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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Many theorists believe that understanding the meaning of words in a text is ___________.
(a) Elusive.
(b) All of these.
(c) Interesting.
(d) Complex.

2. Who believed language is made up of a system of differences?
(a) Jackson Shephardberg.
(b) Marlowe.
(c) Ferdinand de Saussure.
(d) Shakespeare.

3. What literary approach starts with a preconceived notion before offering supporting evidence to payoff that idea?
(a) All of these.
(b) Justification.
(c) Poetics.
(d) Hermeneutics.

4. According to Chapter 2, literature must contain ____________ in order to qualify as literature.
(a) Biblical references.
(b) Words with a deeper meaning.
(c) Social reform.
(d) Proper sentence structure.

5. What is the absolute, end result of theory, as expressed in Chapter 1, "What is Theory?"
(a) A solid, proven revision.
(b) A change in history.
(c) There isn't one.
(d) An final understanding of literature.

Short Answer Questions

1. What literary approach begins a work with no preconceived ideas in an effort to discover its meaning?

2. In Chapter 1, "What is Theory?" Culler defines theory as the opportunity to __________.

3. According to Culler, if society prefers to invest time in popular culture, how might classical literature be affected?

4. Modern Western literature can be traced to ______________.

5. What was the primary theme of "The Sorrows of Young Werther"?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why did Foucault consider "The History of Sexuality" to be repressed?

2. According to Noam Chomsky, linguists help raise the quality of language for what purpose?

3. When was literature used in Britain to control the masses?

4. Why does Culler believe that Shakespeare has remained widely read and discussed while other writers from that time period have not?

5. What do theorists mean when they say that a reader is limited by his "horizon of expectations"?

6. Based on Chapter 1, what is the purpose of the critique that often comes from literary theory?

7. According to the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, what does language determine?

8. Theorists believe it is important to challenge ideas presented in literature for what reason?

9. In what way do word conventions vary globally?

10. Why is publishing considered a stamp of approval on a literary work?

(see the answer keys)

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