50+ MCQs on John Dryden with Answers for UGC NET / SET Prepration
Q1. What literary period is John Dryden associated with?
a) Renaissance
b) Romantic
c) Neoclassical
d) Victorian
Q2. John Dryden served as the first official Poet Laureate of England under which monarch?
a) Queen Elizabeth I
b) King James II
c) Queen Anne
d) King Charles II
Q3. Dryden’s influential essay, “An Essay of Dramatic Poesy,” is a defense of:
a) Tragedy
b) Comedy
c) Epic poetry
d) Satire
Q4. Which of Dryden’s works is considered one of the earliest examples of literary criticism in English?
a) “Absalom and Achitophel”
b) “Mac Flecknoe”
c) “Annus Mirabilis”
d) “Of Dramatick Poesie, an Essay”
Q5. Dryden’s “Absalom and Achitophel” is a satirical poem that allegorically addresses political events during the reign of:
a) Charles I
b) James II
c) Oliver Cromwell
d) William III
Q6. In “Absalom and Achitophel,” who is allegorically represented as Absalom?
a) Charles II
b) James II
c) Charles I
d) Monmouth
Q7. Dryden’s play “All for Love” is a tragedy based on the story of:
a) Oedipus
b) Antony and Cleopatra
c) Romeo and JulietMCQs on John Dryden
d) Hamlet
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Q8. What is the genre of Dryden’s poem “Mac Flecknoe”?
a) Epic
b) Satire
c) PastoralMCQs on John Dryden
d) Lyric
Q9. Dryden is often credited with introducing the heroic couplet into English literature. True/False?
10. Which poetic form did Dryden use in his translation of Virgil’s “Aeneid”?
a) Blank verse
b) Sonnet
c) Spenserian stanza
d) Heroic couplet
11. Dryden’s collaboration with Purcell resulted in the production of which semi-opera?
a) “The Fairy-Queen”
b) “King Arthur”
c) “Dido and Aeneas”
d) “The Indian Queen”
12. In “Annus Mirabilis,” Dryden commemorates a specific year known for:
a) The Great Fire of London
b) The Restoration of Charles II
c) The Glorious Revolution
d) The execution of Charles I
13. Dryden’s “The Hind and the Panther” is a poem that engages with religious and political themes during the:
a) Restoration era
b) Victorian era
c) Jacobean era
d) Elizabethan era
14. Dryden’s play “The Spanish Friar” is an adaptation of a work by which playwright?
a) Shakespeare
b) Molière
c) Calderón
d) Racine
15. Dryden’s poetic style is often associated with the principles of:
a) Romanticism
b) Classicism
c) Realism
d) Naturalism
16. Dryden’s “To the Memory of Mr. Oldham” is an elegy written in honor of a fellow poet.
True/False
17. Dryden was a prominent figure in the literary group known as the “Cavalier Poets.”
True/False
18. Which literary term is associated with Dryden’s practice of adapting classical works into English?
a) Parody
b) Pastoral
c) Iambic pentameter
d) Augustan satire
19. Dryden’s play “Amphitryon” is a comedy based on the work of which ancient playwright?
a) Aeschylus
b) Aristophanes
c) Plautus
d) Euripides
20. Dryden’s poem “Annus Mirabilis” is often considered a landmark work in the development of which poetic form?
a) Epic
b) Sonnet
c) Ode
d) Elegy
21. Dryden’s political allegiances shifted during his lifetime, from being a supporter of the royalist cause to later aligning with the Whigs.
True/False
22. Dryden’s poem “To His Sacred Majesty” celebrates the coronation of which monarch?
a) Charles I
b) James II
c) William III
d) Queen Anne
23. Dryden’s “Of Dramatick Poesie, an Essay” is written in the form of a:
a) Poem
b) Play
c) Letter
d) Dialogue
24. What poetic form did Dryden use in his satirical poem “Mac Flecknoe”?
a) Blank verse
b) Heroic couplet
c) Spenserian stanza
d) Free verse
25. In “Absalom and Achitophel,” who is allegorically represented as Achitophel?
a) Monmouth
b) James IIMCQs on John Dryden
c) Shaftesbury
d) Charles II
26. Dryden’s play “The Conquest of Granada” is a heroic play set during the conflict between Christians and Moors in:
a) Italy
b) Spain
c) France
d) Greece
27. Dryden’s “Ode on the Death of Mrs. Anne Killigrew” is an example of which poetic form?
a) Sonnet
b) Ode
c) Epic
d) Elegy
28. Dryden’s translation of the works of Horace and Juvenal contributed to the development of which literary form in English?
