English Language

Literary Humor and Satire

1,768 Questions

This topic explores the use of humor, parody, and satire in literature to critique societal norms and political issues. These concepts are essential for English language and literature sections in various competitive examinations. Solving these questions will clarify key literary devices and their structural purposes.

Tragicomedy elementsSatire in literatureParody and exaggerationHumor in political advertisingIrony in television and media

Literary Humor and Satire Questions

Multiple choice techniques of style reading comprehension english

State whether true or false:
Parody and satire are very similar: both use comedy to criticize or question an original thing or idea.

  1. True

  2. False
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

A parody is a work created to imitate, make fun of, or comment on an original work—its subject, author, style, or some other target—by means of satiric or ironic imitation whereas a satire uses ridicule, sarcasm, humor, irony, or exaggeration, to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues. In this context, we can conclude that parody and satire are similar and that the given statement is true. Option A is the answer.

Multiple choice techniques of style reading comprehension english

Identify the literary device used in the following lines:

There wasn't anybody at the church, except maybe a hog or two, for there wasn't any lock on the door and hogs likes a puncheon floor in  summer-time because its cool. If you notice, most folks don't go to church only when they've got to; but a hog is different.

  1. Satire

  2. Epic

  3. Pastoral

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

Satire uses humor, irony, exaggeration or ridicule to expose and criticize people's vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other social issues. The given lines employ satire (irony) to make a social commentary. The correct answer is option A.

Multiple choice techniques of style reading comprehension english

Which of the options correctly identifies the purpose of satire? 
Select the best option. 

  1. to entertain readers

  2. to ridicule malpractices in society

  3. to constructively criticize society

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

Satire is a literary device that uses humor, exaggeration, irony or ridicule to criticize people's stupidity and vices. From this, we can conclude that the main purpose of satire is to constructively criticize the society. So, the best answer is option C.

Multiple choice techniques of style reading comprehension english

Select the best option which best describes a literary work that criticizes the misconduct and vices of society by ridiculing follies and stupidities. 

  1. Simile

  2. Sonnet

  3. Satire

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

Satire is a literary device that uses humor, exaggeration, irony or ridicule to criticize people's stupidity and vices. So, we can conclude that the answer to the required question is option C- satire.

Multiple choice techniques of style reading comprehension english

Complete the sentence:
The primary purpose of a satire is ____________________ .
(Select the best option)

  1. to share important information about current issues

  2. to destroy the evils of society

  3. to distract people from the problems in society

  4. to expose the stupidity or recklessness of society
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Satire is a literary device that uses humor, irony or ridicule to criticize people's stupidity and vices. In this context, option D is the best answer.

Multiple choice techniques of style reading comprehension english

Identify which of the following is not an essential component of a satire. Select the best option. 

  1. The use of exaggeration

  2. Making fun of a person, way of thinking, or system

  3. Revealing the flaws of society

  4. To help eliminate the vices of the world
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Satire is a literary device that uses humor, exaggeration, irony or ridicule to criticize people's stupidity and vices From this, we can conclude that it is necessary for satire to reveal the flaws of society and help eliminate vices from the world and do all this through making fun of a person, a way of thinking or a system. However satire can achieve all this through the use of either exaggeration or irony or humor. So, the answer to the given question is option A.

Multiple choice techniques of style reading comprehension english

Complete the sentence:
A satire often uses ____________________ . 
(Select the best option)

  1. allegory, allusion, and humor

  2. parody, sarcasm, and alliteration

  3. humor, jargon, and paralellism

  4. exaggeration, humor, and irony
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Satire is a literary device that uses humor, exaggeration, irony or ridicule to criticize people's stupidity and vices. In this context, option D is the best answer to the question asked.

Multiple choice techniques of style reading comprehension english

Identify which of the following is/are satirical. Select the best option. 

  1. What is the use of doing something right, when it is troublesome to do the right thing and it isn't troublesome to do the wrong thing, and the wage is the same?

  2. I didn't like the play, but then I saw it under adverse conditions - the curtain was up.

  3. I am not old enough to try new things.

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

Choices A to C all employ either sarcasm, ridicule or exaggeration to make a commentary on certain things: to criticize them. This classifies as satire. So, the answer to the question asked is option D.

Multiple choice techniques of style reading comprehension english

Complete the sentence using a suitable option:
A satire must include _________________.

  1. facts and statistics

  2. humor to entertain its readers

  3. a serious undertone

  4. criticism of society/persons
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Satire is a literary device that uses humor, exaggeration, irony or ridicule to criticize people's stupidity and vices. It must definitely be a criticism of people or society. In this context, option D is the best answer to the question asked.

Multiple choice techniques of style reading comprehension english

Through the use of which of the following can satire be expressed? 

  1. Irony

  2. Exaggeration

  3. Humor

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

Satire is a literary device that uses humor, exaggeration, irony or ridicule to criticize people's stupidity and vices. So, the answer to the required question is D- all of the above.

Multiple choice techniques of style reading comprehension english

Identify which of the following is an example of satire. Select the best option. 

  1. A large number of people were gathered to hear the politician speak.

  2. Unfortunately, there were few who could actually understand the show.

  3. If voting changed anything, it would be illegal.

  4. None of the above
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Here, only choice C employs sarcasm and ridicule which is also employed by satire to criticize a society's vices. So, option C is the best answer.

Multiple choice techniques of style reading comprehension english

Which of the following statement(s) is not a reason an author might choose to use parody?

  1. To mock or ridicule another authors style.

  2. To pay homage to a more famous author by imitating his or her style.

  3. To change an original work entirely so that it no longer has a clear influence on the parody.

  4. To mimic the original to create a humorous effect.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

A parody is a literary device that is employed to imitate, make fun of, or comment on an original work—its subject, author, style, or some other target—by means of satiric or ironic imitation. In this context, only option C is NOT a reason an author might choose to employ parody. So, option C is the answer.

Multiple choice techniques of style reading comprehension english

State whether true or false:
Parody is often confused with satire. Parody can be used to develop satire, in addition, parody and satire are not completely similar in meaning.

  1. True

  2. False
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

A parody is a work created to imitate, make fun of, or comment on an original work—its subject, author, style, or some other target—by means of satiric or ironic imitation whereas a satire uses ridicule, sarcasm, humor, irony, or exaggeration, to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues. So, we can conclude that  satire uses humor and to a certain extent parody to make a social commentary. In this context, we can deduce taht the given statement is true. Option A is the answer.

Multiple choice techniques of style reading comprehension english

State whether the statement is True of False:

A parody intends to make fun of an original workits subject, author, style, or some other target by means of satiric or ironic imitation. 

  1. True

  2. False
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The literary theorist Linda Hutcheon says, "parody is imitation, not always at the expense of the parodied text."
Parody is one of the most important art forms mastered in the present era. It's basically a reworking of one kind of composition into another from a different perspective, usually a humorous one. A prominent example would be:
Charlie Chaplin's impersonation of Adolf Hitler for comic effect in the satirical film, The Great Dictator (1940). Thus, the statement is true.

Multiple choice techniques of style reading comprehension english

State whether the statement is true of false:

A parody does not always need to refer to the entire work it's parodying, but can instead pick and choose aspects of it to satirize, exaggerate, disparage, or mock.

  1. True

  2. False
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

It's a universally acknowledged fact that an entire thing or topic or person cannot be parodied. Certain aspects, some qualities or features are taken from them and reworked upon to generate a fun feeling or treated from an alternate perspective to bring out a humorous aspect of the subject. Hence, the statement is true.