Which of the following best defines the work of a deconstructionist critic ?

A. Suggesting that the study of literature is based on the breakdown of language into signs
B. Arguing that language, and therefore literary texts, relies on the difference between terms and therefore constantly defers meaning.
C. Calling into question the capacity of language to communicate
D. All of the above.

What do structuralist and formalist critics have in common ?

A. Both sets of critics look for an objective way to view texts.
B. Both sets of critics study the underlying forms of texts.
C. Both sets of critics focus on evaluating literature in a scientific manner.
D. All of the above.

What is the main goal of ethnic criticism ?

A. To rectify the double experiences of certain racial groups
B. To reconcile cultural identity with individual identity
C. To expand the canon to include works authored by different racial groups
D. All of the above.

Which of the following best describes the difference between literary criticism and literary theory?

A. Literary criticism is concerned only with the meaning of a literary work, while literary theory is concerned only with the structure of a literary work.
B. Literary criticism draws upon research derived from sources outside literature, while literary theory draws upon sources within a text.
C. Literary criticism is concerned with how characters in a text act, while literary theory is concerned with why characters act.
D. Literary theory is concerned with the method used to interpret a work, while literary criticism is the application of literary theory.

What is false consciousness ?

A. A feminist term for the state that occurs when texts written by women are not considered in the study of literature
B. Another term for the unconscious c. a term related to the period of psychosexual development that occurs before an infant reaches the mirror stage
D. An ideology that involves dominating the consciousness of exploited classes

Which literary theorist argues that “there is nothing outside the text” ?

A. T.s. eliot
B. Jacques lacan
C. Jacques derrida
D. Stanley fish

Which of the following writers might be considered one of the early founders of first-wave feminism ?

A. Hélène cixous
B. Judith butler
C. Lucy irigaray
D. Mary wollstonecraft

What is the purpose of feminist theory ?

A. To create literary subjects with which female readers can identify
B. To critique phallocentric assumptions about literature
C. To counter stereotypes about women
D. All of the above.

What is phenomenology ?

A. The examination of structures informing our conscious experience
B. The examination of desires informing our consciousness
C. The examination of our unconscious experience
D. The examination of intricate structures within our unconscious

In her essay “The Poem as Event,” Louise M. Rosenblatt sees the reader as performing what function ?

A. The reader is acted upon by the text.
B. The reader acts upon the text.
C. The reader brings individual knowledge to his or her reading of the text.
D. All of the above.