Which of the following offers the best definition of a theatrical tragedy ?

A. A play that depicts the downfall of a noble person
B. A play in which someone gets revenge
C. A play in which a hero faces likely defeat and overcomes it
D. A play in which no form of humor appears

Which of the following offers the best description of literary theory ?

A. Literary theory involves coming to a precise understanding of a writer’s psychology.
B. Literary theory involves measuring the quality of a literary work.
C. Literary theory involves considering the publication history of literary texts.
D. Literary theory involves describing the underlying principles of a literary work.

Which of the following offers the best definition of a Greek theatrical comedy ?

A. A play in which characters make humorous remarks
B. A play in which characters experience reversals of fortune, usually for the better
C. A play in which no characters die or suffer
D. A play in which elite members of society are mocked

Which of the following lines provides an example of a poetic apostrophe ?

A. “she is a woman of beauty and wonder.”
B. “death, that which feels nothing.”
C. “milton, thou shouldst be living at this hour: / england hath need of thee.”
D. “i wandered lonely as a cloud.”

As a mode of literary criticism or theory, formalism attempted to bring which of the following to literary studies ?

A. An awareness of the historical circumstances surrounding a text’s production
B. A set of objective criteria for critical analysis
C. An awareness of the economic circumstances surrounding a literary text
D. Strict criteria for evaluating the quality of a literary text

Which of the following offers the best description of the concept of ethos ?

A. Ethos refers to a writer’s presentation of character and image.
B. Ethos refers to a writer’s ability to present evidence.
C. Ethos refers to a writer’s ability to inspire action in readers.
D. Ethos refers to a writer’s ability to inspire emotional responses in readers.

Which of the following offers the best definition of the literary term motif ?

A. A recurring element in a story that is symbolically significant
B. A character’s fatal flaw
C. A rhyme scheme
D. A character’s moment of selfrealization in a narrative

Which of the following statements demonstrates the use of pathos ?

A. According to research, 22 percent of the american population owns an unsecured handgun.
B. I own a handgun and keep it in a secure place in my house.
C. Every month in the united states, at least 100 children are wounded or killed as a result of unsecured handguns.
D. Handguns don’t kill people, people do

Which of the following statements offers the best characterization of a Greek tragedy ?

A. In a greek tragedy, evil people are vanquished by the forces of good.
B. In a greek tragedy, characters undergo reversals of fortune, usually for the worse.
C. In a greek tragedy, the hero suffers but always survives at the end of the play.
D. In a greek tragedy, the tragic hero dies at the end of the play.

What is one reason that Mystery Plays are referred to as such ?

A. They involve the solving of a crime.
B. They explore mysterious religious topics.
C. They were written by medieval mystics.
D. They were produced by medieval craft guilds, which were knows as “mysteries”.