50+ MCQs on Samuel Johnson with Answers for UGC NET / SET Prepration
1. Samuel Johnson is best known for his work as a:
a) Novelist
b) Poet
c) Essayist
d) Playwright
2. Johnson’s most famous literary work is:
a) “Rasselas”
b) “The Vanity of Human Wishes”
c) “The Lives of the Poets”
d) “A Dictionary of the English Language”
3. What genre did Samuel Johnson define with his work “A Dictionary of the English Language”?
a) Novel
b) Drama
c) Dictionary
d) Biography
4. Johnson’s literary club, which included prominent figures like Joshua Reynolds and Edmund Burke, was known as:
a) The Scriblerus Club
b) The Bloomsbury Group
c) The Inklings
d) The Literary Club
5. Johnson’s essay series “The Rambler” was published in which periodical?
a) The Tatler
b) The Spectator
c) The Idler
d) The Gentleman’s Magazine
6. What nickname was given to Samuel Johnson’s cat?
a) Whiskers
b) Paws
c) Hodge
d) Fluffy
7. Johnson’s biographical work “The Lives of the Poets” includes biographies of:
a) Victorian poets
b) Romantic poets
c) Augustan poets
d) Renaissance poetsMCQs on Samuel Johnson
8. Johnson’s critical essay “The Vanity of Human Wishes” is a response to a poem by which Roman poet?
a) VirgilMCQs on Samuel Johnson
b) Horace
c) Ovid
d) Juvenal
9. In “The Rambler,” Johnson often wrote under the pseudonym:
a) Cato
b) Atticus
c) Isaac Bickerstaff
d) The Spectator
10. Johnson’s famous definition of a lexicographer is found in his preface to:
a) “The Vanity of Human Wishes”
b) “A Dictionary of the English Language”
c) “Rasselas”
d) “The Lives of the Poets”
11. Johnson’s play “Irene” received acclaim for its dramatic qualities.
True/False
12. Johnson’s essay series “The Idler” was published in collaboration with:
a) Joseph Addison
b) Richard Steele
c) Oliver Goldsmith
d) David Garrick
13. Samuel Johnson’s birthplace was in which city?
a) London
b) Birmingham
c) Lichfield
d) Edinburgh
14. What is the central theme of Johnson’s work “Rasselas”?
a) The pursuit of happiness
b) The futility of human wishes
c) The lives of poets
d) The vanity of life
15. Johnson’s work “Lives of the English Poets” covers poets from the:
a) 17th century
b) 18th century
c) 19th century
d) 20th century
16. Johnson was a staunch advocate for the American colonies during the period leading up to the American Revolution.
True/False
17. What term did Johnson use to describe a literary work that imitates the style of another writer?
a) Parody
b) SatireMCQs on Samuel Johnson
c) Pastoral
d) ElegyMCQs on Samuel Johnson
18. Johnson’s famous dictionary aimed to:
a) Standardize English spelling and usage
b) Introduce new words to the language
c) Promote regional dialects
d) Simplify grammar rules
19. Johnson’s poem “London” is a tribute to the city’s:
a) Natural beauty
b) Cultural diversity
c) Social problems
d) Architectural grandeur
20. Johnson’s literary criticism was heavily influenced by the neoclassical principles of order, balance, and imitation.
True/False
21. What is the title of Johnson’s satirical poem that critiques the practices of patronage and the influence of patrons on writers?
a) “The Vanity of Human Wishes”
b) “The Rambler”
c) “The Vanity of Arts and Sciences”
d) “London”
22. Johnson’s famous definition of a lexicographer in his dictionary preface includes the notion that a lexicographer:
a) Prescribes the correct usage of words
b) Records the language as it is usedMCQs on Samuel Johnson
c) Invents new words
d) Analyzes the etymology of words
23. Johnson’s essay “The Vanity of Arts and Sciences” criticizes the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake
. True/False
24. Johnson’s play “The London Merchant” is better known by what title?
a) “She Stoops to Conquer”
b) “The Rivals”
c) “The School for Scandal”
d) “The Good-Natur’d Man”
25. Johnson’s definition of a “metaphysical poet” in his essay “The Lives of the Poets” includes:
a) A focus on passionate expression
b) A love for nature
c) A use of elaborate conceits
d) An emphasis on realism
26. Johnson’s “A Dictionary of the English Language” was a groundbreaking achievement, but it faced criticism for:
a) Lacking comprehensive coverage
b) Being too concise
c) Including too many obsolete words
d) Favoring regional dialects
27. In “Rasselas,” Johnson explores the theme of the pursuit of happiness through the story of a prince searching for the meaning of life.
True/False
28. What is the subject of Johnson’s poem “The Vanity of Human Wishes”?
a) The fleeting nature of wealth and power
b) The pursuit of love and romance
c) The quest for immortality
d) The dangers of excessive prideMCQs on Samuel Johnson
29. Johnson’s work “Prayers and Meditations” reflects his deep religious beliefs.
True/False
30. Johnson’s critical essay “Preface to Shakespeare” is considered a milestone in the appreciation of Shakespearean drama.
