MPPSC Assistant Professor English Literature

Figures of Speech and Literary Terms – 50 MCQs with Answers

1. A figure of speech in which a comparison is made using "like" or "as" is called:

A) Metaphor

B) Simile

C) Hyperbole

D) Irony

Answer: B) Simile

Explanation: A simile directly compares two unlike things using words such as "like" or "as." Example: "Her face is like a rose."

MPPSC ASSISTANT PROFESSOR ENGLISH LITERATURE BOOK AND TEST SERIES BUY LINK -https://www.apnitest.in/shop/mppsc-assistant-professor-english-book-and-test-series-371?search=mppsc

2. "Time is a thief" is an example of:

A) Simile

B) Personification

C) Metaphor

D) Oxymoron

Answer: C) Metaphor

Explanation: A metaphor makes an implied comparison without using "like" or "as."

3. Giving human qualities to non-human objects is called:

A) Hyperbole

B) Personification

C) Metonymy

D) Synecdoche

Answer: B) Personification

Explanation: Personification attributes human characteristics to animals, objects, or ideas

MPPSC ASSISTANT PROFESSOR ENGLISH LITERATURE BOOK AND TEST SERIES BUY LINK -https://www.apnitest.in/shop/mppsc-assistant-professor-english-book-and-test-series-371?search=mppsc

4. Deliberate exaggeration for emphasis is:

A) Litotes

B) Irony

C) Hyperbole

D) Euphemism

Answer: C) Hyperbole

Explanation: Hyperbole is an overstatement used to create a strong impression.

5. "Sweet sorrow" is an example of:

A) Oxymoron

B) Metaphor

C) Allusion

D) Simile

Answer: A) Oxymoron

Explanation: An oxymoron combines contradictory terms.

6. Repetition of initial consonant sounds is:

A) Assonance

B) Alliteration

C) Consonance

D) Onomatopoeia

Answer: B) Alliteration

Explanation: Example: "She sells sea shells."

MPPSC ASSISTANT PROFESSOR ENGLISH LITERATURE BOOK AND TEST SERIES BUY LINK -https://www.apnitest.in/shop/mppsc-assistant-professor-english-book-and-test-series-371?search=mppsc

7. Repetition of vowel sounds is:

A) Assonance

B) Alliteration

C) Metonymy

D) Irony

Answer: A) Assonance

Explanation: Example: "The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain."

8. Words that imitate natural sounds are:

A) Synecdoche

B) Irony

C) Onomatopoeia

D) Euphemism

Answer: C) Onomatopoeia

Explanation: Examples include buzz, hiss, bang, and roar.

9. "The pen is mightier than the sword" contains:

A) Metonymy

B) Hyperbole

C) Simile

D) Apostrophe

Answer: A) Metonymy

Explanation: "Pen" stands for writing and "sword" for military power.

10. A part representing the whole is:

A) Metonymy

B) Synecdoche

C) Irony

D) Litotes

Answer: B) Synecdoche

Explanation: Example: "All hands on deck."

MPPSC ASSISTANT PROFESSOR ENGLISH LITERATURE BOOK AND TEST SERIES BUY LINK -https://www.apnitest.in/shop/mppsc-assistant-professor-english-book-and-test-series-371?search=mppsc

11. An indirect reference to a famous person or event is:

A) Allusion

B) Allegory

C) Symbol

D) Pun

Answer: A) Allusion

Explanation: Example: Referring to someone as "Einstein."

12. A narrative with a hidden moral meaning is:

A) Satire

B) Allegory

C) Ballad

D) Elegy

Answer: B) Allegory

Explanation: An allegory has both literal and symbolic meanings.

13. A word having multiple meanings used humorously is:

A) Pun

B) Irony

C) Symbolism

D) Euphemism

Answer: A) Pun

Explanation: Puns create humor through wordplay.

