(a) prose
(b) verse
(c) scenes
(d) stanzas

5.The literary device in the statement “students are to come to class with their Shakespeare” is
(a) metonymy
(b) litotes
(c) synecdoche
(d) personification

6.The expression “The people’s voices rutted like pigs in the mud” exemplifies
(a) simile
(b) metaphor
(c) personification
(d) metonymy

7.In a novel, the antagonist is
(a) a fully developed character
(b) a flat character
(c) the main female character
(d) the arch rival of the hero

8.A play that is full of exaggerated ridicule and laughter is called
(a) farce
(b) comedy
(c) tragi-comedy
(d) masque

9.In a play, a long speech by a single character in the presence of other characters is called
(a) soliloquy
(b) monologue
(c) aside
(d) prologue

10.Pick the odd item from the list
(a) tragedy
(b) comedy
(c) epilogue
(d) tragi-comedy

11.A group of actors in a play is called
(a) characters
(b) cast
(c) chorus
(d) prompters

12.A poem written in praise of a person or an object is
(a) lyric
(b) ode
(c) elegy
(d) panegyric

12.The basic elements of drama are
(a) character, plot, episode
(b) dialogue, plot, chorus
(c) character, action, setting
(d) character, monologue, plot

13.The choice of appropriate words to convey the thoughts of an author is called
(a) idiomatic language
(b) diction
(c) figure of speech
(d) setting

14.The chronological arrangement of events in a literary work refers to
(a) setting
(b) plot
(c) organisation
(d) plot structure

15.One of these refers to time and period of an event in a literary work
(a) setting
(b) suspense
(c) narrative technique
(d) monologue

16.______ is used to recall past events in literature
(a) flashlight
(b) foreshadowing
(c) flashback
(d) nostalgia

17.In order to sustain the interest of a reader, an author uses
(a) suspense
(b) diction
(c) narration
(d) suspicion

18.Literature is ______ when it teaches morals
(a) inspiring
(b) interesting
(c) didactic
(d) entertaining

19.Which of the following is common to all forms of literature?
(a) language
(b) chorus
(c) action
(d) narrator

19.A poem of fourteen lines is called
(a) sextet
(b) quatrain
(c) sonnet
(d) octave

20.______ is to prose what stanza is to poetry
(a) chapter
(b) lines
(c) lyric
(d) verse

20.A play is fully realised when it is
(a) studied
(b) memorised
(c) acted
(d) read

21.The essential function of a tragedy is to make people
(a) laugh at mankind
(b) think and feel more deeply
(c) think and laugh
(d) know their enemies

22.Mime is the art of acting that involves the use of
(a) songs only
(b) speeches only
(c) gestures only
(d) dances only

23.An expression which creates a mental picture is known as
(a) paradox
(b) exaggeration
(c) imagery
(d) symbolism

24The main female character in a play is called
(a) hero
(b) villain
(c) heroine
(d) clown

25.The character that opposes the hero in a novel is called the

(a) antagonist
(b) clown
(c) villain
(d) heroine

26.A short speech at the end of a play is called

(a) epilogue
(b) peroration
(c) conclusion
(d) diction

27.A word that sounds like what it means is called

(a) alliteration
(b) assonance
(c) rhyme
(d) onomatopoeia

28.Denouement in a literary work is the same as

(a) resolution
(b) suspense
(c) catharsis
(d) conflict

29.The heightened point of event in literature is

(a) climax
(b) argument
(c) resolution
(d) none of the above

30.The theme of a work of art is the

(a) concluding part
(b) central thought
(c) central role
(d) introductory part

31.The address usually written before a play refers to

(a) prologue
(b) epilogue
(c) in media res
(d) irony

32.A form of literary question that does not require immediate answer is

(a) probing question
(b) interrogation
(c) rhetorical question
(d) unanswered question

33.An aside occurs when a speaker on stage

(a) addresses another speaker
(b) mumbles words intended for the audience only
(c) mumbles words heard by actors and audience
(d) reveals his intention

34.“The stars blinked and the wind wailed” is an example of

(a) euphemism
(b) personification
(c) parody
(d) antithesis

35.Which of the following is not a type of drama?

