John Milton – Life & Biography: 50 MCQs

John Milton – Life & Biography: 50 MCQs

1. John Milton was born in which year?
A) 1608
B) 1600
C) 1610
D) 1604
Answer: A) 1608

2. In which city was John Milton born?
A) Cambridge
B) Oxford
C) London
D) Edinburgh
Answer: C) London

3. What was John Milton’s father’s profession?
A) Lawyer
B) Scrivener
C) Teacher
D) Merchant
Answer: B) Scrivener

4. Milton’s mother’s name was:
A) Sarah Jeffrey
B) Anne Bradstreet
C) Mary Powell
D) Katherine Woodcock
Answer: A) Sarah Jeffrey

5. Which school did Milton attend before university?
A) St. Paul’s School, London
B) Westminster School
C) Eton College
D) Rugby School
Answer: A) St. Paul’s School, London

6. Milton studied at which college in Cambridge?
A) King’s College
B) Christ’s College
C) Trinity College
D) Clare College
Answer: B) Christ’s College

7. Milton’s university degree in 1629 was in:
A) Law
B) Bachelor of Arts
C) Master of Arts
D) Philosophy
Answer: B) Bachelor of Arts

8. When did Milton receive his M.A. degree?
A) 1631
B) 1632
C) 1633
D) 1634
Answer: B) 1632

9. The period between 1632–1638 in Milton’s life is known as:
A) Puritan Period
B) The Horton Period
C) Restoration Period
D) The Blind Period
Answer: B) The Horton Period

10. Milton traveled to Italy and met which famous astronomer?
A) Kepler
B) Galileo Galilei
C) Newton
D) Copernicus
Answer: B) Galileo Galilei

11. Milton’s first wife was:
A) Mary Powell
B) Elizabeth Minshull
C) Katherine Woodcock
D) Anne Hathaway
Answer: A) Mary Powell

12. Milton’s first marriage took place in:
A) 1639
B) 1640
C) 1642
D) 1645
Answer: C) 1642

13. Milton’s first wife left him after:
A) 2 months
B) 3 months
C) 1 year
D) 6 months
Answer: B) 3 months

14. Which of the following is Milton’s second wife?
A) Elizabeth Minshull
B) Katherine Woodcock
C) Anne Milton
D) Mary Shelley
Answer: B) Katherine Woodcock

15. Milton’s second wife died in:
A) 1658
B) 1656
C) 1654
D) 1658
Answer: C) 1658

16. Milton’s third wife was:
A) Anne Clifford
B) Elizabeth Minshull
C) Anne Vane
D) Mary Wroth
Answer: B) Elizabeth Minshull

17. Milton went completely blind in which year?
A) 1651
B) 1652
C) 1654
D) 1656
Answer: B) 1652

18. The main cause of Milton’s blindness was probably:
A) Cataract
B) Glaucoma
C) Retinal detachment
D) Tuberculosis
Answer: B) Glaucoma

19. Milton supported which political cause?
A) Royalist
B) Puritan Republican
C) Catholic
D) Anglican Monarchy
Answer: B) Puritan Republican

20. During the Commonwealth, Milton served as:
A) Member of Parliament
B) Secretary for Foreign Tongues
C) University Chancellor
D) Poet Laureate
Answer: B) Secretary for Foreign Tongues

21. Milton was arrested after the Restoration in:
A) 1660
B) 1661
C) 1659
D) 1662
Answer: A) 1660

22. Milton was released from prison largely due to the intervention of:
A) Oliver Cromwell
B) Andrew Marvell
C) John Dryden
D) John Bunyan
Answer: B) Andrew Marvell

23. Milton died in which year?
A) 1672
B) 1674
C) 1676
D) 1670
Answer: B) 1674

24. Milton died in which place?
A) London
B) Cambridge
C) Oxford
D) Reading
Answer: A) London

25. Milton was buried at:
A) St. Giles Church, Cripplegate
B) Westminster Abbey
C) St. Paul’s Cathedral
D) St. Mary’s Church, Oxford
Answer: A) St. Giles Church, Cripplegate

26. Milton is often called:
A) The Bard of Avon
B) The Lady of Horton
C) The Puritan Poet
D) The Romantic Pioneer
Answer: C) The Puritan Poet

