100 Important MCQs on Drama in English Literature
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100 Multiple Choice Question Answers on Drama - English Literature
Note: Most of these multiple-choice questions are based on the following dramas/plays -1. Oedipus Rex by Sophocles
2. Abhijnana Sakuntalam by Kalidasa
3. The Pot of Gold by Plautus
4. Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe
5. Hamlet by William Shakespeare
6. Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare
7. Henry IV Part I by William Shakespeare
8. The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare
9. The Duchess of Malfi by John Webster
10. Volpone, or The Fox by Ben Jonson
11. The Way of the World by William Congreve
12. The School for Scandal by Richard Brinsley Sheridan
13. Arms and the Man by George Bernard Shaw
14. Look Back in Anger by John Osborne
15. Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett
16. The Iceman Cometh by Eugene O'Neill
17. Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
18. A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams
19. A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen
20. Tughlaq by Girish Karnad
21. Final Solutions by Mahesh Dattani
100 English Literature Drama MCQs
1. The line "You are the curse, the corruption of the land!" is addressed to Oedipus by:
A) Teiresias
B) Jocasta
C) Creon
D) The Chorus
Answer: A) Teiresias
2. "This is the way the world ends / Not with a bang but a whimper." This final line of T.S. Eliot's poem "The Hollow Men" stylistically parallels the worldview of:
A) Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot
B) Eugene O’Neill’s The Iceman Cometh
C) Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus
D) Shakespeare’s Hamlet
Answer: A) Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot
3. "I am a man more sinned against than sinning." This famous line appears in -
A) King Lear
B) Hamlet
C) Henry IV Part 1
D) Doctor Faustus
Answer: A) King Lear
4. "Hell is just a frame of mind." In Doctor Faustus, this quote by Mephistopheles highlights:
A) Psychological interpretation of damnation
B) Christian determinism
C) Heroic defiance
D) Comic irony
Answer: A) Psychological interpretation of damnation
5. "If music be the food of love, play on." This line sets the tone for:
A) Twelfth Night
B) The Way of the World
C) A Streetcar Named Desire
D) Waiting for Godot
Answer: A) Twelfth Night
6. The character of Jimmy Porter represents which post-war archetype?
A) Angry Young Man
B) Romantic Idealist
C) Enlightened Humanist
D) Passive Realist
Answer: A) Angry Young Man
7. In which play does the character Nora slam the door in the final act?
A) A Doll’s House
B) The Duchess of Malfi
C) Death of a Salesman
D) Final Solutions
Answer: A) A Doll’s House
8. “We are waiting for Godot” primarily expresses:
A) Absurdity of time and lack of purpose in human existence
B) Hope for divine revelation
C) Revolutionary passivity
D) Satire of bureaucracy
Answer: A) Absurdity of time and lack of purpose in human existence
9. What is the dominant theme of Doctor Faustus?
A) Ambition and damnation
B) Romantic love
C) Justice and mercy
D) Class conflict
Answer: A) Ambition and damnation
10. “The quality of mercy is not strain’d” is spoken by which character?
A) Portia
B) Nerissa
C) Shylock
D) Bassanio
Answer: A) Portia
11. In A Streetcar Named Desire, what does the bathing symbolize for Blanche?
A) Cleansing of guilt and attempt at mental escape
B) Narcissism
C) A Southern tradition
D) Escape from reality
Answer: A) Cleansing of guilt and attempt at mental escape
12. In Oedipus Rex, what does blindness symbolize?
A) Transition from ignorance to self-awareness
B) Divine punishment
C) Political ruin
D) Physical flaw
Answer: A) Transition from ignorance to self-awareness
13. Who says “Look like the innocent flower but be the serpent under’t” in Shakespeare?
A) Lady Macbeth
B) Lady Macbeth
C) Gertrude
D) Viola
Answer: A) Lady Macbeth
14. What theme dominates Final Solutions by Mahesh Dattani?
A) Communal conflict and inherited prejudice
B) Economic disparity
C) Gender equality
D) Caste oppression
Answer: A) Communal conflict and inherited prejudice
15. “To be or not to be” is a meditation on:
