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Quiz about British Literature of the Restoration

British Literature of the Restoration Quiz

The Restoration was unique for many reasons. Test your knowledge of this time period from a literary and historical perspective.

A multiple-choice quiz by jessepop. Estimated time: 6 mins.

Author
jessepop

Time
6 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
223,283

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
969

Last 3 plays: Guest 76 (8/10), Guest 92 (1/10), Guest 185 (5/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. British writing of the Restoration era is often called "neoclassical". Why is this? Hint

It was translated from the Roman and Greek languages.

It aims to create a uniquely English style.

It imitates the Latin classics.

It was written by the Emperor Octavian.

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Question 2 of 10

2. The Restoration era exhibited a change in prose style effected by the Royal Society of London for the Promotion of Natural Knowledge. What kind of writing did this society call for? Hint

Humorous and lighthearted.

Precise and exact.

Epic and poetic.

Scholarly and ornate.

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Question 3 of 10

3. The Restoration era produced the first of a new art form: the novel. Which of these statements is true about the first examples of this genre? Hint

They were written by former poets such as William Wordsworth.

They were read only by scholars and scientists.

They were complicated mixtures of poetry, drama, and prose.

They were long and often comical narratives.

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Question 4 of 10

4. During the Restoration era, it was fairly common to keep a diary. Which of these Londoners is well-known for his diary, now an important historical document? Hint

Daniel Defoe

Samuel Pepys

Joseph Addison

Samuel Johnson

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Question 5 of 10

5. Jonathan Swift wrote "Gulliver's Travels" during the Restoration era. Who was Gulliver supposed to be, and how many different civilizations did he supposedly visit? Hint

Ship's doctor / 6

First mate / 6

First mate / 5

Ship's doctor / 5

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Question 6 of 10

6. What was Jonathan Swift's main purpose in writing "Gulliver's Travels"? Hint

To criticize the pettiness and corruption of English political practices.

To criticize the idle, upperclass citizens of London.

To entertain his audience with incredible fiction.

To praise the wisdom and justice of English foreign affairs.

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Question 7 of 10

7. In Jonathan Swift's satire "A Modest Proposal", Swift creates a narrator with a distinct character. Which of the following best describes this persona? Hint

An American giving advice to politicians in England.

An economic planner acting for the benefit of England and Ireland.

An Irish Catholic criticizing the inefficiency of the British.

A political planner devising strategies to conquer Ireland.

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Question 8 of 10

8. Samuel Johnson wrote the first comprehensive dictionary of the English language during the Restoration era. Which of the following statements is NOT true about this dictionary? Hint

It is very biased, revealing the author's sense of humor and preferences.

Johnson derived many of his definitions from earlier, less comprehensive dictionaries.

Some of the entries have no definitions.

It is illustrated.

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Question 9 of 10

9. Amongst many other things, Daniel Defoe wrote about the black death in London in his historical fiction "A Journal of the Plague Year". What was the author's main interest in doing so? Hint

To examine people's reactions in times of stress.

To show the government's inept handling of the problem.

To reveal Londoners' true ignorance of the plague.

To explore the economic consequences of the plague.

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Question 10 of 10

10. Alexander Pope wrote a long poem called "The Rape of the Lock". What was this about? Hint

The attempt to open Pandora's Box.

The picking of a locked door.

The theft of a tress of hair.

The assault on a young woman named Lucie Lock.

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Most Recent Scores

Nov 08 2024 : Guest 76: 8/10
Nov 02 2024 : Guest 92: 1/10
Oct 30 2024 : Guest 185: 5/10
Oct 22 2024 : Guest 152: 3/10
Oct 15 2024 : Guest 152: 3/10
Oct 04 2024 : Guest 110: 7/10

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. British writing of the Restoration era is often called "neoclassical". Why is this?

Answer: It imitates the Latin classics.

This era was also known as the Age of Reason and Enlightenment because of the focus on logic and science; and the Augustan Era because of the historical similarities between the Emperor Octavian (Augustus) and the Stuart line.

2. The Restoration era exhibited a change in prose style effected by the Royal Society of London for the Promotion of Natural Knowledge. What kind of writing did this society call for?

Answer: Precise and exact.

Although Shakespeare's English is considered "modern", it wasn't until this society, headed by Dryden, simplified the language and syntax to make it more like the English spoken today.

3. The Restoration era produced the first of a new art form: the novel. Which of these statements is true about the first examples of this genre?

Answer: They were long and often comical narratives.

From the French word for "new", the novel was created to satisfy the lusty appetites of the growing middle class. Although most novels superficially emphasized spiritual growth, the real intent was to entertain. "Tom Jones" is one such narrative, bawdy and risque. Check out the movie!

4. During the Restoration era, it was fairly common to keep a diary. Which of these Londoners is well-known for his diary, now an important historical document?

Answer: Samuel Pepys

Pepys' diary spanned nine years and was published in a whopping eleven volumes. He witnessed such events as a king's coronation, the plague, and the great fire of London to name a few.

5. Jonathan Swift wrote "Gulliver's Travels" during the Restoration era. Who was Gulliver supposed to be, and how many different civilizations did he supposedly visit?

Answer: Ship's doctor / 5

Gulliver visited Lilliput (little people), Brobdingnag (giants), Laputa (foolish philosophers), the land of the Yahoos (vicious brutes), and Hyouynym land (wise and virtuous horses).

6. What was Jonathan Swift's main purpose in writing "Gulliver's Travels"?

Answer: To criticize the pettiness and corruption of English political practices.

Although extremely entertaining - and so realistic that many actually believed that Gulliver and the exotic lands he visited existed (!) - Swift's main purpose was to expose the follies and vices of English politics.

7. In Jonathan Swift's satire "A Modest Proposal", Swift creates a narrator with a distinct character. Which of the following best describes this persona?

Answer: An economic planner acting for the benefit of England and Ireland.

Of course we all know what his "modest" proposal was. If you don't know, you'd better look it up (it's worth the effort).

8. Samuel Johnson wrote the first comprehensive dictionary of the English language during the Restoration era. Which of the following statements is NOT true about this dictionary?

Answer: Johnson derived many of his definitions from earlier, less comprehensive dictionaries.

Johnson's "definition" of 'stammel': "Of this word I know not the meaning". Needless to say, his dictionary wasn't always that helpful, nor was it necessarily factual ('whales' are 'fish' and 'trees' are 'vegetables'); however, it was sufficiently entertaining for American colonists to take it overseas with them and read it aloud by the fireside at the end of a long day.

9. Amongst many other things, Daniel Defoe wrote about the black death in London in his historical fiction "A Journal of the Plague Year". What was the author's main interest in doing so?

Answer: To examine people's reactions in times of stress.

This journal was known as "historical fiction" because it was a made-up narrative based on historical facts, facts gleaned from interviews, court documents, city records, etc.

10. Alexander Pope wrote a long poem called "The Rape of the Lock". What was this about?

Answer: The theft of a tress of hair.

A young man steals a lock of a young woman's hair. The end. Yet, somehow, Pope turns this into a "serious" poem of epic proportions consisting of thousands of lines. This is known as a mock epic - treating a trivial topic in a serious fashion - and, in this case, was a satiric device intended to reform the manners of the young, leisured, idle, upper class men and women with too much time on their hands.

Source: Author jessepop

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