27. Milton’s famous political pamphlet advocating free speech is:
A) The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates
B) Areopagitica
C) Of Education
D) Eikonoklastes
Answer: B) Areopagitica

28. Which language did Milton master apart from English?
A) Latin and Greek
B) French and German
C) Arabic and Persian
D) Hebrew and Sanskrit
Answer: A) Latin and Greek

29. Milton’s famous epic poem was dictated after his blindness. Which is it?
A) Lycidas
B) Paradise Regained
C) Paradise Lost
D) Samson Agonistes
Answer: C) Paradise Lost

30. Milton’s father was known for his skill in:
A) Poetry
B) Music composition
C) Architecture
D) Printing
Answer: B) Music composition

31. Milton’s nickname during his Cambridge days was:
A) The Lady of Christ’s
B) The Puritan Rebel
C) The Gentle Scholar
D) The English Virgil
Answer: A) The Lady of Christ’s

32. Milton’s educational pamphlet Of Education was published in:
A) 1642
B) 1644
C) 1648
D) 1651
Answer: B) 1644

33. Milton’s prose work The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates supported:
A) Divine right of kings
B) The execution of Charles I
C) Catholic restoration
D) Peace with monarchy
Answer: B) The execution of Charles I

34. Milton’s daughters helped him in:
A) Writing poetry
B) Reading and transcribing his works
C) Political debates
D) Managing his estate
Answer: B) Reading and transcribing his works

35. Milton’s political writings were mostly in:
A) French
B) English
C) Latin
D) Greek
Answer: C) Latin

36. Milton’s house during the Horton period was in:
A) Buckinghamshire
B) Oxfordshire
C) Cambridgeshire
D) Sussex
Answer: A) Buckinghamshire

37. Milton’s attitude towards the monarchy was:
A) Supportive of absolute monarchy
B) Against monarchy, in favor of republicanism
C) Neutral
D) Loyal to Charles I
Answer: B) Against monarchy, in favor of republicanism

38. Milton’s early ambition was to become:
A) A lawyer
B) A clergyman
C) A politician
D) A soldier
Answer: B) A clergyman

39. Milton visited which country during his European tour apart from Italy?
A) France
B) Germany
C) Spain
D) Scotland
Answer: A) France

40. Which historical event most influenced Milton’s political writings?
A) The Glorious Revolution
B) The English Civil War
C) The Industrial Revolution
D) The American War of Independence
Answer: B) The English Civil War

41. Milton’s last wife, Elizabeth Minshull, outlived him by how many years?
A) About 53 years
B) About 30 years
C) About 10 years
D) About 20 years
Answer: A) About 53 years

42. Milton wrote Defensio pro Populo Anglicano in defense of:
A) The monarchy
B) The execution of Charles I
C) The Catholic Church
D) Oliver Cromwell’s dictatorship
Answer: B) The execution of Charles I

43. Milton’s first published poem appeared in:
A) 1629
B) 1624
C) 1630
D) 1625
Answer: B) 1624

44. Milton’s first published poem was written on the death of:
A) His friend Edward King
B) His sister
C) His tutor
D) A bishop
Answer: C) His tutor

45. Which famous poet was a contemporary and admirer of Milton?
A) Andrew Marvell
B) William Blake
C) John Keats
D) Alexander Pope
Answer: A) Andrew Marvell

46. Milton’s personal library reportedly contained over:
A) 500 books
B) 1000 books
C) 1500 books
D) 2000 books
Answer: C) 1500 books

47. Milton’s style is most strongly influenced by:
A) Classical epic tradition
B) Romantic poetry
C) Victorian realism
D) Modernist free verse
Answer: A) Classical epic tradition

48. Milton’s religious views were largely:
A) Puritan Protestant
B) Catholic
C) Anglican High Church
D) Deist
Answer: A) Puritan Protestant

49. Milton’s literary career can be divided into:
A) Two periods
B) Three periods
C) Four periods
D) Five periods
Answer: B) Three periods

50. Which of the following best describes Milton’s legacy?
A) He is remembered mainly as a dramatist
B) He is one of the greatest English poets and political writers of the 17th century
C) He is known only for his religious prose
D) He is mostly a minor poet of the Puritan era
Answer: B) He is one of the greatest English poets and political writers of the 17th century.