A) The morality of suicide and existential uncertainty
B) Revenge
C) Ghosts and visions
D) Love
Answer: A) The morality of suicide and existential uncertainty
16. In The Duchess of Malfi, who says “I am Duchess of Malfi still”?
A) The Duchess
B) Bosola
C) Antonio
D) Ferdinand
Answer: A) The Duchess
17. What does the refrain “Nothing to be done” in Waiting for Godot symbolize?
A) Human passivity in the face of cosmic absurdity
B) Peace and harmony
C) The end of violence
D) Clarity of purpose
Answer: A) Human passivity in the face of cosmic absurdity
18. In Volpone, what animal represents Volpone himself?
A) Fox
B) Mosquito
C) Wolf
D) Snake
Answer: A) Fox
19. What literary device is dominant in the quote: “All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand.”
A) Hyperbole
B) Allusion
C) Metaphor
D) Irony
Answer: A) Hyperbole
20. The concept of 'pipe dreams' in The Iceman Cometh refers to:
A) Illusions that keep people sane
B) Musical aspirations
C) War planning
D) Pipe-smoking imagery
Answer: A) Illusions that keep people sane
21. In The Pot of Gold, the gold symbolizes:
A) Greed and human folly
B) Divine blessing
C) Marital fidelity
D) Political corruption
Answer: A) Greed and human folly
22. What role does the chorus serve in Oedipus Rex?
A) Moral commentator and voice of reason
B) Narrator
C) Comic relief
D) Background crowd
Answer: A) Moral commentator and voice of reason
23. “Unsex me here” is a line that reflects:
A) Lady Macbeth’s desire to transcend traditional femininity
B) Gender equality
C) The Romantic movement
D) Courtly love
Answer: A) Lady Macbeth’s desire to transcend traditional femininity
24. In Twelfth Night, Viola disguises herself as:
A) Cesario
B) Orsino
C) Sebastian
D) Malvolio
Answer: A) Cesario
25. The famous line “Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks!” is from:
A) King Lear
B) Hamlet
C) Henry IV
D) The Tempest
Answer: A) King Lear
26. “Ibsen's Nora is a symbol of…”
A) Female independence
B) Traditional values
C) Economic strength
D) Socialism
Answer: A) Female independence
27. In Arms and the Man, the ‘chocolate cream soldier’ symbolizes:
A) The contrast between romantic ideals and real warfare
B) Luxury
C) Innocence
D) A traditional hero
Answer: A) The contrast between romantic ideals and real warfare
28. Who is the author of Volpone?
A) Ben Jonson
B) Shakespeare
C) Marlowe
D) Sheridan
Answer: A) Ben Jonson
29. What is a key theme of The School for Scandal?
A) Hypocrisy in social manners
B) War and peace
C) Ambition and downfall
D) Colonial guilt
Answer: A) Hypocrisy in social manners
30. The quote “I could have been a contender” reflects which theme?
A) Regret and lost potential
B) Ambition
C) Revenge
D) Political resistance
Answer: A) Regret and lost potential
31. The stage setting in Waiting for Godot contributes to:
A) The play’s existential and absurdist tone
B) Realist detail
C) Surreal comedy
D) A historical context
Answer: A) The play’s existential and absurdist tone
32. In The Way of the World, Mirabell represents:
A) Wit and honesty
B) Villainy
C) Passive heroism
D) Military valor
Answer: A) Wit and honesty
33. What is the climax of Doctor Faustus?
A) The moment he is dragged to hell
B) The signing of the contract
C) The magical displays
D) The summoning of Helen
Answer: A) The moment he is dragged to hell
34. Blanche DuBois is obsessed with:
A) Illusion and lost grandeur
B) Material wealth
C) Marriage
D) Political ambition
Answer: A) Illusion and lost grandeur
35. Who kills the Duchess in The Duchess of Malfi?
A) Bosola
B) Ferdinand
C) Antonio
D) The Cardinal
Answer: A) Bosola
36. Kalidasa’s Abhijnanasakuntalam explores the theme of:
A) Love, separation, and reunion
B) War
C) Fate and prophecy
D) Heroic sacrifice
Answer: A) Love, separation, and reunion
37. “Everyman’s tragedy” is often used to describe:
A) Death of a Salesman
B) Doctor Faustus
C) Hamlet
D) Tughlaq
Answer: A) Death of a Salesman
38. “Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains.” This resonates most with:
