Explore 50 high-level MCQs on criticism of William Shakespeare by major literary critics. Perfect for UP TGT English aspirants seeking deep, exam-oriented practice on Shakespearean criticism.
Criticism on William Shakespeare – 50 MCQs (UP TGT English)
1. Samuel Johnson admired Shakespeare mainly for his:
A. Classical unity
B. Moral didacticism
C. Representation of human nature
D. Poetic ornamentation
Answer: C
2. According to Dr. Johnson, Shakespeare’s greatest fault was:
A. Excessive imagery
B. Neglect of poetic justice
C. Violation of dramatic unities
D. Use of prose
Answer: C
3. Which critic said Shakespeare “holds up a faithful mirror to manners and to life”?
A. Dryden
B. Samuel Johnson
C. Coleridge
D. Bradley
Answer: B
4. Dryden considered Shakespeare as:
A. A perfect classical dramatist
B. The father of English comedy
C. Naturally learned, not formally educated
D. A romantic poet only
Answer: C
5. Dryden famously called Shakespeare:
A. The poet of imagination
B. The Homer of England
C. The greatest realist
D. Nature’s darling
Answer: B
6. Which critic described Shakespeare as “the man of all modern and perhaps ancient poets, had the largest and most comprehensive soul”?
A. Coleridge
B. Ben Jonson
C. Dryden
D. Pope
Answer: C
7. Ben Jonson’s famous line “He was not of an age, but for all time” suggests Shakespeare’s:
A. Romanticism
B. Universality
C. Classical perfection
D. Moral preaching
Answer: B
8. Ben Jonson criticized Shakespeare mainly for his:
A. Weak characterization
B. Carelessness and lack of revision
C. Poor language
D. Excessive philosophy
Answer: B
9. Which critic emphasized Shakespeare’s “negative capability”?
A. Matthew Arnold
B. T. S. Eliot
C. John Keats
D. Coleridge
Answer: C
10. “Negative capability” refers to:
A. Lack of imagination
B. Ability to remain in uncertainties
C. Moral indifference
D. Intellectual confusion
Answer: B
11. Coleridge praised Shakespeare chiefly for his:
A. Poetic diction
B. Moral seriousness
C. Psychological insight
D. Historical accuracy
Answer: C
12. Coleridge considered Shakespeare’s characters as:
A. Moral symbols
B. Types
C. Individuals with inner growth
D. Allegories
Answer: C
13. Which critic rejected the idea that Shakespeare violated dramatic unities intentionally?
A. Bradley
B. Coleridge
C. Johnson
D. Pope
Answer: B
14. A. C. Bradley’s Shakespearean criticism mainly focuses on:
A. Language
B. Plot construction
C. Tragic heroes
D. Comic relief
Answer: C
15. Bradley believed Shakespearean tragedy arises from:
A. Fate alone
B. Social injustice
C. A tragic flaw in the hero
D. Supernatural forces
Answer: C
16. Which critic argued that Shakespeare’s tragedies are “stories of exceptional calamity”?
A. Coleridge
B. Johnson
C. Bradley
D. Eliot
Answer: C
17. T. S. Eliot criticized Shakespeare’s Hamlet mainly because of:
A. Weak plot
B. Lack of unity
C. Failure of objective correlative
D. Poor characterization
Answer: C
18. “Objective correlative” means:
