View a FREE sample

This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. According to Chapter 2, which of the examples below cannot be considered literature?
(a) The phone book.
(b) Private journals.
(c) All of these.
(d) Instructional manuals.

2. According to Foucault, what form of communication had power over social ideals?
(a) Online resources.
(b) The newspaper.
(c) Letters.
(d) Literature.

3. According to theorists, what will a reader not measure equally when it comes to Shakespeare versus a dime-store novel?
(a) Entertainment value.
(b) Moral.
(c) Expectations.
(d) Popular appeal.

4. To what types of topics did Foucault attempt to give historical relevance?
(a) All of these.
(b) Sex.
(c) Punishment.
(d) Madness.

5. What theory analyzes the relationship between mass culture and popular culture?
(a) European Marxist theory.
(b) French socialism theory.
(c) American English.
(d) Russian Lennon theory.

6. According to Chapter 1, what does literary theory often critique?
(a) Unnecessary documentation.
(b) Words of the wealthy.
(c) Common sense ideas.
(d) Proven facts.

7. Some scholars fear that literature could inspire _____________.
(a) Rebellion.
(b) All of these.
(c) Individuality.
(d) Change.

8. According to Chapter 2, "What is Literature and Does it Matter?" what makes up the bulk of written work prior to modern literature?
(a) Sermons.
(b) Prayers.
(c) Letters.
(d) Letters and sermons.

9. What form of literary theory tries to bring back voices from the past in an effort to create lost history?
(a) Republican.
(b) Lennon.
(c) Socialist.
(d) Marxist.

10. According to Chapter 3, which author continues to stand the test of time?
(a) Shakespeare.
(b) Ben Jonson.
(c) Marlowe.
(d) Dan Brown.

11. According to Chapter 4, what is Hamlet about on a surface level?
(a) A young man's inheritance.
(b) A Danish Prince.
(c) The betrayal of family.
(d) The death of a father.

12. What form of structuralism organizes culture into certain, rule-based practices?
(a) English.
(b) Spanish.
(c) French.
(d) Australian.

13. What is the term given to literature that is routinely studied in schools and universities?
(a) Rhetoric.
(b) Formulaic literature.
(c) Literary canon.
(d) Lesson plan.

14. What is no longer demanded of cultural scholars?
(a) "Close reading."
(b) "Tight reading."
(c) "Back reading."
(d) "Slow reading."

15. In what century did Rousseau write?
(a) 17th century.
(b) 18th century.
(c) 19th century.
(d) 12th century.

Short Answer Questions

1. Culler reports that theory has the ability to undo which of the following?

2. Based on "What is Theory?" which of the following words can be used to describe theory?

3. Culler reports that some scholars are worried that isolation for readers may become __________.

4. In order to understand language as a system, what must a linguist examine regarding its meaning and form?

5. Thanks to cultural studies, what has happened to many previously discarded works?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 422 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample