Sample Correction the First Term Exam in Critical Theory for Master One (Lit & Civ) 2024-2025    

Exercise One: MCQ: Tick in the right answer (15pts)

1.                  According to the intentional fallacy, readers should ignore:

A.    their intentions in reading the text

B.     the author’s indentions in writing the text

C.    the main character’s motives for his or her actions

D.    the secondary characters’ motives for their actions

B

2. New Criticism is a limited way of analyzing a text because it disregards:

A.    the text's historical and cultural significance

2. the author's background
3. both the text's historical and cultural significance and the author's background
4. neither the text's historical and cultural significance nor the author's background; it's not a limited analysis

C

3. Who is considered to be the founder of New Criticism?

A. T.S. Eliot                                               B. Alfred Lord Tennyson

C. John Crowe Ranson                             D. Jacques Derrida

C

4. New Criticism created/perform:

                                                                      A.      Critical analysis               B. Formal elements

C.Close readings                D. Contextual analysis

C

5. Who called Shakespeare’s Hamlet an artistic failure?

A-I.A Richard                                    B-F.R Leavis

C-Aldous Huxley                                 D-T.S Eliot

D

6. Who says poetry can be defined as the “expression of the imagination”?

 A –Wordsworth                                B-Shelly

 C-Coleridge                                        D-Mathew Arnold

B

 

7. In whose opinion” Poetry is the most highly organized form of intellectual activity?

 A. T. S Eliot                                          B. D.H Lawrence

C. G.B Shaw                                         D. W. B Yeats

A

8. The title, the New Criticism, published in 1941, was written by:

A. Cleanth Brooks                                                    B. John Crowe Ransom

C. Robert Penn Warren                                             D. Allen Tate

B

9. The term “intentional fallacy” is first used by:

A. William Empson                                                  B. Northrop Frye

C. Wallek and Warren                                               D. Wimsatt and Beardsley

D

10. The error of interpreting a literary work by referring to evidence outside of itself; such as the design and purpose of the author is called:

A. Affective fallacy                                                   B. intentional fallacy

C. Authorial fallacy                                                    D. Synecdochic fallacy

B

11. Which one of the following New Critics put forward the idea of the “heresy of paraphrase”?

A. Allen Tate                                                                B. Cleanth Brooks

C. William Kurtz Wimsatt                                           D. Beardsley

B

12. In Practical Criticism I. A. Richards links four kinds of meanings in most human utterances to four aspects. These are:

A. Sense, feelings, tone, intentions                              B. Sound, feeling, nuance, intention

C. Sense, voice, emotion, intention                              D. Sense, image, tone, intention

A

13. The term “Practical Criticism” is coined by

A. William Empson                                                      B. W.K. Wimsatt

C. I. A. Richards                                                           D. F. R. Leavis

C

 

14. I. A. Richards’s famous experiment with poems and his Cambridge students is detailed in Practical Criticism: A Study of Literary Judgment (1929), Richards was astonished by:

A. The poor quality of his students’ “stock responses”

B. The very astute remarks made by his students

C. the non-availability of poems worthy of class attention

D. The success of his experiment

A

15. What is “Practical Criticism”?

A. The close analysis of literary texts in such a way to bring out their practical meaning

B. A movement which wished to make literary criticism more relevant

C. The close analysis of poems without taking account of any external information

D. The study of ambiguity

Exercise Two: Read the original texts (poems), provide the paraphrasing, and then state why it’s heresy. (3pts)

C

 

 1. T.S. Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"

Original:
"Do I dare

Disturb the universe?

In a minute there is time

For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse."

Paraphrase "I hesitate to act because I’m afraid of the consequences."

• Why it’s heresy: Eliot’s fragmented and introspective style reflects Prufrock’s psychological turmoil. The paraphrase simplifies this complexity into a straightforward explanation, losing the original’s rhythm and existential depth.

2. Shakespeare’s "To be, or not to be" Soliloquy (Hamlet)

Original:
"To be, or not to be, that is the question:

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,

Or to take arms against a sea of troubles

And by opposing end them."

Paraphrase "Should I live and endure hardship, or fight back against my struggles and risk death?"

• Why it’s heresy: The paraphrase misses Hamlet’s profound philosophical exploration of existence, suffering, and action. The poetic phrasing and imagery—"slings and arrows," "sea of troubles"—create layers of meaning that a simple summary cannot replicate.

3. John Keats's "Ode on a Grecian Urn"

Original:
"Beauty is truth, truth beauty,—that is all

Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know."

Paraphrase:  "Beauty and truth are the same, and that’s the most important thing to understand."

• Why it’s heresy: The original line is enigmatic and open to interpretation, inviting readers to reflect on the relationship between art, beauty, and truth. The paraphrase imposes a definitive meaning, robbing it of its poetic ambiguity.

    Exercise Three:  What is biographical criticism? (2pts)

• Biographical criticism is a literary approach that examines how an author's life and personal experiences influence the creation and meaning of their works. By analyzing the relationship between the writer’s biography and their literary output, this method provides insights into the text that might not be apparent through other forms of criticism. It helps readers understand the personal and historical contexts behind a literary work. It offers a deeper appreciation of the author’s creativity and choices. Biographical criticism also illuminates possible meanings that are tied to the author's lived experiences.

Key Features of Biographical Criticism:

1. Authorial Context:
• Focuses on the author's life, including their upbringing, relationships, beliefs, and historical context.
• Explores how the author's experiences, challenges, and worldview shape themes, characters, and settings in their works.
2. Historical and Social Background:
• Examines the time period during which the author lived to understand cultural, social, and political influences on their writing.
3. Interpretation of Symbols and Themes:
• Connects specific elements in a literary work to events or aspects of the author's life.
• For example, an author who experienced significant loss might create works centered on grief and recovery.

Example:

   In applying biographical criticism to F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, critics might explore how Fitzgerald's experiences in the Jazz Age, his troubled marriage to Zelda, and his views on wealth and class influenced the novel’s themes of ambition, love, and disillusionment.

    By linking an author's life with their work, biographical criticism enriches the reader’s  understanding but must be balanced with other critical approaches to avoid overly deterministic interpretations.