True/False
31. Johnson’s essay “A Review of Soame Jenyns’ A Free Inquiry into the Nature and Origin of Evil” defends the idea of:
a) Free will
b) Determinism
c) Predestination
d) Original sin
32. Johnson’s poem “The Vanity of Human Wishes” is often compared to the satirical works of which Roman poet?
a) Virgil
b) Ovid
c) Horace
d) Juvenal
33. Johnson’s work “Lives of the English Poets” reflects his belief in the moral and educational value of literature.
True/False
34. Johnson’s “Lives of the Poets” includes biographies of poets such as:
a) John Keats and Percy Bysshe Shelley
b) William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge
c) Geoffrey Chaucer and John Milton
d) Alexander Pope and Jonathan Swift
35. What is the title of Johnson’s essay in which he defines the metaphysical conceit and criticizes its use?
a) “The Vanity of Human Wishes”
b) “Preface to Shakespeare”
c) “The Lives of the Poets”MCQs on Samuel Johnson
d) “On the Metaphysical Poets”
36. Johnson’s essay series “The Adventurer” was written in collaboration with:
a) Joseph Addison
b) Richard Steele
c) Oliver Goldsmith
d) David Garrick
37. Johnson’s definition of a lexicographer emphasizes the role of:
a) Creativity
b) Originality
c) Imagination
d) Scholarship
38. What is the primary theme of Johnson’s poem “London”?
a) Urban decay
b) Social inequality
c) Cultural diversity
d) Natural beauty
39. Johnson’s poem “The Vanity of Human Wishes” is written in what poetic form?
a) Sonnet
b) Blank verse
c) Heroic couplet
d) Free verse
40. Johnson’s literary criticism is characterized by a focus on:
a) Imagination and creativity
b) Realism and naturalism
c) Morality and utility
d) Romantic ideals
41. Johnson’s play “Irene” is known for its:
a) Tragic elements
b) Comic elements
c) Historical elements
d) Romantic elements
42. Johnson’s “A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland” is a travel narrative that reflects his observations and opinions on:
a) Politics
b) Religion
c) Culture and society
d) Nature and landscape
43. Johnson’s definition of a metaphysical poet in “The Lives of the Poets” is generally positive and appreciative.
True/False
44. Johnson’s work “The Vanity of Arts and Sciences” argues that the pursuit of knowledge should be motivated by:
a) Ambition
b) Utility
c) Curiosity
d) Vanity
45. Johnson’s “The Vanity of Human Wishes” includes references to historical and mythological figures as cautionary examples of human folly.
True/False
46. Johnson’s essay “Rambler No. 4” discusses the concept of:
a) Friendship
b) Love
c) Solitude
d) Patriotism
47. What was Johnson’s contribution to the development of the English novel?
a) He wrote the first English novel.
b) He defined the novel as a literary form.
c) He criticized the novel as a trivial genre.
d) He wrote influential novels such as “Tom Jones.”
48. Johnson’s “Rasselas” is often categorized as a:
a) Satirical novel
b) Romantic novel
c) Philosophical novel
d) Historical novel
49. Johnson’s work “London” is often considered a precursor to the Romantic interest in nature and the sublime.
True/False
50. Johnson’s friendship with the writer Oliver Goldsmith is reflected in Johnson’s biographical work “Lives of the English Poets.”
True/False
50+ MCQs on Samuel Johnson with Answers for UGC NET / SET Prepration
Answer
1. c) Essayist
2. b) “The Vanity of Human Wishes”
3. c) Dictionary
4. d) The Literary ClubMCQs on Samuel Johnson
5. c) The Idler
6. c) Hodge
7. c) 19th century
8. b) HoraceMCQs on Samuel Johnson
9. a) Cato
10. b) “A Dictionary of the English Language”
11. c) “The Vanity of Arts and Sciences”
12. c) Oliver GoldsmithMCQs on Samuel Johnson
13. c) LichfieldMCQs on Samuel Johnson
14. a) The pursuit of happiness
15. c) 19th century
16. False
17. a) Parody
18. a) Standardize English spelling and usage
19. c) Social problems
20. True
21. c) “The Vanity of Arts and Sciences”
22. b) Records the language as it is used
23. False
24. d) “The Good-Natur’d Man”
25. c) A use of elaborate conceits
26. a) Lacking comprehensive coverage
27. True
28. a) The fleeting nature of wealth and power
29. True
30. True
31. a) Free will
32. d) Juvenal
33. True
34. c) Geoffrey Chaucer and John Milton
35. d) “On the Metaphysical Poets”
36. b) Richard Steele
37. d) Scholarship
38. a) Urban decay
39. c) Heroic couplet
40. c) Morality and utility
41. a) Tragic elements
42. c) Culture and society
43. False
44. b) Utility
45. True
46. c) Solitude
47. b) He defined the novel as a literary form.
48. c) Philosophical novel
49. False
50. True
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