A. Moral lesson
B. Emotional equivalent in art
C. Symbolic language
D. Dramatic irony
Answer: B
19. Eliot considered Hamlet to be:
A. Shakespeare’s greatest tragedy
B. An artistic failure
C. A perfect play
D. A classical tragedy
Answer: B
20. Matthew Arnold criticized Shakespeare for lacking:
A. Imagination
B. Moral seriousness
C. Style
D. Dramatic power
Answer: B
21. Arnold believed Shakespeare lacked:
A. Intellectual depth
B. High seriousness found in classics
C. Emotional appeal
D. Technical skill
Answer: B
22. Pope admired Shakespeare but criticized him for:
A. Poor plots
B. Vulgar expressions
C. Excessive imagination
D. Lack of rhyme
Answer: B
23. Which critic edited Shakespeare’s works and tried to “correct” his language?
A. Johnson
B. Dryden
C. Pope
D. Theobald
Answer: C
24. Dr. Johnson defended Shakespeare against the charge of:
A. Immorality
B. Ignorance
C. Lack of unity
D. Vulgarity
Answer: A
25. According to Johnson, Shakespeare’s characters are:
A. Idealized
B. Superhuman
C. Real and common humanity
D. Allegorical
Answer: C
26. Which critic emphasized Shakespeare’s power of imagination over classical rules?
A. Dryden
B. Coleridge
C. Arnold
D. Pope
Answer: B
27. Hazlitt praised Shakespeare mainly for his:
A. Moral vision
B. Dramatic structure
C. Sympathy with characters
D. Use of imagery
Answer: C
28. Hazlitt called Shakespeare:
A. A moral philosopher
B. The poet of nature
C. A classical dramatist
D. A realist historian
Answer: B
29. Which critic believed Shakespeare wrote without conscious moral purpose?
A. Arnold
B. Johnson
C. Hazlitt
D. Eliot
Answer: C
30. Which scholar emphasized Shakespeare’s “creative spontaneity”?
A. Coleridge
B. Arnold
C. Eliot
D. Pope
Answer: A
31. Who considered Shakespeare inferior to Greek tragedians in structure?
A. Coleridge
B. Johnson
C. Arnold
D. Bradley
Answer: C
32. Shakespeare’s neglect of poetic justice was defended by:
A. Pope
B. Dryden
C. Johnson
D. Eliot
Answer: C
33. Which critic believed Shakespeare was a better dramatist than poet?
A. Eliot
B. Arnold
C. Johnson
D. Dryden
Answer: B
34. According to Bradley, Shakespearean tragedy ends in:
A. Moral victory
B. Social reform
C. Restoration of order
D. Complete chaos
Answer: C
35. Which critic stressed Shakespeare’s ability to enter the minds of women characters?
A. Johnson
B. Hazlitt
C. Coleridge
D. Bradley
Answer: B
36. Who called Shakespeare “the least egotistical of poets”?
A. Eliot
B. Keats
C. Coleridge
D. Arnold
Answer: B
37. Shakespeare’s realism was most strongly emphasized by:
A. Johnson
B. Arnold
C. Eliot
D. Pope
Answer: A
38. Which critic attacked Shakespeare for mixing comic and tragic elements?
A. Dryden
B. Johnson
C. Pope
D. Arnold
Answer: A
39. Coleridge believed Shakespeare’s imagination was:
A. Mechanical
B. Decorative
C. Organic
D. Artificial
Answer: C
40. Which critic believed Shakespeare’s plays grow “from within”?
A. Arnold
B. Coleridge
C. Eliot
D. Pope
Answer: B
41. Shakespeare’s lack of philosophical system was viewed positively by:
A. Arnold
B. Eliot
C. Johnson
D. Hazlitt
Answer: D
42. Which critic accused Shakespeare of intellectual confusion?
A. Johnson
B. Arnold
C. Eliot
D. Dryden
Answer: C
43. Shakespeare’s universality was most strongly asserted by:
A. Ben Jonson
B. Pope
C. Arnold
D. Eliot
Answer: A
44. Who believed Shakespeare’s greatness lay beyond rules and criticism?
A. Johnson
B. Coleridge
C. Hazlitt
D. Dryden
Answer: C
45. Which critic emphasized Shakespeare’s dramatic instinct?
A. Arnold
B. Bradley
C. Coleridge
D. Eliot
Answer: C
46. Shakespeare’s historical plays were criticized by Johnson for:
A. Inaccuracy
B. Moral ambiguity
C. Weak characterization
D. Excessive poetry
Answer: A
47. Which scholar regarded Shakespeare as primarily a poet of life rather than ideas?
A. Arnold
B. Eliot
C. Johnson
D. Bradley
Answer: C
48. Eliot admired Shakespeare’s:
A. Early comedies
B. Late romances
C. Sonnets
D. Historical plays
Answer: B
49. Which critic believed Shakespeare’s greatness cannot be systematized?
A. Bradley
B. Arnold
C. Hazlitt
D. Eliot
Answer: C
50. The most balanced classical-romantic view of Shakespeare is associated with:
A. Pope
B. Johnson
C. Arnold
D. Eliot
Answer: B
