GRE Subject Test: Literature in English : Contexts of British Prose

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for GRE Subject Test: Literature in English

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All GRE Subject Test: Literature in English Resources

1 Diagnostic Test 158 Practice Tests Question of the Day Flashcards Learn by Concept

Example Questions

Example Question #469 :Gre Subject Test: Literature In English

Who wroteI, Claudius?

Possible Answers:

Kingsley Amis

Robert Graves

Ian McEwan

托马斯·哈代

Graham Greene

Correct answer:

Robert Graves

Explanation:

I, Claudius(1934) is a novel by the Latin/Greek translator and historical fiction author Robert Graves.

Kingsley Amis is the author ofLucky Jim(1954) (he was also Martin Amis's father), Ian McEwan is the author ofFirst Love, Last Rites(1975), Thomas Hardy is the author ofJude the Obscure(1895), and Graham Greene is the author ofThe Third Man(1950).

Example Question #470 :Gre Subject Test: Literature In English

Which of the following major events occurs inI, Claudius?

Possible Answers:

the Trojan War

the Punic Wars

the assassination of Caligula

the burning of the Library of Alexandria

Hannibal’s crossing the Alps

Correct answer:

the assassination of Caligula

Explanation:

Robert Graves's I,Claudius(1934)takes the form of an autobiography of the Roman Emperor Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus. It was the assassination of the Emperor Caligula that led to Claudius’ ascent to power. All of the other events listed here occurred well before the reign of Claudius.

Example Question #51 :Contexts Of Prose

Which of the following authors was a source forI, Claudius?

Possible Answers:

Herodotus

Thucydides

Homer

Xenophon

Plutarch

Correct answer:

Plutarch

Explanation:

The ancient Greek historian Plutarch as well as the Roman historian Suetonius provided much of the background material forI, Claudius(1934). None of the others writers would have had information about Emperor Claudius, since he was not born until after their deaths.

Example Question #52 :Contexts Of Prose

Who is the author ofAtonement?

Possible Answers:

Pat Barker

Ian McEwan

Martin Amis

Kazuo Ishiguro

Julian Barnes

Correct answer:

Ian McEwan

Explanation:

Atonement(2001) is Ian McEwan’s eighth novel.

Kazuo Ishiguro is the author ofA Pale View of Hills(1982), Martin Amis is the author ofDead Babies(1975), Julian Barnes is the author ofArthur and George(2005), and Pat Barker is the author of theRegeneration Trilogy(1991, 1993, 1995).

Example Question #53 :Contexts Of Prose

During what decade wasAtonementpublished?

Possible Answers:

1980s

1960s

1970s

1990s

2000s

Correct answer:

2000s

Explanation:

Ian McEwan'sAtonementwas published in 2001, the same year that it was shortlisted for the Booker Prize.

Example Question #54 :Contexts Of Prose

During what war isAtonementset?

Possible Answers:

The Jacobite uprising

The War of Austrian Succession

The Revolutionary War

World War I

World War II

Correct answer:

World War II

Explanation:

Ian McEwan'sAtonementis set partly in 1935 and partly in present-day England, but a significant portion of the action occurs during World War II in both France and England.

Example Question #55 :Contexts Of Prose

Who is the author ofBrideshead Revisited?

Possible Answers:

Graham Greene

Ian McEwan

D.H. Lawrence

Kingsley Amis

Evelyn Waugh

Correct answer:

Evelyn Waugh

Explanation:

Brideshead Revisited(1945) is Evelyn Waugh’s most famous novel and the work he considered his magnum opus.

Kingsley Amis wroteLucky Jim(1954), Graham Greene wroteThe Third Man(1950), Ian McEwan wroteSolar(2010), and D.H Lawrence wroteSons and Lovers(1913)。

Example Question #56 :Contexts Of Prose

During what decade isBrideshead Revisitedmainly set?

Possible Answers:

1840s

1900s

1920s

1880s

1860s

Correct answer:

1920s

Explanation:

Evelyn Waugh'sBrideshead Revisited(1945) begins in the 1920s in Britain and concludes in the late 1940s, shortly after the end of World War II.

Example Question #57 :Contexts Of Prose

Who is the author ofOranges Are Not the Only Fruit?

Possible Answers:

Hilary Mantel

Zadie Smith

A.S. Byatt

Jeanette Winterson

Angela Carter

Correct answer:

Jeanette Winterson

Explanation:

Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit(1985) is Jeanette Winterson’s acclaimed first novel. It is a coming of age story about an adopted lesbian girl in a Pentecostal community in England and contains themes of sexuality and gender normativity as well as elements of autobiography.

Angela Carter wroteLove(1971), Hilary Mantel wroteWolf Hall(2009), Zadie Smith wroteWhite Teeth(2000), and A.S Byatt wrote The Shadow of the Sun (1964).

Example Question #58 :Contexts Of Prose

During what decade wasOranges Are Not the Only Fruitpublished?

Possible Answers:

1960s

1970s

1980s

1950s

1990s

Correct answer:

1980s

Explanation:

Oranges Are Not the Only Fruitwas published in 1985 and won a Whitbread Award for a First Novel the same year.

All GRE Subject Test: Literature in English Resources

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