(a) burlesque
(b) resolution
(c) tragedy
(d) pantomime

36.The main effect of a comedy on an audience is

(a) anxiety
(b) sadness
(c) laughter
(d) suspense

37.“The stars blinked and the wind wailed” is an example of

(a) euphemism
(b) personification
(c) parody
(d) antithesis

38.Which of the following is not a type of drama?

(a) burlesque
(b) resolution
(c) tragedy
(d) pantomime

39.The main effect of a comedy on an audience is

(a) anxiety
(b) sadness
(c) laughter
(d) suspense

40.The ending of most comedies is

(a) happy
(b) natural
(c) calm
(d) uncertain

41.A quatrain consists of ______ lines.

(a) four
(b) two
(c) six
(d) three

42.A character that develops with events and situations in a novel is a ______ character.

(a) flat
(b) round
(c) minor
(d) main

43.Pick out the odd item.

(a) actors
(b) stage
(c) dialogue
(d) chapters

43.A piece of writing about oneself is

(a) autobiography
(b) biography
(c) autograph
(d) bibliography

44.Poetry differs from prose by its use of

(a) songs
(b) condensed language

) rhythm
(d) flat character

45.______ is sung to lull a child to sleep.

(a) lullaby
(b) lyric
(c) epic
(d) ballad

46.The poem says “Joy” is

(a) for the poor
(b) natural and satisfying
(c) artificial and transitory
(d) for lovers

47.The dominant device used in presenting “Joy” and “Pleasure” in the first stanza is

(a) diction
(b) oxymoron
(c) personification
(d) conceit

48.The feelings associated with “Joy” and “Pleasure” are conveyed through

(a) rhyme
(b) euphemism
(c) assonance
(d) contrast

49.“False glare” refers to

(a) man-made light
(b) nature’s light
(c) the moon’s light
(d) the sun’s light

50.“Pleasure’s moth” is an example of

(a) irony
(b) hyperbole
(c) metaphor
(d) simile

51.A suitable title for the passage is

(a) March of Soldiers
(b) Agony of Wars
(c) Pangs of Hunger
(d) Dread of Disease

52.The soldiers were retreating because

(a) they were tired
(b) the enemy pursued them
(c) they lacked weapons
(d) they were lost

53.The main problem faced by the soldiers was

(a) hunger
(b) fear
(c) cold
(d) illness

54 The attitude of the survivors is best summed up by the word

(a) indifference
(b) persistence
(c) resignation
(d) victory

55.The device used in the last sentence is

(a) climax
(b) sarcasm
(c) euphemism
(d) hyperbole

56.Which of the following is a narrative technique?

(a) metonymy
(b) flashback
(c) suspense
(d) point of view

57.A character whose name is the title of a literary work is

(a) anonymous
(b) pseudonym
(c) foil
(d) eponymous

58.______ is an introductory part of a play.

(a) introduction
(b) alliteration
(c) prologue
(d) epilogue

59.Which of these does not belong to the group?

(a) rhythm
(b) stanza
(c) dialogue
(d) lines

60.______ is peculiar to either a play or novel.

(a) conflict
(b) mime
(c) epilogue
(d) flashback

61.______ is an important element of drama.

(a) plot
(b) setting
(c) theme
(d) characterisation

62.An opposite of what is meant is called

(a) limerick
(b) elegy
(c) irony
(d) symbolism

63.______ is written in scenes.

(a) play
(b) drama
(c) prose
(d) poetry

64.Two lines of a poem that rhyme together form

(a) octave
(b) couplet
(c) sextet
(d) quatrain

65.Which of these does not belong to the group?

(a) paradox
(b) irony
(c) oxymoron
(d) chorus

66.The personal weakness of a character is his

(a) tragic point
(b) tragic deed
(c) tragic flaw
(d) tragic flow

67.It is also called

(a) hamartia
(b) harmattan
(c) tragic flaw
(d) hermotia

68.A character whose flaw combines with external forces leading to suffering is a

(a) tragic hero
(b) tragic character
(c) tragic flaw
(d) tragic villain

69.The expression “like a fly that dared not alight” exemplifies

(a) irony
(b) simile
(c) metaphor
(d) pun

70.One of these compares objects directly without using “as” or “like”.

