American Literature Question bank with Answers

Question Bank 37 Pages

Mizoram University

English

Contributed by

Prajwal Hallale

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH
PAPER XII, OPTION- A
AMERICAN LITERATURE, ENG/VI/CC/12-A
SEMESTER- VI

UNIT-I: THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA

I. Multiple Choice Questions:
1. Santiago is believed to be a :
a. Salao
b. murderer
c. Solazo
d. Beggar
2. Santiago is consistently aided by:
a. Joe Dimaggio
b. The sharks
c. Other fishermen
d. Manolin
3. The length of the Marlin is:
a. 17 feet
b. 18 feet
c. 19 feet
d. 20 feet
4. The Old Man and the Sea was published in the year:
a. 1950
b. 1951
c. 1952
d. 1953
5. How long does it take for the sharks to arrive and attack the marlin:
a. One hour
b. Five hours
c. One day
d. Fort five minutes
6. How does Hemingway describe Santiago‟s eyes?
a. They are full of pain.
b. They are blank with defeat.
c. They betray the weariness of his soul.
d. They are the color of the sea

7. Who is Santiago‟s hero?
a. Harry Truman
b. Joe DiMaggio
c. Dick Sisler
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d. Fidel Castro

8. The great Joe DiMaggio suffers from what affliction?
a. A bone spur
b. Alcoholism
c. A ruined knee
d. Failing eyesight

9. How long does it take for the sharks to arrive and attack the marlin?
a. Ten minutes
b. One hour
c. Six hours
d. A full day

10. The Old man and The Sea is set in:
a. Marshall Island
b. Canary Island
c. Puerto Rico
D. Cuba

11. Of what did Santiago always dream?
a. Manolin
b. His Wife
c. Lions
d. Fish
12. In what year was the Old Man and the Sea published?
a. 1951
b. 1952
c. 1965
d. 1953
13. When the novella opens, how long has it been since Santiago last caught a fish?
a. 64 days
b. 84 days
c. 82 days
d. 85 days
14. How does Hemingway translate the word “Salao” as a depiction of Santiago?
a. Crazy
b. Selfish
c. Old
d. “the worst form of unlicky
15. How does Hemingway describe Santiago‟s eyes?
a. they are full of pain
b. they are filled with defeat
c. they betray the weariness of defeat
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d. they are the color of the sea
16. .Who is Santiago‟s only friend?
a. Manolin
b. Joe Di Maggio
c. Harry Truman
d. Allan Poe
17. What hangs on the wall of the old man‟s shack?
a. Picture of his diseased mother.
b. His fishing equiptment.
c. Skeleton of a fish he caught.
d. Pictures of sacred Heart of Jesus and another of Virgin of cobre.
18. Why does Santiago not let his lines drift like the other fishermen?
a. He is a stubborn man who prefers the old-fashioned way of fishing.
b. It is dangerous, as he might become tangled with another boat.
c. He is no longer young or strong enough to control a dri>ing line.
d. He believes it is imprecise, and he strives always to be exact.
19. During his great struggle with the marlin, what does Santiago wish repeatedly?
a. He wishes he were younger.
b. He wishes for better equipment.
c. He wishes that the fishermen who mocked him earlier were present to witness
his victory.
d. He wished that the boy, Manolin, was with him.
20. In order to help himself catch the fish, what did Santiago do?
a. He promised to recite ten Hail Mary‟s and ten Our Fathers.
b. He promises to pay more attention to Manolin upon his return.
c. He lightens the boat by throwing all unnecessary weight overboard.
d. He ties the skiff to a buoy so that the fish cannot pull it farther out to sea.
21. The Old Man and the Sea can be interpreted as a double allegory namely
a. Man‟s struggle with hardships, and his ability to endure.
b. Nature of man‟s struggle with life, and of the artist‟s struggle with his art.
c. Man‟s struggle with his nemesis, and his victory.
d. The power of Strength, and victory.
22. How does Santiago think about his adversary, the Marlin?
a. He considers that he and the Marlin are brothers
b. He praises the fish because it promises to bring a wonderful price at market.
c. He believes that the fish is a test of his worth, sent to him by God
d. He believes that the Marlin is stronger than expected.
23. How does Santiago articulate his philosophy that destruction is inevitable?
a. The world is such an inhospitable place that no death should be mourned.
b. Out, out, brief candle!
c. Even the worthiest opponents must fall.
d. Everything in the world kills everything else in some way.
24. The old man remembers that once, when he killed a female marlin
a. The male marlin swam alongside the boat as though in mourning.
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b. Bit the tail off the female.
c. Returned with a posse of marlins seeking revenge.
d. Made a sound like there were nails being driven through his fins.
25. How many times in the novel does Santiago dream about lions at play on the beaches
of Africa?
a. Seven
b. Three
c. Five
d. Ten
26. When does Manolin come to Santiago's shack?
a. Evening of day five
b. Morning of day five
c. A week later later
d. He doesn't
27. Why does the thought of selling the fish‟s meat disappoint the old man?
a. He knows people will cook the marlin, but it is best eaten raw.
b. Market prices are low, and Santiago will get only a fraction of what the fish is
worth.
c. Because marlin has an unpleasant taste, Santiago wishes he caught something
that made for better eating, like a shark.
d. The people who will eat the meat are unworthy. .
28. What was Santiago‟s problem with the left hand?
a. He had broken three of the fingers.
b. It was paralyzed.
c. It was Cramped
d. It was trembling so much he couldn‟t.
29. The Marlin represents:
a. Defeat and betrayal
b. Death
c. Happiness and optimism
d. Courage and perseverance
30. What does Manolin do when he sees Santiago return?
a. He yells at him for going out too far out.
b. He Cheers for him for being victorious.
c. He cries for Santiago‟s suffering and defeat.
d. He Cries for Santiago‟s foolishness.
31. How did the Old man kill the big fish?
a. He shot it through the head with his gun
b. He towed it behind the skiff.
c. He cut it up and put the pieces in the boat.
d. He pulled the fish close, got him turned on his side, held the line with his foot, and
harpooned it.
32. How are Santiago‟s eyes described in “The Old Man and the Sea”?
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a. They are tired and vacant
b. they are the colour of the sea
c. they are full of pain
d. they are blood shot
33. What does Santiago wishes for constantly during his struggle with the marlin?
a. he wishes that the boy, Manolin, were with him
b. he wishes he had more courage
c. he wishes he were younger
d. he wishes for more sunshine
34. Santiago is believed to be salao. How does Hemingway translate this word?
a. selfish
b. deeply sad
c. the worst form of unlucky
d. too old
35. How does Santiago finally kill the marlin?
a. he harpoons it through the heart
b. He bashes its head with his club
c. he lashes it to the inside of his boat
d. he bashes its head with his club
36. Which literary award did The Old Man and the Sea win in 1953?
a. The Nobel Prize
b. The Sundance Award
c. The Booker Prize
d. The Pulitzer Prize
37. After his unlucky streaks, Santiago takes his skiff into the:
a. Panama Canal
b. South Sea
c. Cuban Sea
d. Gulf Stream

