Irish Writers (Modern Age)

1. The central theme of much of W. B. Yeats’s poetry is

(a) Industrial progress
(b) Irish nationalism and myth
(c) Scientific rationalism
(d) Urban realism

2. Yeats’s poem Easter 1916 primarily explores the theme of

(a) Romantic love
(b) Colonial trade
(c) Sacrifice and political transformation
(d) Personal despair

3. Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man mainly deals with

(a) Political revolution
(b) Artistic self-development
(c) War trauma
(d) Social comedy

4. Waiting for Godot symbolically represents

(a) Political rebellion
(b) Human hope and progress
(c) Endless waiting and existential despair
(d) Romantic fulfillment

5. Seamus Heaney’s poetry frequently focuses on the theme of

(a) Courtly love
(b) Rural life and identity
(c) Urban modernity
(d) Mythological fantasy

6. George Bernard Shaw’s plays often deal with

(a) Fantasy and myth
(b) Social criticism and reform
(c) Gothic horror
(d) Historical romance

7. Man and Superman explores the theme of

(a) Military heroism
(b) Social evolution and gender roles
(c) Religious faith
(d) Colonial politics

8. J. M. Synge’s plays often explore the theme of

(a) Urban modernity
(b) Primitive rural life
(c) Industrial capitalism
(d) Scientific rationalism

9. Shaw’s drama is often described as

(a) Emotional tragedy
(b) Intellectual comedy
(c) Symbolist poetry
(d) Gothic melodrama

10. Joyce’s narrative technique supports the theme of

(a) Objective truth
(b) Subjective reality
(c) Historical accuracy
(d) Moral certainty

11. Which Irish writer won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1923?

(a) George Bernard Shaw
(b) W. B. Yeats
(c) Samuel Beckett
(d) Seamus Heaney

12. Ulysses is an example of which literary technique?

(a) Allegory
(b) Stream of consciousness
(c) Ballad form
(d) Pastoral realism

13. James Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is a

(a) Tragedy
(b) Historical novel
(c) Bildungsroman
(d) Epistolary novel

14. Which Irish writer won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1969?

(a) James Joyce
(b) Samuel Beckett
(c) Seamus Heaney
(d) George Bernard Shaw

15. J. M. Synge was a member of the

(a) Bloomsbury Group
(b) Abbey Theatre
(c) Royal Shakespeare Company
(d) Theatre of the Absurd

16. Samuel Beckett originally wrote many of his works in

(a) Irish
(b) English only
(c) French
(d) Latin

17. Which theme is common in Beckett’s works?

(a) Heroism
(b) Religious faith
(c) Meaninglessness of life
(d) Political revolution

18. 'No Second Troy' is a------ .

a) short story
b) novel
c) poem
d) drama

19. Riders to the Sea is –

a. an epic poem
b. a novella
c. a one-act play
d. a theatrical adaptation of a poem

20. The Character ‘Alfred Doolittle’ is taken from Shaw’s play titled- . [41st BCS]

a. Pygmalion
b. Man and Superman
c. The Doctor’s Dilemma
d. Mrs. Women’s Profession

21. .“Nothing to be done.” This line mainly conveys the theme of

(a) Hope
(b) Action
(c) Existential helplessness
(d) Political resistance

22. For Joyce, what were "epiphanies"?

A. Deep religious visions
B. Moments of profound historical insight
C. Moments of sudden spiritual awakening or revelation
D. His political manifestos

23. The structure of "Ulysses" is loosely based on which ancient epic?

A. The Aeneid
B. The Iliad
C. The Odyssey
D. The Divine Comedy

24. The last word of "Ulysses" is famously:

A. "Love"
B. "Home"
C. "Yes"
D. "Ireland"

25. The poem "Easter 1916" reflects on the failed Easter Rising. What famous refrain does Yeats use to express his ambivalent feelings about the rebels and their transformation through sacrifice?

A. "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
B. "A terrible beauty is born."
C. "Romantic Ireland's dead and gone."
D. "All changed, changed utterly."

26. In "The Lake Isle of Innisfree," what does the speaker wish to build?

A. A stone cottage
B. A small cabin of clay and wattles
C. A tall tower
D. A peaceful garden

27. Along with Lady Gregory and others, Yeats co-founded a national theater. What was its name?

A. The Gaiety Theatre
B. The Olympia Theatre
C. The Abbey Theatre
D. The Gate Theatre

28. Samuel Beckett, another Irish modernist, is most famous for his play "Waiting for Godot." Which language did he initially write it in?

A. English
B. Irish
C. German
D. French

29. J.M. Synge's plays are known for their distinctive language, which was influenced by the speech patterns of the people he encountered while living on which remote islands?

A. The Shetland Islands
B. The Aran Islands
C. The Orkney Islands
D. The Channel Islands

30. The 1922 publication of "Ulysses" coincided with a momentous political event in Ireland. What was it?

A. The Easter Rising
B. The beginning of the Great Famine
C. The establishment of the Irish Free State
D. The start of the Irish Civil War