A) Tughlaq’s philosophical dilemma
B) The Merchant of Venice
C) Twelfth Night
D) Pot of Gold
Answer: A) Tughlaq’s philosophical dilemma
39. The primary conflict in Look Back in Anger is:
A) Class and emotional frustration
B) Religious tension
C) Colonial politics
D) War trauma
Answer: A) Class and emotional frustration
40. The use of the dumbwaiter in Harold Pinter’s play symbolizes:
A) Lack of control and faceless authority
B) Romanticism
C) Comedy
D) Servitude
Answer: A) Lack of control and faceless authority
41. Who says, “I am not what I am” in Shakespeare?
A) Iago
B) Hamlet
C) Macbeth
D) Shylock
Answer: A) Iago
42. In Final Solutions, the character of Hardika represents:
A) The generational memory of Partition
B) Political ambition
C) Class dominance
D) Feminine passivity
Answer: A) The generational memory of Partition
43. Who is the protagonist in Volpone?
A) Volpone
B) Mosca
C) Corvino
D) Voltore
Answer: A) Volpone
44. In Tughlaq, what does the shifting of capital symbolize?
A) Political instability and failed utopia
B) Religious faith
C) Colonial betrayal
D) Military prowess
Answer: A) Political instability and failed utopia
45. “My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings” serves as an ironic reminder of:
A) The impermanence of power
B) Religious faith
C) Romantic loyalty
D) National identity
Answer: A) The impermanence of power
46. The line “Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow…” reflects:
A) The futility and monotony of existence
B) A hopeful future
C) Romantic longing
D) Revolutionary zeal
Answer: A) The futility and monotony of existence
47. In Abhijnanasakuntalam, the ring functions as a symbol of:
A) Memory and identity
B) Royal power
C) Destiny
D) Caste purity
Answer: A) Memory and identity
48. In Death of a Salesman, the American Dream is:
A) A critique of materialistic delusion
B) A patriotic vision
C) Celebrated
D) Romanticized
Answer: A) A critique of materialistic delusion
49. “Reason is, and ought only to be the slave of the passions.” This aligns with:
A) Faustus’ internal conflict
B) Tughlaq’s politics
C) Viola’s disguise
D) Beckett’s minimalism
Answer: A) Faustus’ internal conflict
50. “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” Best matches:
A) Satirical commentary on hypocrisy (linked to Volpone)
B) Poetic justice
C) Religious irony
D) Class privilege
Answer: A) Satirical commentary on hypocrisy (linked to Volpone)
51. Hamlet’s delay in avenging his father’s death is seen as:
A) Intellectual paralysis
B) Moral cowardice
C) Religious devotion
D) Lack of proof
Answer: A) Intellectual paralysis
52. “I can smile, and murder while I smile” reflects:
A) Dramatic irony and duplicity
B) Poetic justice
C) Gender ambiguity
D) Divine grace
Answer: A) Dramatic irony and duplicity
53. Who is Mephistopheles in Doctor Faustus?
A) A demon and Faustus’s guide to damnation
B) Faustus’s conscience
C) A political figure
D) An angel
Answer: A) A demon and Faustus’s guide to damnation
54. The phrase “a tale told by an idiot” critiques:
A) The futility of human existence
B) Love
C) Ambition
D) Science
Answer: A) The futility of human existence
55. A Doll’s House challenged the norms of:
A) Gender roles and marital expectations
B) Scientific thinking
C) National politics
D) Colonial relations
Answer: A) Gender roles and marital expectations
56. The Merchant of Venice deals with the conflict between:
A) Mercy and justice
B) Love and power
C) Religion and science
D) Truth and illusion
Answer: A) Mercy and justice
57. The ‘Green World’ in Shakespearean comedy symbolizes:
A) Transformation and reconciliation
B) War
C) Gender reversal
D) Urban disorder
Answer: A) Transformation and reconciliation
58. Who said: “What a piece of work is man”?
A) Hamlet
B) Faustus
C) Tughlaq
D) Vladimir
Answer: A) Hamlet
59. In The School for Scandal, Lady Teazle represents:
A) The tension between rural innocence and urban corruption
B) Aristocratic cruelty
C) Radical feminism
D) Satirical detachment
Answer: A) The tension between rural innocence and urban corruption
60. What does Estragon’s act of taking off his boots repeatedly symbolize in Waiting for Godot?
A) Futile repetition and discomfort
B) Religious ritual
C) Hope
D) Transformation
Answer: A) Futile repetition and discomfort
61. Who is the author of The Ice Man Cometh?
A) Eugene O'Neill
B) Arthur Miller
C) Tennessee Williams
D) Harold Pinter
Answer: A) Eugene O'Neill
62. In Look Back in Anger, Jimmy Porter’s anger is primarily directed at:
A) The complacency of the middle class
B) Political leaders
C) Colonial rule
D) His family
Answer: A) The complacency of the middle class
63. “Hell is just a frame of mind” aligns most with which play?
