MCQs on 4.1 History of Novel
1. What does the word “novelle” mean?
A) Epic story
B) New
C) Short poem
D) Novel idea
2. A novella is
A) Longer than a novel
B) Shorter than a short story
C) Shorter than a novel
D) The same as a novel
3. A novella typically focuses on
A) Multiple plot lines
B) One incident and a couple of characters
C) Entire life of protagonist
D) Random events
4. The style of a novel refers to author’s
A) Setting
B) Language and narrative techniques
C) Plot structure
D) Theme
5. Stream-of-consciousness narration is
A) Third-person objective narration
B) First-person letters
C) Flow of a character’s thoughts
D) Epic storytelling
6. Who coined the term, “stream of consciousness”?
A) Sigmund Freud
B) William Wordsworth
C) William James
D) Virginia Woolf
7. Psychological novel focuses on
A) External factors only
B) Internal life and motives of characters
C) Magical realism
D) Humour
8. Epistolary novels use
A) Stream of consciousness
B) Letters or diary entries
C) Dream sequences
D) Mythological references
9. The term “epistolary” comes from ______ language.
A) Greek
B) Latin
C) French
D) German
10. Autobiographical novels are
A) Non-fiction
B) Past history novels
C) Based on author’s life with fictional elements
D) Epistolary
11. In autobiographical novels, authors usually
A) Use real names always
B) Never change details
C) Change names/places and dramatize events
D) Focus on supernatural
12. Gothic novels highlight
A) Love and peace
B) Horror, mystery, supernatural elements
C) Traveling
D) Humor
13. Utopian/Dystopian novels depict
A) Ideal or nightmarish societies
B) Only historical romance
C) Children's bedtime stories
D) Academic debates
14. Which of the following is NOT a type of novel mentioned in the text?
A) Stream-of-consciousness
B) Musical
C) Autobiographical
D) Psychological
15. The English novel emerged as the most successful literary genre in the
A) 16th century
B) 18th century
C) 20th century
D) Middle Ages
16. Which of the following literary form emerged successfully in the 18th century?
A) Gothic poems
B) Periodical essays
C) Epic films
D) Science fiction
17. The origin of the novel lay in
A) 14th to 16th century Sonnets
B) 2nd to 6th century Greek romances
C) 15th century Fairy tales
D) 18th century Modern dramas
18. The novel is recognized today as
A) An outdated genre
B) A minor literary form
C) The most dominant literary genre
D) Only for children
19. Which of the following is part of novel’s elements?
A) The setting
B) The dialogues
C) Music
D) Drama
20. Plot is created by __
A) negative internal conflict
B) internal and external conflicts
C) background characters
D) humour and music
21. The conflict means _____
A) The characters deal with the world
B) The struggle between opposite forces
C) Nature vs. nature
D) Weather change
22. Which of the following is NOT a component of the novel?
A) Plot
B) Character
C) Theme
D) Imagery
23. Setting includes all EXCEPT:
A) Place
B) Climate
C) Period
D) Genre
24. The first Indian English novel was __
A) A passage to India
B) Rajmohan’s Wife
C) The Jungle Book
D) Heart of Darkness
25. In early period the major Indian English novelists include
A) Mulkraj Anand & R.K. Narayan
B) Charles Dickens & Bram Stoker
C) Ruskin Bond and Rudyard Kipling
D) William James & Virginia Woolf
26. Recent contributors to the Indian English novels as mentioned in the text are___
A) V. S. Naipaul and Anita Das
B) Arvind Adiga & Kiran Desai
C) Mulkraj Anand & R.K. Narayan
D) Ruskin Bond & Shashi Deshpande
27. Match: Murasaki Shikibu
A) Don Quixote
B) Tale of Genji
C) Rajmohan’s Wife
D) Novella
28. Match: Don Quixote
A) Miguel de Cervantes
B) Henrik Ibsen
C) Murasaki Shikibu
D) Italian
29. Match: Rajmohan’s Wife
A) Raja Rao
B) Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay
C) R. K. Narayan
D) Arvind Adiga
30. Match: Novella’s root word meaning
A) Old
B) New
C) Rogue
D) Story
31. The Spanish word “picaro” means
A) Hero
B) Rogue
C) Monk
D) King
32. Arun Joshi, Vikram Seth, V. S. Naipaul, Kiran Nagarkar - pick out the odd word
A) Arun Joshi
B) Vikram Seth
C) V. S. Naipaul
D) Kiran Nagarkar
33. Place, Period, Theme, Climate, Lifestyle - pick out the odd word
A) Theme
B) Place
C) Climate
D) Lifestyle
34. Theme, Plot, Character, Novella - pick out the odd word
A) Plot
B) Character
C) Novella
D) Theme
35. Setting, Stream-of-consciousness, Conflict, Language - pick out the odd word
A) Language
B) Conflict
C) Setting
D) Stream-of-consciousness
36. “Rajmohan’s Wife” was first published in
A) the form of a book published in the USA
B) serialized form in “The Indian Field”
C) magazine in England
D) a diary form published in the news paper
37. Psychological, Gothic, Epistolary, Epic - pick out the odd word
A) Epic
B) Gothic
C) Epistolary
D) Psychological
38. Setting describes behavior of characters.
A) True
B) False
39. Main character in story is called “novella.”
A) True
B) False
40. “Conflict” means struggle between opposite forces.
A) True
B) False
41. Plot and character are affected by setting.
A) True
B) False
42. “Plot” refers to narrative style.
A) True
B) False
43. 'George Eliot' was the pen name of the famous novelist, 'Jane Eyre'
A) True
B) False
44. Jonathan Swift wrote the famous satire, 'The Animal Farm'.
A) True
B) False
45. The language and the techniques used by the author for the narration is called as the ‘Theme’.
A) True
B) False
Answer Key
1. B) New
2. C) Shorter than a novel
3. B) One incident and a couple of characters
4. B) Language and narrative techniques
5. B) Texture of narration and reader impact
6. C) Flow of a character’s thoughts
7. C) William James
8. B) Letters or diary entries
9. B) Latin
10. C) Based on author’s life with fictional elements
11. C) Change names/places and dramatize events
12. B) Horror, mystery, supernatural elements
13. A) Ideal or nightmarish societies
14. B) Musical
15. B) 18th century
16. B) Periodical essays
17. B) 2nd to 6th century Greek romances
18. C) The most popular literary genre
19. A) The setting
20. B) Internal and external conflicts
21. B) the struggle between opposite forces
22. D) Imagery
23. D) Genre
24. B) Rajmohan’s Wife
25. A) Mulkraj Anand & R.K. Narayan
26. B) Arvind Adiga & Kiran Desai
27. B) Tale of Genji
28. A) Miguel de Cervantes
29. B) Bankimchandra Chattopadhyaya
30. B) New
31. B) Rogue
32. C) V. S. Naipaul
33. D) Lifestyle
34. C) Novella
35. D) Stream-of-consciousness
36. B) Serialized form in “The Indian Field”
37. A) Epic
38. B) False
39. B) False
40. A) True
41. A) True
42. B) False
43. B) False
44. B) False
45. B) False