a) Satire
b) Epic poetry
c) Lyric poetry
d) Pastoral
29. Dryden’s “The State of Innocence” is an opera based on the biblical story of:
a) Adam and Eve
b) Noah’s Ark
c) Moses and the Exodus
d) David and Bathsheba
30. Which work by Dryden is considered a landmark in the development of English literary criticism?
a) “The Hind and the Panther”
b) “Mac Flecknoe”
c) “Absalom and Achitophel”
d) “An Essay of Dramatick Poesie”
31. Dryden’s “The Duke of Guise” is an example of a:
a) Tragedy
b) Comedy
c) PastoralMCQs on John Dryden
d) Satire
32. Dryden’s “Aureng-Zebe” is notable for being written entirely in:
a) Blank verse
b) Rhymed couplets
c) Sonnet form
d) Free verse
33. Dryden’s play “Marriage à la
Mode” is a:
a) Tragedy
b) Comedy
c) Tragicomedy
d) Farce
34. Dryden’s collaboration with Nahum Tate resulted in a famous adaptation of which Shakespearean play?
a) “Hamlet”
b) “King Lear”
c) “Macbeth”
d) “The Tempest”
35. In Dryden’s poem “The Secular Masque,” the cyclical nature of human history is explored during which event?
a) The Great Fire of London
b) The coronation of a monarchMCQs on John Dryden
c) A solar eclipse
d) The passing of the seasonsMCQs on John Dryden
36. Dryden’s “Alexander’s Feast” is an ode written to celebrate the feast of:
a) Alexander the Great
b) King Solomon
c) Julius CaesarMCQs on John Dryden
d) St. GeorgeMCQs on John Dryden
37. Dryden’s play “Don Sebastian” is set in which historical and geographical context?
a) Ancient Greece
b) Medieval England
c) Renaissance Italy
d) 17th-century Spain
38. Dryden’s “A Song for St. Cecilia’s Day” is an ode that celebrates the patron saint of:
a) Poetry
b) Music
c) Painting
d) Dance
39. In Dryden’s poem “To the Memory of Mr. Oldham,” who is Mr. Oldham?
a) A political figure
b) A fellow poet
c) A religious leader
d) A fictional character
40. Dryden’s work “Fables, Ancient and Modern” includes translations and adaptations of stories from which classical authors?
a) Aesop and Ovid
b) Homer and Virgil
c) Sophocles and Euripides
d) Herodotus and Thucydides
41. Dryden’s poem “The Flower and the Leaf” is an allegorical poem exploring themes of chivalry and courtly love.
True/False
42. Dryden’s choice of the heroic couplet as his preferred poetic form reflects his commitment to classical ideals.
True/False
43. In Dryden’s play “The Indian Emperor,” the character Montezuma is based on the historical figure of the Aztec emperor.
True/False
44. Dryden’s poem “To the Pious Memory of the Accomplished Young Lady Mrs. Anne Killigrew” is an elegy dedicated to a young woman known for her artistic talents.
True/False
45. Dryden’s work as a playwright extended to various genres, including comedy, tragedy, and heroic drama.
True/False
46. Dryden’s poem “Eleonora” is a mourning poem written in honor of Queen Mary II.
True/False
47. In Dryden’s play “The Wild Gallant,” he experimented with a mixture of prose and verse.
True/False
48. Dryden’s “The Indian Queen” is a play written in collaboration with Aphra Behn.
True/False
49. Dryden’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” was well-received and is considered faithful to the original.
True/False
50. Dryden’s “A Song for St. Cecilia’s Day” celebrates the power of music to elevate the soul and inspire creativity.
True/False
Answer
1. c) Neoclassical
2. b) King James II
3. a) Tragedy
4. d) “Of Dramatick Poesie, an Essay”
5. b) James II
6. d) Monmouth
7. b) Antony and Cleopatra
8. b) SatireMCQs on John Dryden
9. True
10. d) Heroic couplet
11. c) “Dido and Aeneas”
12. a) The Great Fire of London
13. a) Restoration eraMCQs on John Dryden
14. c) Calderón
15. b) Classicism
16. True
17. False
18. a) Parody
19. c) Plautus
20. a) Epic
21. True
22. b) James IIMCQs on John Dryden
23. d) Dialogue
24. b) Heroic coupletMCQs on John Dryden
25. c) Shaftesbury
26. b) Spain
27. b) Ode
28. a) SatireMCQs on John Dryden
29. a) Adam and Eve
30. d) “An Essay of Dramatick Poesie”
31. a) Tragedy
32. a) Blank verseMCQs on John Dryden
33. c) Tragicomedy
34. c) “Macbeth”
35. a) The Great Fire of London
36. a) Alexander the GreatMCQs on John Dryden
37. d) 17th-century Spain
38. b) Music
39. b) A fellow poet
40. a) Aesop and Ovid
41. True
42. True
43. False
44. True
45. True
46. True
47. True
48. True
49. False
50. True
