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 play by Bertolt Brecht explores the rise of fascism in Germany?

  1. Mother Courage and Her Children

  2. The Threepenny Opera

  3. The Good Person of Szechwan

  4. Life of Galileo
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Mother Courage and Her Children is a play by Bertolt Brecht that follows the story of a woman who sells goods to soldiers during the Thirty Years' War. The play explores the themes of war, capitalism, and the rise of fascism.

Multiple choice

Which play by Henrik Ibsen deals with the issue of social inequality?

  1. A Doll's House

  2. Hedda Gabler

  3. The Wild Duck

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

A Doll's House is a play by Henrik Ibsen that explores the themes of gender roles, marriage, and social inequality. The play follows the story of Nora Helmer, a woman who leaves her husband and children in order to find independence and self-fulfillment.

Multiple choice

In George Orwell's play "Animal Farm", what does the windmill symbolize?

  1. The promise of a better future

  2. The power of the working class

  3. The futility of revolution

  4. The corruption of power
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Animal Farm is a play by George Orwell that satirizes the Russian Revolution. The windmill in the play symbolizes the promise of a better future for the animals, but it is ultimately destroyed by the pigs, who represent the corrupt leaders of the revolution.

Multiple choice

In Arthur Miller's play "Death of a Salesman", what is the protagonist's main conflict?

  1. His conflict with his son

  2. His conflict with his wife

  3. His conflict with his boss

  4. His conflict with himself
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Death of a Salesman is a play by Arthur Miller that explores the themes of the American Dream, capitalism, and the failure of the individual. The protagonist, Willy Loman, is a salesman who struggles to come to terms with his own failures and the changing world around him.

Multiple choice

Which play by Tennessee Williams deals with the issue of mental illness?

  1. A Streetcar Named Desire

  2. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

  3. The Glass Menagerie

  4. Suddenly, Last Summer
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The Glass Menagerie is a play by Tennessee Williams that explores the themes of mental illness, family, and the American Dream. The play follows the story of Amanda Wingfield, a single mother who struggles to raise her two children, Tom and Laura, in the aftermath of her husband's abandonment.

Multiple choice

Which play by Henrik Ibsen deals with the issue of women's rights?

  1. A Doll's House

  2. Hedda Gabler

  3. The Wild Duck

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

A Doll's House is a play by Henrik Ibsen that explores the themes of gender roles, marriage, and women's rights. The play follows the story of Nora Helmer, a woman who leaves her husband and children in order to find independence and self-fulfillment.

Multiple choice

Which play by Samuel Beckett explores the theme of the absurdity of life?

  1. Waiting for Godot

  2. Endgame

  3. Happy Days

  4. Krapp's Last Tape
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Waiting for Godot is a play by Samuel Beckett that explores the themes of existentialism and the absurdity of life. The play follows the story of two men, Vladimir and Estragon, who are waiting for a man named Godot, who never arrives.

Multiple choice

In George Orwell's play "Animal Farm", what does the windmill symbolize?

  1. The promise of a better future

  2. The power of the working class

  3. The futility of revolution

  4. The corruption of power
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Animal Farm is a play by George Orwell that satirizes the Russian Revolution. The windmill in the play symbolizes the promise of a better future for the animals, but it is ultimately destroyed by the pigs, who represent the corrupt leaders of the revolution.

Multiple choice

Which play by Henrik Ibsen deals with the issue of social inequality?

  1. A Doll's House

  2. Hedda Gabler

  3. The Wild Duck

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

A Doll's House is a play by Henrik Ibsen that explores the themes of gender roles, marriage, and social inequality. The play follows the story of Nora Helmer, a woman who leaves her husband and children in order to find independence and self-fulfillment.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is a famous travelogue written by Mark Twain?

  1. The Innocents Abroad

  2. Roughing It

  3. A Tramp Abroad

  4. Following the Equator
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The Innocents Abroad is a travelogue written by Mark Twain in 1869, describing his experiences traveling through Europe and the Holy Land.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is a famous travel book written by John Steinbeck?

  1. Travels with Charley: In Search of America

  2. The Grapes of Wrath

  3. Of Mice and Men

  4. East of Eden
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Travels with Charley: In Search of America is a travel book written by John Steinbeck in 1962, describing his experiences traveling across the United States with his dog, Charley.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is a famous travel book written by Pico Iyer?

  1. Video Night in Kathmandu

  2. Falling Off the Map

  3. The Global Soul

  4. The Lady and the Monk
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Video Night in Kathmandu is a travel book written by Pico Iyer in 1988, describing his experiences traveling through Nepal and other parts of Asia.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is a famous travel poem written by Elizabeth Bishop?

  1. One Art

  2. The Fish

  3. In the Waiting Room

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

One Art is a travel poem written by Elizabeth Bishop in 1976, describing her experiences traveling through Brazil and other parts of South America.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is a famous travel poem written by Derek Walcott?

  1. Omeros

  2. The Fortunate Traveller

  3. Another Life

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

Omeros is a travel poem written by Derek Walcott in 1990, describing his experiences traveling through the Caribbean and other parts of the world.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is a famous travel book written by Paul Theroux?

  1. The Great Railway Bazaar

  2. The Old Patagonian Express

  3. Riding the Iron Rooster

  4. Dark Star Safari
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The Great Railway Bazaar is a travel book written by Paul Theroux in 1975, describing his experiences traveling through Europe, Asia, and North Africa by train.