LITERATURE QUESTIONS

SPECIALIZATION - ENGLISH - TEST
Directions: Read each item carefully; then choose the letter of the best answer.
1. The first Asian to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature.
A. Yasunari Kawabata B. Rabindranath Tagore C. Wole Soyinka D. Po Chu-I

2. Filial piety is a basic tenet of this school of thought.
A. Taoism B. Confucianism C. Hinduism D. Buddhism

3. This ethical concept suggests a sense of obligation or indebtedness which explains the sense of patriotism and nationalism of the Japanese.
A. on B. seppuku C. giri D. Kami

4. What insight is suggested by this haiku from Basho?

P o v e r t y’s c h I l d –
He s t a r t s to grind the rice
And g a z e s at the moon.

A. Nature has a soothing effect on the human spirit. C. The poor dreams and are hopeful of better things in their life.
B. Child labor is a reality in many Asian nations D. Life is never-ending routine of work and leisure.
5. He is the leading figure of the Negritude movement.
A. Leopold Senghor B. Dennis Brutus C. Wole Soyinka D. David Diop

6. The plot development of the Ramayana.
A. Circular B. En medias res C. Linear D. Pyramid

7. The South African novelist and short story writer whose major themes are on exile and alienation, won the Nobel Prize for
Literature in 1991.
A. Ousmane Sembene B. Nadine Gordimer C. Bessie Head D. Barbara Kimenye

8. This novel is based on the pilgrimage of the Bhuddist monk Xuangzang to India in search of sacred texts.
A. The Tale of Genji C. Record of a Journey to the West
B. Dream of the red Chamber D. On Learning to be an Indian
9. Fine arts and literature flourished during this dynasty which is viewed as the Golden Age of Chinese civilization.
A. Han B. T’ang C. Ch’in D. Shang

10. This excerpt from Soyinka’s Telephone Conversation indicates the universal issue of _________.
“ARE YOU D A R K? OR VERY LIGHT?” Revelation came.
“You mean- like p l a i n or milk c h o c o l a te?” Her a s s e n t was c l Iin ical, crushing its light I m p ersonality. Rapidly,
wave length adjusted, I chose, “West African sepia.” – and as an afterthought, “Down in my passport.”
A. gender discrimination B. colonial mentality C. human rights violation D. racial discrimination

11. The Hindu belief that life is an illusion is __________.
A. dharma B. artha C. maya D. kama

12. In which Jane Austen novel do the following lines appear?
“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of
a wife.”
A. Mansfield Park B. Northanger Abbey C. Pride and Prejudice D. Sense and Sensibility

13. Which novel by Thomas Hardy begins with the hero selling his wife and daughter to a sailor who is on his way to
Canada?
A. Return to the NativeB. Tess of d’Urberville C. Under the Greenwood Tree D. The Mayor of Casterbridge

14. In what Shakespearean play do the following lines appear?
What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason! How infinite in faculties! In form and moving, how
express and admirable!
A. Hamlet C. A Midsummer Night’s Dream
B. Romeo and Juliet D. King Henry IV
15. What is the title of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s ‘Tale of Horror’?
A. Bleak House B. Frankenstein C. Heart of Darkness D. Tale Tale heart