A) Doctor Faustus
B) Hamlet
C) Volpone
D) Arms and the Man
Answer: A) Doctor Faustus
64. In Tughlaq, the use of chess as a metaphor symbolizes:
A) Political manipulation and strategy
B) Spiritual awakening
C) Romantic pursuit
D) Traditional loyalty
Answer: A) Political manipulation and strategy
65. What is the central theme of Final Solutions by Mahesh Dattani?
A) Communal tension and identity crisis
B) Environmentalism
C) Romantic betrayal
D) Gender justice
Answer: A) Communal tension and identity crisis
66. “The rest is silence” is spoken by:
A) Hamlet
B) Faustus
C) Macbeth
D) Othello
Answer: A) Hamlet
67. In Volpone, Mosca is characterized as:
A) A parasite who manipulates others for gain
B) A nobleman
C) A fool
D) A tragic hero
Answer: A) A parasite who manipulates others for gain
68. The play The Way of the World critiques:
A) Artificiality and hypocrisy in high society
B) Religious dogma
C) Feudalism
D) War tactics
Answer: A) Artificiality and hypocrisy in high society
69. “I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes?” expresses:
A) A plea for shared humanity
B) Vengeance
C) Religious superiority
D) Legal complaint
Answer: A) A plea for shared humanity
70. In The Duchess of Malfi, the Duchess defies:
A) Patriarchal authority and social norms
B) Foreign invaders
C) Economic tyranny
D) Religious laws
Answer: A) Patriarchal authority and social norms
71. “Nothing to be done” sets the tone of which play?
A) Waiting for Godot
B) The Iceman Cometh
C) Tughlaq
D) The Way of the World
Answer: A) Waiting for Godot
72. In Arms and the Man, Raina’s romantic notions are challenged by:
A) Bluntschli’s realism
B) Sergius’s charm
C) Her father’s lecture
D) Petkoff’s war stories
Answer: A) Bluntschli’s realism
73. The character Linda in *Death of a Salesman* symbolizes:
A) Emotional support and passive suffering
B) Feminist resistance
C) Comedic relief
D) Corporate ambition
Answer: A) Emotional support and passive suffering
74. The ‘Ring’ in Abhijnanasakuntalam is a narrative device for:
A) Recollection and reconciliation
B) Legal argument
C) Comedy
D) Royal ascendancy
Answer: A) Recollection and reconciliation
75. In The Merchant of Venice, Portia disguises herself as:
A) A lawyer
B) A merchant
C) A soldier
D) A nun
Answer: A) A lawyer
76. “What dreams may come” refers to:
A) The fear of the unknown after death
B) Daydreams
C) Ambition
D) Magical illusions
Answer: A) The fear of the unknown after death
77. In Twelfth Night, Malvolio is punished for:
A) His pride and self-love
B) His criminal acts
C) Religious bigotry
D) Political treason
Answer: A) His pride and self-love
78. Nora’s departure in A Doll’s House is considered:
A) A radical act of self-emancipation
B) A betrayal
C) A legal fight
D) A religious rebellion
Answer: A) A radical act of self-emancipation
79. In Doctor Faustus, Faustus’s main flaw is:
A) Hubris and thirst for forbidden knowledge
B) Political naïveté
C) Cowardice
D) Blind loyalty
Answer: A) Hubris and thirst for forbidden knowledge
80. “We are such stuff as dreams are made on” is from:
A) The Tempest
B) Hamlet
C) The Merchant of Venice
D) Macbeth
Answer: A) The Tempest
81. In A Streetcar Named Desire, Blanche represents:
A) The decline of Southern aristocracy
B) Political ideology
C) Feminist rebellion
D) Rural transformation
Answer: A) The decline of Southern aristocracy
82. The title The School for Scandal suggests a satire on:
A) Gossip and hypocrisy
B) Educational reform
C) Economic corruption
D) Political revolution
Answer: A) Gossip and hypocrisy
83. In Final Solutions, the play shifts timelines to show:
A) The cyclical nature of communal hatred
B) Fantasy versus reality
C) Science fiction
D) Postmodern pastiche
Answer: A) The cyclical nature of communal hatred
84. “To thine own self be true” is advice given by:
