PPSC English Lecturer Past Paper 2011

1. T.S. Eliot was a/an…?
   A) American poet
   B) Russian poet
   C) British poet ✔️
   D) French poet
   Explanation: Although T.S. Eliot was born in the United States, he later became a British citizen in 1927 and is often regarded as a British poet due to his significant literary contributions in England.
2. Carl Sandburg was born at…?
   A) Milan
   B) Galena
   C) Quincy
   D) Illinois ✔️
   Explanation: Carl Sandburg was born in Galesburg, Illinois, USA, in 1878.
3. The poem “Byzantium” is written about…?
   A) A city ✔️
   B) A continent
   C) A country (An ancient Roman place’s name)
   D) A class
   Explanation: "Byzantium," written by William Butler Yeats, refers to the ancient city of Byzantium, symbolizing spiritual transcendence and artistic purity.
4. Wuthering Heights is written by…?
   A) Emily Brontë ✔
   B) George Eliot
   C) Thomas Hardy
   D) Charles Dickens
   Correct Answer: (A)
   Explanation:  "Wuthering Heights" was authored by Emily Brontë.
5. The poet who used extensive alliteration is…?
   A) John Donne
   B) Spencer
   C) Milton ✔️
   D) Sidney
   Explanation: John Milton, the author of Paradise Lost, used extensive alliteration in his poetry to add rhythm and emphasis to his work.
6. Repetition of the same vowel sound is called…?
   A) Alliteration
   B) Consonance
   C) Assonance ✔️
   D) Anaphora
   Explanation: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in close proximity, such as in "The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain."
7. “Everyman in His Humor” is written by?
   A) Christopher Marlowe
   B) John Dryden
   C) John Webster
   D) Ben Jonson ✔️
   Explanation: "Every Man in His Humour" is a comedy play written by Ben Jonson and was first performed in 1598.
8. Word language consists of two ___ words.
   A) Greek
   B) Spanish
   C) Latin ✔️
   D) French
   Explanation: The term "language" is derived from the Latin word lingua, meaning "tongue."
9. Semantics is the…
   A) Study of sound system
   B) Study of word formation
   C) Study of structure
   D) Study of meanings ✔️
   Explanation: Semantics deals with the study of meaning in language, focusing on how words and sentences convey meaning.
10. Sound produced without obstruction of air?
    A) Consonant
    B) Diphthongs
    C) Vowel ✔️
    D) Plosives
    Explanation: Vowels are produced without any significant constriction or blockage of airflow in the vocal tract.
11. Linguistics is a combination of __ words?
    A) One
    B) Three
    C) Two ✔️
    D) Four
    Explanation: The word linguistics is formed from two Latin roots: lingua (tongue) and -istics (study or science).
12. Elizabeth Sewell was born in?
    A) New Zealand
    B) England
    C) Australia
    D) America ✔️
    Explanation: Elizabeth Sewell, a poet and critic, was born in the United States in 1919.
13. Shakespeare acted in one of the plays of?
    A) Christopher Marlowe
    B) Sheridan
    C) Ben Jonson ✔️
    D) John Webster
    Explanation: Shakespeare is believed to have acted in several plays, including those written by Ben Jonson, such as Every Man in His Humour.
14. The Waste Land of Eliot is dedicated to?
    A) William Carlos
    B) T.S. Eliot
    C) Ezra Pound ✔️
    D) Gertrude Stein
    Explanation: T.S. Eliot dedicated The Waste Land to Ezra Pound, calling him "il miglior fabbro," meaning "the better craftsman."
15. Hardy’s own classification of novels was?
    A) Three
    B) Four
    C) Two ✔️
    D) Five
    Explanation: Thomas Hardy classified his novels into four categories: Novels of Character and Environment, Romances and Fantasies, Novels of Ingenuity, and Mixed Novels.
16. The Egoist was written by?
    A) Thomas Hardy
    B) Hubert Parry
    C) George Meredith ✔️
    D) Hubert Bancroft
    Explanation: The Egoist (1879) is a novel by George Meredith, known for its exploration of egoism and satire.
17. The Time Machine and The Invisible Man were written by?
    A) George Orwell
    B) H.G. Wells ✔️
    C) Jules Verne
    D) Orson Welles
    Explanation: These are two major science-fiction works by H.G. Wells.
18. Synaesthesia is?
    A) Unification of soul
    B) Unification of thoughts
    C) Unification of senses ✔️
    D) Unification of people
    Explanation: Synaesthesia is a phenomenon where one sensory experience involuntarily triggers another, such as seeing colors when hearing sounds.
19. Winding Stair is a poem by?
    A) T.S. Eliot
    B) W.B. Yeats ✔️
    C) James Joyce
    D) John Keats
    Explanation: W.B. Yeats wrote The Winding Stair, a collection reflecting themes of history and personal mythology.
20. Unified sensibility?
    A) Donne ✔️
    B) Milton
    C) Herbert
    D) Marvell
    Explanation: T.S. Eliot coined the term "unified sensibility" to describe how John Donne and other Metaphysical poets combined thought and emotion in their poetry.

21.  ·  The Invention of Morel was written by?
A) James Joyce
B) H.G. Wells
C) Jorge Luis Borges
D) Adolfo Bioy Casares ✔️
Explanation: The Invention of Morel is a science fiction novel written by Adolfo Bioy Casares, first published in 1940.