14. Saying less than what is meant is:

A) Hyperbole

B) Litotes

C) Metaphor

D) Simile

Answer: B) Litotes

Explanation: Example: "Not bad" meaning very good.

15. A mild expression replacing a harsh one is:

A) Irony

B) Euphemism

C) Hyperbole

D) Satire

Answer: B) Euphemism

Explanation: Example: "Passed away" instead of "died."

MPPSC ASSISTANT PROFESSOR ENGLISH LITERATURE BOOK AND TEST SERIES BUY LINK -https://www.apnitest.in/shop/mppsc-assistant-professor-english-book-and-test-series-371?search=mppsc

16. Addressing an absent person or abstract idea is:

A) Apostrophe

B) Allegory

C) Symbolism

D) Metonymy

Answer: A) Apostrophe

Explanation: Example: "O Death, where is thy sting?"

17. Verbal irony occurs when:

A) Words mean exactly what they say

B) Words mean the opposite of what is said

C) Events are expected

D) Characters know everything

Answer: B) Words mean the opposite of what is said

Explanation: Example: Saying "What lovely weather!" during a storm.

18. Dramatic irony means:

A) Reader knows less than characters

B) Reader knows more than characters

C) No irony exists

D) Writer is absent

Answer: B) Reader knows more than characters

Explanation: Commonly used in drama.

19. A symbol is:

A) Direct statement

B) Object representing a larger idea

C) Exaggeration

D) Pun

Answer: B) Object representing a larger idea

Explanation: A dove symbolizes peace.

MPPSC ASSISTANT PROFESSOR ENGLISH LITERATURE BOOK AND TEST SERIES BUY LINK -https://www.apnitest.in/shop/mppsc-assistant-professor-english-book-and-test-series-371?search=mppsc

20. Satire aims to:

A) Praise society

B) Criticize through humor and ridicule

C) Narrate history

D) Describe nature

Answer: B) Criticize through humor and ridicule

Explanation: Satire exposes human follies.

21. A long narrative poem about heroic deeds is:

A) Ode

B) Epic

C) Elegy

D) Sonnet

Answer: B) Epic

Explanation: Examples include the Iliad and Paradise Lost.

22. A poem mourning the dead is:

A) Ballad

B) Elegy

C) Ode

D) Lyric

Answer: B) Elegy

Explanation: Example: Gray's Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard.

23. A lyric poem expressing praise is:

A) Ode

B) Epic

C) Satire

D) Ballad

Answer: A) Ode

Explanation: Odes celebrate a person, thing, or event.

24. A narrative song is:

A) Sonnet

B) Ballad

C) Ode

D) Epic

Answer: B) Ballad

Explanation: Ballads tell stories in song form.

MPPSC ASSISTANT PROFESSOR ENGLISH LITERATURE BOOK AND TEST SERIES BUY LINK -https://www.apnitest.in/shop/mppsc-assistant-professor-english-book-and-test-series-371?search=mppsc

25. A fourteen-line poem is:

A) Ballad

B) Sonnet

C) Epic

D) Elegy

Answer: B) Sonnet

Explanation: Shakespearean and Petrarchan are famous sonnet forms.

26. The central idea of a literary work is:

A) Plot

B) Theme

C) Character

D) Setting

Answer: B) Theme

Explanation: Theme is the underlying message.

27. The sequence of events in a story is:

A) Theme

B) Plot

C) Tone

D) Style

Answer: B) Plot

Explanation: Plot structures the narrative.

28. The attitude of the writer toward the subject is:

A) Tone

B) Theme

C) Symbol

D) Allegory

Answer: A) Tone

Explanation: Tone may be serious, humorous, ironic, etc.

29. The place and time of a story are called:

A) Theme

B) Setting

C) Tone

D) Motif

Answer: B) Setting

Explanation: Setting provides background.

