English Language

Literary Analysis

4,495 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

How has the elegiac tradition changed over time?

  1. It has become more secular

  2. It has become more personal

  3. It has become more diverse

  4. All of the above
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

All of the above statements are true. The elegiac tradition has changed over time in a number of ways, including becoming more secular, more personal, and more diverse.

Multiple choice

In Dante's Inferno, the sinners in the seventh circle are compared to what?

  1. Trees

  2. Animals

  3. Rocks

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

The sinners in the seventh circle of Hell are compared to trees in Canto XIII of the Inferno, where they are described as 'a forest of suicides.'

Multiple choice

In Pope's The Rape of the Lock, Belinda is compared to what?

  1. A goddess

  2. A queen

  3. A princess

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

Belinda is compared to a goddess several times in The Rape of the Lock, most notably in Canto II, where she is described as 'a bright goddess in the morning air.'

Multiple choice

In Blake's Songs of Innocence and of Experience, the lamb is compared to what?

  1. A child

  2. A flower

  3. A bird

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

The lamb is compared to a child several times in Songs of Innocence and of Experience, most notably in the poem 'The Lamb,' where it is described as 'a meek and gentle creature.'

Multiple choice

In Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, the albatross is compared to what?

  1. A cross

  2. An anchor

  3. A ship

  4. A bird of prey
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The albatross is compared to a cross several times in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, most notably in the line 'With my cross-bow I shot the albatross.'

Multiple choice

In Tennyson's The Lady of Shalott, the Lady of Shalott is compared to what?

  1. A mirror

  2. A painting

  3. A tapestry

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

The Lady of Shalott is compared to a mirror several times in The Lady of Shalott, most notably in the line 'She knows not what the curse may be; / Therefore she weaveth steadily, / And little other care hath she, / The Lady of Shalott.'

Multiple choice

In Dickinson's Because I could not stop for Death, Death is compared to what?

  1. A carriage

  2. A horse

  3. A gentleman

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

Death is compared to a carriage several times in Because I could not stop for Death, most notably in the line 'Because I could not stop for Death, / He kindly stopped for me.'

Multiple choice

Which of the following is a prominent example of regional literature in the United States?

  1. The Great Gatsby

  2. To Kill a Mockingbird

  3. The Catcher in the Rye

  4. One Hundred Years of Solitude
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel by Harper Lee, which explores the social and racial tensions in the American South.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is a prominent example of regional literature in Latin America?

  1. One Hundred Years of Solitude

  2. The House of the Spirits

  3. Like Water for Chocolate

  4. The Death of Artemio Cruz
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

One Hundred Years of Solitude is a novel by Gabriel García Márquez, which explores the history and culture of Colombia.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is a prominent example of regional literature in Africa?

  1. Things Fall Apart

  2. The Famished Road

  3. Half of a Yellow Sun

  4. The Joys of Motherhood
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Things Fall Apart is a novel by Chinua Achebe, which explores the impact of colonialism on African society.

Multiple choice

Which of these poems is about the Holocaust?

  1. Night

  2. The Diary of Anne Frank

  3. Schindler's List

  4. Life Is Beautiful
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Night is a powerful and harrowing account of the Holocaust from the perspective of a young boy.

Multiple choice

In "The Gift of the Magi," what economic hardship do Della and Jim face?

  1. They are both unemployed.

  2. They have a large family to support.

  3. They are in debt.

  4. They live in a poor neighborhood.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Della and Jim are in debt and are struggling to make ends meet. They are both working, but their wages are not enough to cover their expenses.

Multiple choice

In "The Necklace," what economic class does Mathilde Loisel belong to?

  1. Upper class

  2. Middle class

  3. Lower class

  4. Working class
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Mathilde Loisel belongs to the middle class. She is married to a clerk and they live in a modest apartment.

Multiple choice

In "The Tell-Tale Heart," what is the narrator's economic status?

  1. Wealthy

  2. Middle class

  3. Poor

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

The narrator of "The Tell-Tale Heart" is poor. He lives in a run-down apartment and is struggling to make ends meet.

Multiple choice

In "The Yellow Wallpaper," what is the economic status of the narrator's husband?

  1. Wealthy

  2. Middle class

  3. Poor

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

The narrator's husband in "The Yellow Wallpaper" is wealthy. He is a doctor and they live in a large house.