KEY:
1. A
2. D
3. B
4. C
5. A
6. D
7. B
8. A
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9. B
10. D
11. C
12. B
13. B
14. D
15. D
16. A
17. D
18. D
19. D
20. A
21. B
22. A
23. D
24. A
25. B
26. B
27. D
28. C
29. D
30. C
31. D
32. B
33. A
34. C
35. A
36. D
37. D
II. Fill in the Blanks:
1. Santiago‟s draws inspiration from his idol ________
2. Santiago associates his youth with ____from his dreams.
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3. The marlin fish that the old man kills attracts _____ sharks.
4. The old man tells the fish that he will stay with it until he is ____
5. Santiago during his youth has defeated “the great negro of Cienfuegos” in a Match
of _______________.
6. In 1953, Hemingway was awarded _____________________ for The Old Man
and the Sea.
7. Santiago chastises his ____ for cramping.
8. Santiago treats the marlin as his _____
9. Santiago claims that there is no one worthy of eating the _____
10. Santiago offered to make yellow rice and _______________ for Manolin for
dinner.
11. Hemingway purposefully likens Santiago to the biblical character of
_____________.
12. Santiago compare the sea to ____________, referencing it as being wild and out
of control.
13. The tourists in the terrace café mistake the Marlin‟s skeleton for ___________.
14. Santiago‟s Eyes are described as Cheerful and __________________.
15. As he rows away from shore and into the Gulf Stream, Santiago think of ______
as his friends.
16. Manolin was_________ years old when Santiago took him out to fish.
17. Santiago‟s _____ were as old as erosions in a fishless desert.
18. Santiago‟s sail resembles a flag of permanent ____
19. The Old Man and the Sea was published in the year _______.
20. The Old Man and the Sea won the _________Prize in 1954.
Key:
1. Joe DiMaggio
2. the lions.
3. Mako
4. Dead
5. Arm Wrestling
6. The Pulitzer Prize
7. hands
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8. friend
9. marlin
10. Fish
11. Christ
12. Women
13. Shark
14. Undefeated
15. Flying fish
16. 5
17. scars
18. defeat
19. 1952
20. Pulitzer Prize
UNIT II: CATCHER IN THE RYE
I. Multiple Choice Questions:
1. The animals in Central Park whose fate Holden often wonders are:
a. The beggars
b. The squirrels
c. The ducks in the lagoon
d. The kids on the meadow
2. Holden attempts to have sex with:
a. Sally
b. Sunny
c. Jane
d. Sandra
3. The name of Holden‟s brother who died was:
a. Phoebe
b. Kevin
c. Allie
d. George
4. What is the name of the school Holden is attending at the beginning of his story?
a. The Whooton School
b. Pencey Prep
c. Don Bosco High
d. Elkton Hills