22.  ·  “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” is a poem by?
A) Ezra Pound
B) T.S. Eliot ✔️
C) W.B. Yeats
D) Robert Frost
Explanation: This famous modernist poem was written by T.S. Eliot and is one of his most well-known works.

23.  ·  The term ‘Stream of Consciousness’ was first used by?
A) James Joyce
B) William Faulkner
C) Virginia Woolf
D) Gerard Manley Hopkins ✔️
Explanation: The term ‘Stream of Consciousness’ was coined by Gerard Manley Hopkins, but it became famous through works of James Joyce and Virginia Woolf.

24.  ·  The first World War was fought in?
A) 1914-1918 ✔️
B) 1912-1916
C) 1920-1924
D) 1910-1914
Explanation: The First World War, also known as the Great War, occurred between 1914 and 1918.

25.  ·  The author of The Road Not Taken is?
A) W.B. Yeats
B) Robert Frost ✔️
C) John Keats
D) William Wordsworth
Explanation: Robert Frost, an American poet, wrote The Road Not Taken, one of his most famous poems, in 1916.

26.  ·  Which of these poets is considered a metaphysical poet?
A) John Donne ✔️
B) W.B. Yeats
C) Alfred Lord Tennyson
D) Emily Dickinson
Explanation: John Donne is one of the foremost Metaphysical poets, known for his complex imagery and deep philosophical themes.

27.  ·  "The Old Man and the Sea" was written by?
A) Mark Twain
B) Ernest Hemingway ✔️
C) F. Scott Fitzgerald
D) John Steinbeck
Explanation: The Old Man and the Sea is a novella written by Ernest Hemingway, for which he won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1953.

28.  ·  Who wrote The Canterbury Tales?
A) Geoffrey Chaucer ✔️
B) William Shakespeare
C) John Milton
D) Edmund Spenser
Explanation: Geoffrey Chaucer is the author of The Canterbury Tales, a seminal work of English literature, written in the 14th century.

29.  ·  The word "epiphany" was popularized by which author?
A) James Joyce ✔️
B) F. Scott Fitzgerald
C) Virginia Woolf
D) William Faulkner
Explanation: James Joyce popularized the term "epiphany" in literature, particularly in his collection Dubliners.

30.  ·  Who is known for writing The Picture of Dorian Gray?
A) Oscar Wilde ✔️
B) George Orwell
C) Aldous Huxley
D) William Blake
Explanation: The Picture of Dorian Gray is a novel written by Oscar Wilde, exploring themes of vanity, hedonism, and moral decay.

31.  ·  The “stream of consciousness” narrative technique is mostly associated with?
A) William Faulkner
B) James Joyce
C) Virginia Woolf ✔️
D) Franz Kafka
Explanation: Virginia Woolf is renowned for using the stream of consciousness technique in her modernist novels like Mrs. Dalloway and To the Lighthouse.

32.  ·  The term "Modernism" in literature primarily refers to?
A) A focus on tradition
B) The rejection of old forms and conventions ✔️
C) The development of realistic characters
D) The use of classical myths
Explanation: Modernism is characterized by a deliberate break with traditional forms and an embrace of new, experimental techniques.

33.  ·  Which novel is considered the first true detective novel?
A) The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
B) The Murders in the Rue Morgue ✔️
C) Murder on the Orient Express
D) The Maltese Falcon
Explanation: The Murders in the Rue Morgue by Edgar Allan Poe is widely considered the first true detective story.

34.  ·  Who is the author of The Sound and the Fury?
A) William Faulkner ✔️
B) John Steinbeck
C) Ernest Hemingway
D) F. Scott Fitzgerald
Explanation: The Sound and the Fury is a 1929 novel by William Faulkner, famous for its complex narrative structure.

35.  ·  Who wrote 1984?
A) George Orwell ✔️
B) Aldous Huxley
C) Ray Bradbury
D) Kurt Vonnegut
Explanation: 1984 is a dystopian novel written by George Orwell, exploring themes of surveillance, totalitarianism, and the manipulation of truth.

36.  ·  The author of The Great Gatsby is?
A) John Steinbeck
B) F. Scott Fitzgerald ✔️
C) William Faulkner
D) T.S. Eliot
Explanation: The Great Gatsby is a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, often considered one of the greatest American novels.

37.  ·  The epic poem Paradise Lost was written by?
A) Geoffrey Chaucer
B) John Milton ✔️
C) William Blake
D) John Keats
Explanation: Paradise Lost is an epic poem written by John Milton, detailing the biblical story of the Fall of Man.

38.  ·  Who wrote The Catcher in the Rye?
A) J.D. Salinger ✔️
B) Truman Capote
C) John Steinbeck
D) Jack Kerouac
Explanation: The Catcher in the Rye is a novel written by J.D. Salinger, focusing on teenage alienation and identity.

39.  ·  The term "iambic pentameter" refers to?
A) A six-syllable line
B) A ten-syllable line with a particular rhythm ✔️
C) A four-syllable line
D) A line of twelve syllables
Explanation: Iambic pentameter is a type of metrical line in poetry consisting of five iambic feet, or ten syllables, with alternating unstressed and stressed syllables.

40.  ·  Who wrote Mrs. Dalloway?
A) Virginia Woolf ✔️
B) James Joyce
C) T.S. Eliot
D) George Eliot
Explanation: Mrs. Dalloway is a 1925 novel by Virginia Woolf, known for its exploration of time, memory, and consciousness.