MPPSC ASSISTANT PROFESSOR ENGLISH LITERATURE BOOK AND TEST SERIES BUY LINK -https://www.apnitest.in/shop/mppsc-assistant-professor-english-book-and-test-series-371?search=mppsc

30. A recurring image or idea is:

A) Motif

B) Theme

C) Plot

D) Style

Answer: A) Motif

Explanation: Motifs reinforce themes.

31. The protagonist is:

A) Villain

B) Main character

C) Narrator

D) Minor character

Answer: B) Main character

Explanation: The protagonist drives the action.

32. The antagonist is:

A) Friend of hero

B) Main opponent

C) Narrator

D) Author

Answer: B) Main opponent

Explanation: The antagonist creates conflict.

33. Conflict means:

A) Agreement

B) Struggle between opposing forces

C) Description

D) Symbolism

Answer: B) Struggle between opposing forces

Explanation: Conflict is essential to plot.

MPPSC ASSISTANT PROFESSOR ENGLISH LITERATURE BOOK AND TEST SERIES BUY LINK -https://www.apnitest.in/shop/mppsc-assistant-professor-english-book-and-test-series-371?search=mppsc

34. The climax is:

A) Beginning

B) Highest point of action

C) End

D) Setting

Answer: B) Highest point of action

Explanation: It is the turning point of the story.

35. Resolution refers to:

A) Conflict introduction

B) Conclusion of events

C) Character sketch

D) Dialogue

Answer: B) Conclusion of events

Explanation: It resolves the conflict.

36. A narrator using "I" is:

A) Third-person narrator

B) Omniscient narrator

C) First-person narrator

D) Objective narrator

Answer: C) First-person narrator

Explanation: The story is told from the narrator's perspective.

37. Foreshadowing is:

A) Flashback

B) Hint of future events

C) Dialogue

D) Symbol

Answer: B) Hint of future events

Explanation: It creates suspense.

MPPSC ASSISTANT PROFESSOR ENGLISH LITERATURE BOOK AND TEST SERIES BUY LINK -https://www.apnitest.in/shop/mppsc-assistant-professor-english-book-and-test-series-371?search=mppsc

38. A flashback is:

A) Future prediction

B) Shift to earlier events

C) Narration style

D) Climax

Answer: B) Shift to earlier events

Explanation: Flashbacks provide background information.

39. Imagery appeals primarily to:

A) Logic

B) Senses

C) Grammar

D) Structure

Answer: B) Senses

Explanation: Imagery creates vivid sensory experiences.

40. The study of versification is:

A) Prosody

B) Semantics

C) Morphology

D) Syntax

Answer: A) Prosody

Explanation: Prosody deals with meter and rhythm.

MPPSC ASSISTANT PROFESSOR ENGLISH LITERATURE BOOK AND TEST SERIES BUY LINK -https://www.apnitest.in/shop/mppsc-assistant-professor-english-book-and-test-series-371?search=mppsc

41. Iambic pentameter consists of:

A) Five iambs per line

B) Four iambs

C) Six iambs

D) Three iambs

Answer: A) Five iambs per line

Explanation: Common in Shakespeare's plays.

42. Blank verse is:

A) Unrhymed iambic pentameter

B) Rhymed couplets

C) Free verse only

D) Sonnet form

Answer: A) Unrhymed iambic pentameter

Explanation: Widely used in English drama.

43. Free verse:

A) Has fixed rhyme

B) Has no regular meter

C) Has fixed structure

D) Uses only prose

Answer: B) Has no regular meter

Explanation: Modern poetry often employs free verse.

MPPSC ASSISTANT PROFESSOR ENGLISH LITERATURE BOOK AND TEST SERIES BUY LINK -https://www.apnitest.in/shop/mppsc-assistant-professor-english-book-and-test-series-371?search=mppsc

44. A couplet consists of:

A) Four lines

B) Two lines

C) Six lines

D) Eight lines

Answer: B) Two lines

Explanation: Usually rhyming lines.