A) Polonius to Laertes
B) Hamlet to Horatio
C) Claudius to Hamlet
D) Gertrude to Ophelia
Answer: A) Polonius to Laertes
85. In Waiting for Godot, Pozzo and Lucky symbolize:
A) Master-slave dynamics and absurd dependency
B) Political tyranny
C) Military structure
D) Courtly love
Answer: A) Master-slave dynamics and absurd dependency
86. Who is the father of modern Indian English drama?
A) Girish Karnad
B) Mahesh Dattani
C) Badal Sircar
D) Vijay Tendulkar
Answer: A) Girish Karnad
87. In Doctor Faustus, the Good Angel and Evil Angel represent:
A) Faustus’s inner moral conflict
B) Historical accuracy
C) Abstract theology
D) Dramatic device only
Answer: A) Faustus’s inner moral conflict
88. The Pot of Gold primarily mocks:
A) Human greed and obsession with wealth
B) Heroic bravery
C) Religious institutions
D) Philosophers
Answer: A) Human greed and obsession with wealth
89. In The Duchess of Malfi, Ferdinand’s madness is symbolic of:
A) Guilt and incestuous obsession
B) Legal injustice
C) Economic collapse
D) Enlightenment ideas
Answer: A) Guilt and incestuous obsession
90. In The Way of the World, Millamant demands:
A) A marriage contract with conditions
B) Freedom to remain single
C) To rule in Parliament
D) To renounce wealth
Answer: A) A marriage contract with conditions
91. “Man is born free, but everywhere he is in chains” aligns most with the themes of:
A) A Doll’s House
B) Twelfth Night
C) Arms and the Man
D) Look Back in Anger
Answer: A) A Doll’s House
92. In Volpone, who inherits Volpone’s wealth at the end?
A) The state
B) Mosca
C) Voltore
D) Corvino
Answer: A) The state
93. In Arms and the Man, chocolate creams symbolize:
A) Practicality over romanticism
B) Courtship
C) Royal luxury
D) Deceit
Answer: A) Practicality over romanticism
94. The conflict in Final Solutions is intensified by:
A) Religious identity and social fear
B) War and invasion
C) Economic betrayal
D) Gender inequality
Answer: A) Religious identity and social fear
95. In Twelfth Night, Viola’s disguise allows for:
A) Gender fluidity and exploration
B) Military escapades
C) Social elevation
D) Political gain
Answer: A) Gender fluidity and exploration
96. “I have measured out my life with coffee spoons” resonates with themes in:
A) Waiting for Godot
B) The Iceman Cometh
C) The School for Scandal
D) Hamlet
Answer: A) Waiting for Godot
97. In Hamlet, Fortinbras serves as:
A) A foil to Hamlet
B) A comic figure
C) A supernatural being
D) A court jester
Answer: A) A foil to Hamlet
98. In Look Back in Anger, Alison represents:
A) The emotional repression of the upper class
B) The rise of nationalism
C) Religious doubt
D) Rural conservatism
Answer: A) The emotional repression of the upper class
99. In A Streetcar Named Desire, Stanley represents:
A) Brutal realism clashing with fading ideals
B) Feminist revolution
C) Literary tradition
D) Aristocratic nostalgia
Answer: A) Brutal realism clashing with fading ideals
100. “The wheel is come full circle” is said by:
A) Edmund in King Lear
B) Hamlet
C) Iago
D) Macbeth
Answer: A) Edmund in King Lear
<< English Literature Drama Multiple Choice Questions <<
See Also
- English Literature Practice Sets
- English Literature MCQs on Tughlaq by Girish Karnad
- English Literature MCQs on Final Solution by Mahesh Dattani
- English Literature MCQs on Waiting for Godot by Samuel Buckett
- English Literature MCQs on The Merchant of Venice by Shakespeare
- English Literature MCQs on Oedipus Rex by Sophocles
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