5. Holden tries to punch Stradlater immediately after
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a. Stradlater refuses to answer Holden‟s questions about his date.
b. Stradlater suddenly attacks him
c. Stradlater brags about his sexual conquests
d. Stradlater rips his hound‟s-tooth jacket

6. According to Holden, he knew he was happy when he was
a. Holding hands with Jane
b. Writing essays for Mr. Spencer
c. Fooling “phonies” with elaborate lies
d. Listening to Ernie piano

7. The elevator operator at the Edmont offers to get Holden
a. Drugs
b. Complimentary breakfast
c. A prostitute
d. Movie tickets

8. Phoebe chastises Holden because, in her mind, he
a. Smokes too many cigarettes
b. Dates terrible women
c. Is too nice
d. Doesn‟t like anything

9. Holden leaves Mr. Antolini‟s apartment because
a. Mr. Antolini passes out drunk
b. He feels sick
c. He thinks Mr. Antolini made a pass at him
d. Mr. Antolini throws him out
10. Who is the narrator of the novel, The Catcher in the Rye?
a. D.B.
b. Allie.
c. Holden Caufield
d. Ackley
11. When the novel begins, Holden describe
a. Taking a train to New York
b. Recuperating in a tuberculosis rest home
c. Riding a carousel in Central Park
d. Dining out with his sister Phoebe
12. What is the name of the book of short stories written by D.B.?
a. The Bloody Chamber.
b. The Matisse Stories.
c. The Yellow Wallpaper.
d. The Secret Goldfish.
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13. What is the school Holden attends at the beginning of the novel?
a. Columbia.
b. Whooton School.
c. Elkton Hills.
d. Pencey Prep.
14. Why is Holden back early from the fencing match?
a. The team lost, so they did not need to stay any longer.
b. He left the equipment on the subway.
c. He got lost and gave up.
d. He quit the team.
15. Who is Mr. Spencer?
a. An elderly man Holden helps take care of.
b. The dean of students at Pencey Prep.
c. Holden's grandfather.
d. Holden's hinovel teacher.
16. What two reasons does Holden give for not talking about his early childhood?
a. The two reasons Holden gives for not talking about his early childhood are that
kind of thingbores him, and that his parents would be upset if he shared anything
personal about them.
b. That he felt neglected, and hated his parents.
c. That he hated school, and doesn‟t like to bring back memories of his school days.
d. That he had no childhood memories, and had no real friends.
17. What item of clothing did Holden buy during the team‟s trip to New York?
a. A hound‟s-tooth jacket
b. A red hunting hat
c. A brown derby
d. A pink leisure suit
18. What happened to James Castle when the boys tormented him?
a. He took back the thing he said about the conceited boy.
b. He fell into a coma and had to be hospitalized.
c. He climbed out the window and down a tree.
d. He jumped out of the window, and died.
19. After Holden checks into his room at the Edmont Hotel, what does he see out of his
window?
a. A parade
b. A flock of ducks flying away from the Central Park lagoon
c. A variety of bizarre sex acts going on in other rooms of the hotel
d. Jane and Stradlater
20. Why does Holden refer to D.B.'s writing in Hollywood as prostitution?
a. because he feels that D.B. sold himself out for money.
b. Because D.B writes about the promiscuous life of Hollywood.
c. Because D.B doesn‟t care much about the subject of what he writes.
d. Because D.B sold himself to the world of entertainment.
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American Literature Question bank with Answers

American Literature Question bank with Answers

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