-Tale Heart

  4. The Raven
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

In 'The Great Gatsby', Jay Gatsby's doppelganger is Tom Buchanan, who represents Gatsby's dark side and ultimately leads to his downfall.

Multiple choice

Which literary work features a doppelganger who is a reflection of the protagonist's inner turmoil?

  1. The Picture of Dorian Gray

  2. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

  3. Frankenstein

  4. The Tell-Tale Heart
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

In 'The Picture of Dorian Gray', the portrait of Dorian Gray becomes a doppelganger that reflects his inner corruption and moral decay.

Multiple choice

What is the name of Molière's most famous play?

  1. Tartuffe

  2. The Misanthrope

  3. The School for Wives

  4. The Imaginary Invalid
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Tartuffe is Molière's most famous play, a comedy that satirizes religious hypocrisy and the gullibility of those who are easily deceived.

Multiple choice

What is the name of the Brazilian telenovela that follows the lives of a group of young people living in Rio de Janeiro?

  1. Malhação

  2. Avenida Brasil

  3. O Clone

  4. A Favorita
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Malhação is a Brazilian telenovela that has been airing since 1995 and follows the lives of a group of young people living in Rio de Janeiro.

Multiple choice

What is the name of the Chinese drama series that tells the story of a young woman named Wei Yingluo who rises from a palace maid to become the Empress Dowager?

  1. Story of Yanxi Palace

  2. The Legend of Zhen Huan

  3. Empresses in the Palace

  4. Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Story of Yanxi Palace is a Chinese drama series that aired in 2018 and tells the story of a young woman named Wei Yingluo who rises from a palace maid to become the Empress Dowager.

Multiple choice

What is the name of the famous prose work by Thomas More that describes a utopian society?

  1. Utopia

  2. The Prince

  3. Discourses on Livy

  4. The City of God
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Thomas More wrote the famous prose work Utopia, which describes a utopian society on a fictional island.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is a famous Renaissance play about a Jewish moneylender?

  1. The Merchant of Venice

  2. Doctor Faustus

  3. Tamburlaine the Great

  4. The Jew of Malta
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The Jew of Malta is a famous Renaissance play about a Jewish moneylender named Barabas. It was written by Christopher Marlowe.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is an example of a fictional entity?

  1. Sherlock Holmes

  2. Albert Einstein

  3. The Eiffel Tower

  4. The number 7
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Sherlock Holmes is a fictional character created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, while Albert Einstein, the Eiffel Tower, and the number 7 are all non-fictional entities.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is an example of a fictional event?

  1. The Battle of Gettysburg

  2. The sinking of the Titanic

  3. The creation of the internet

  4. The wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton is a fictional event because it is a story that is not based on real events.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is an example of a real event?

  1. The Battle of Hogwarts

  2. The sinking of the Titanic

  3. The creation of the internet

  4. The wedding of Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The sinking of the Titanic is a real event because it is a historical event that actually happened.

Multiple choice

What is the name of the short story collection by Junot Díaz that won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2008?

  1. Drown

  2. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

  3. This Is How You Lose Her

  4. The Emperor of All Maladies
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Junot Díaz's "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2008.

Multiple choice

What is the name of the short story collection by Alice Munro that won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013?

  1. Runaway

  2. The View from Castle Rock

  3. Dear Life

  4. Too Much Happiness
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Alice Munro's "Dear Life" won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013.

Multiple choice

What is the name of the short story collection by George Saunders that won the National Book Award for Fiction in 2013?

  1. Tenth of December

  2. Pastoralia

  3. CivilWarLand in Bad Decline

  4. In Persuasion Nation
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

George Saunders' "Tenth of December" won the National Book Award for Fiction in 2013.