(a) simile
(b) metaphor
(c) oxymoron
(d) paradox

71.The use of repetition is for

(a) warning
(b) emphasis
(c) advice
(d) abuse

72.A narrative based on heroic exploits of a character is

(a) epic
(b) burlesque
(c) elegy
(d) ballad

73.The literary device used in the expression “innocent prostitute” is

(a) irony
(b) litotes
(c) oxymoron
(d) lyric

74.In a literary work, ______ arouses readers’ interest.

(a) ode
(b) suspense
(c) action
(d) state of the characters’ mind

75.An omniscient narrator in a novel

(a) detaches himself from the story
(b) knows everything about the characters
(c) knows little about his characters
(d) is a character in the story

76.A deliberate use of exaggeration is

(a) hyperbole
(b) irony
(c) simile
(d) pun

77.“A black beautiful brilliant bride” exemplifies

(a) syllable
(b) meter
(c) rhyme
(d) alliteration

78.______ accounts for the struggle between opposing characters.

(a) conflict
(b) agreement
(c) climax
(d) cooperation

79.A fictive form of prose is

(a) memoir
(b) fable
(c) novel
(d) journal

80.______ deals mostly with animal figures.

(a) fable
(b) flashback
(c) novel
(d) drama

81.______ accounts for the purgation of emotions.

(a) irony
(b) catharsis
(c) pun
(d) oxymoron

82.The fire gnaws ceaselessly as the bark of the tree” is
(a) personification
(b) epithet
(c) allusion
(d) irony

83.One of these uses gestures only.

(a) mime
(b) lampoon
(c) comedy
(d) satire

84.______ refers to the author’s attitude towards the subject.

(a) mood
(b) tone
(c) feeling
(d) atmosphere

86.There are ______ types of setting.

(a) one
(b) two
(c) four
(d) six

87.______ is a praise poem.

(a) ode
(b) epic
(c) limerick
(d) elegy

88.“I gave him a million thanks” illustrates

(a) metaphor
(b) oxymoron
(c) onomatopoeia
(d) hyperbole

89.The story of a person written by another person is

(a) biography
(b) autobiography
(c) memoir
(d) journal

90.After the climax comes the

(a) resolution
(b) conflict
(c) unity
(d) fight

91.“Lives got lost, properties destroyed and vehicles damaged” exemplifies

(a) paradox
(b) climax
(c) irony
(d) lyric

92.The term used to designate categories of literary works is

(a) class

b) genre
(c) form
(d) division

93.Oral literature has ______ forms.

(a) three
(b) two
(c) five
(d) four

94.Something a character utters on stage that only the audience hears is

(a) soliloquy
(b) mime
(c) aside
(d) epilogue

95.The chorus is normally used in

(a) drama
(b) epic
(c) novel
(d) poetry

96.A story that explains natural phenomena or beliefs of a people is called

(a) myth
(b) legend
(c) fable
(d) motif
97.A poem that mourns the death of a person is called

(a) ode
(b) elegy
(c) epic
(d) lyric

98.A comparison between two unlike things using “as” or “like” is called

(a) metaphor
(b) simile
(c) irony
(d) symbolism

99.A story passed down from generation to generation by word of mouth is known as

(a) oral literature
(b) written literature
(c) drama
(d) novel

100.The person who tells the story in a literary work is called the

(a) actor
(b) narrator
(c) poet
(d) audience

Answers (1–100)

1. D
2. C
3. C
4. A
5. A
6. A
7. D
8. A
9. B
10. C
11. B
12. B
13. B
14. B
15. A
16. C
17. A
18. C
19. A
20. C
21. C
22. B
23. C
24. C
25. A
26. A
27. D
28. A
29. A
30. B
31. A
32. C
33. B
34. B
35. B
36. C
37. B
38. B
39. C
40. A
41. A
42. B
43. D
44. A
45. C
46. B
47. C
48. D
49. A
50. C
51. B
52. B
53. A
54. B
55. A
56. D
57. C
58. C
59. C
60. B
61. A
62. C
63. A
64. B
65. D
66. C
67. A
68. A
69. B
70. B
71. B
72. A
73. C
74. B
75. B
76. A
77. D
78. A
79. C
80. A
81. B
82. A
83. A
84. B
85. C
86. B
87. A
88. D
89. A
90. A
91. B
92. B
93. D
94. C
95. A
96. A
97. B
98. B
99. A
100. B