45. The rhyme scheme of a Shakespearean sonnet is:

A) ABBA ABBA CDC DCD

B) ABAB CDCD EFEF GG

C) AABB CCDD EEFF GG

D) ABC ABC ABC ABC

Answer: B) ABAB CDCD EFEF GG

Explanation: Three quatrains and a concluding couplet.

MPPSC ASSISTANT PROFESSOR ENGLISH LITERATURE BOOK AND TEST SERIES BUY LINK -https://www.apnitest.in/shop/mppsc-assistant-professor-english-book-and-test-series-371?search=mppsc

46. Catharsis is associated with:

A) Comedy

B) Tragedy

C) Satire

D) Epic

Answer: B) Tragedy

Explanation: According to Aristotle, tragedy purges emotions of pity and fear.

47. Hamartia means:

A) Comic relief

B) Hero's tragic flaw

C) Symbolism

D) Narration

Answer: B) Hero's tragic flaw

Explanation: It leads to the downfall of the tragic hero.

48. A parody is:

A) Serious imitation

B) Humorous imitation of a work

C) Tragic drama

D) Lyric poem

Answer: B) Humorous imitation of a work

Explanation: It mocks the style of another work.

MPPSC ASSISTANT PROFESSOR ENGLISH LITERATURE BOOK AND TEST SERIES BUY LINK -https://www.apnitest.in/shop/mppsc-assistant-professor-english-book-and-test-series-371?search=mppsc

49. Which literary term refers to a brief reference to another text?

A) Allusion

B) Symbol

C) Irony

D) Satire

Answer: A) Allusion

Explanation: Allusion enriches meaning through indirect reference.

50. The combination of figures of speech, diction, and sentence structure is known as:

A) Theme

B) Style

C) Plot

D) Conflict

Answer: B) Style

Explanation: Style is the distinctive manner in which an author expresses ideas.

MPPSC ASSISTANT PROFESSOR ENGLISH LITERATURE BOOK AND TEST SERIES BUY LINK -https://www.apnitest.in/shop/mppsc-assistant-professor-english-book-and-test-series-371?search=mppsc

MPPSC Exam Tip

Important figures of speech frequently asked in Assistant Professor examinations:

• Simile
• Metaphor
• Personification
• Hyperbole
• Oxymoron
• Irony
• Alliteration
• Assonance
• Metonymy
• Synecdoche
• Allegory
• Symbolism
• Apostrophe
• Euphemism
• Litotes
• Pun
• Satire
• Allusion
• #MPPSCAssistantProfessorEnglishLiterature
• #MPPSCEnglishLiterature
• #MPPSC2026
• #MPPSCAssistantProfessor
• #EnglishLiteratureBook
• #EnglishLiteratureNotes
• #EnglishLiteratureMCQ
• #EnglishLiteratureTestSeries
• #MPPSCPreparation
• #MPPSCExam
• #AssistantProfessorExam
• #MPPSCStudyMaterial
• #MPPSCBooks
• #UGCNETEnglish
• #EnglishLiteratureStudents
• #LiteraryTheory
• #BritishLiterature
• #AmericanLiterature
• #IndianWritingInEnglish
• #HistoryOfEnglishLanguage
• #EnglishLanguageTeaching
• #ELT
• #LiteraryCriticism
• #ResearchAptitude
• #TeachingAptitude
• #CompetitiveExams
• #ExamPreparation
• #OnlineTestSeries
• #MockTest
• #PreviousYearQuestions
• #MCQBook
• #EnglishLiteraturePreparation
• #AssistantProfessorEnglish
• #MPPSCExamPreparation
• #MPPSCEnglish
• #EnglishOptional
• #LiteratureLovers
• #ApniTest
• #ApniTestBooks
• #ApniTestSeries
• #MPPSCBook
• #MPPSCSyllabus
• #LatestSyllabus
• #ExamReady
• #ProfessorRecruitment
• #GovernmentJobs
• #HigherEducation
• #EnglishLiteratureExam
• #StudySmart
• #SuccessInMPPSC