World Literature

Directions: Choose the letter that corresponds to your answer. Write it on the space provided.
1. He is known as the Ruler of the Olympians and is respected as the protector of the Greeks.
a. Hephaestus b. Zeus c. Poseidon d. Hades
2. The mythological background of the Trojan War is said to be caused by Paris, the prince of Troy. Eris,
the goddess of discord, brought to a party a golden apple with an inscription – for the fairest. Hera
Athena and Aphrodite all made a quick claim on the apple. Fearing that he may anger any of the
goddess of, Zeus decided to send the three women to Paris. Each of the three goddesses offered
the following: Hera and Athena offered him that he will always be victorious in battle and wealth
and Aphrodite offered him the most beautiful woman in this world, as his wife. Being young and
romantic, he gave the apple to Aphrodite. Who was this beautiful woman offered to Paris as bribe?
a. Penelope, queen of Ithaca c. Helen of Troy
b. Persephone, queen of the underworld d. Hera, queen of Olympus
3. As a result, Hera and Athena helped Troy’s enemy, Greece, in the war while Aphrodite helped Troy.
What does this show?
a. Serious decisions have serious consequences
b. Paris was wrong in choosing Aphrodite as the winner
c. Hera and Athena harbored ill feelings
d. Zues ordered the goddesses to take sides in the war.
4. The Trojan War is technically set due to the abduction of Helen by Paris. This is remembered in the
modern times referring to Helen as
a. The woman who started the war c. The woman who left the husband
b. The face that launched a thousand ships d. The face which surpassed all beauties
5. Apollo was the god of sun and poetry. He has mastered the craft of prophesy and earned the
reference as the god who mostly reflected of Zeus. What is his Roman name?
a. Mars b. Neptune c. Jupiter d. Apollo
6. She is the wife of Zeus and considered as the goddess of fertility and of the Earth.
a. Hera b. Athena c. Aphrodite d. Artenio
7. The passages in the analects appear as dialogues between Confucius and his _________?
a. Disciples b. Father c. Son d. Wife
8. The analects is a collection of moral and ethical principles enunciated by a Chinese thinker called
__________?
a. Confucianism b. Confucius c. Confucian d. Lun-yu
9. Which of the following is generally considered as the oldest literary work in the history of the
world?
a. The Rig Veda b. The Yajur Veda c. Mahabharata d. The Bible
10. Mahabharata deals with the contest between what two families?
a. Rama & Ravana b. Pandavas & Kauravas c. Krishna & Arjuna d. American &
Muslim
11.The Daodejing/ Tao Te Ching expresses the basic beliefs of Daoist philosophy by teaching the
a. Dao, or way, as the fundamental oneness of all things
b. De, as the energy of the Dao
c. Opposing energy of the yin and yang
d. All of the above
12. To yield is to be preserved whole.” What figure of speech is used in this line from the Tao Te
Cheng?
a. oxymoron b. paradox c. metonymy d. synecdoche
13. Below is an excerpt from The Panchatantra.
The Lion-Makers
 Scholarship is less that sense;/ Therefore seek intelligence:// Senseless scholars in their pride/
Made a lion; then they died.
What is the moral expressed in this verse?
a. Intelligence is more important than scholarship.
b. Too much studying can make one lose common sense.
c. One should remain humble on his/her achievements.
d. A person without scholarship is like a dead lion.

14. Below is an excerpt of a poem from the Tao Te Ching.

Water And does not compete with them.
The best of men is like water; It dwells in (the lowly) places that all disdain –
Water benefits all things Wherein it comes near to the Tao.
What basic tenet of Taoism does the verse reflect?
a. A person’s inner virtues can be fully realized only through concrete acts of ‘ritual propriety’ or
proper behavior toward other human beings.
b. Ultimate peace and enlightenment is attained through detachment from earthly desires and
material concerns.
c. In the natural state of the world, people strive for nothing but simply follow the natural course of
nature and all good is accomplished.
d. The goal of existence is the union of the human soul with the elements of nature.
15. Below is an excerpt from the Analects.
(II,4)
The Master said. “At fifteen I set my heart upon learning. At thirty, I had planted my feet firm upon
the ground. At forty, I no longer suffered from perplexities. At fifty, I knew what were the
biddings of heaven. At sixty, I head them with docile ear. At seventy I could follow the dictates
of my own heart, for what I desired no longer overstepped the boundaries of night.”
What truth about human experience does the maxim teach?
a. Wisdom and maturity increase with age.
b. Happiness is not sought; it is a blessing from doing good acts.
c. Desire for money and status keep a person from achieving peace.
d. To live a good life one must observe moderation in all things.
16.Below is a parable from the old philosophers
The Man Who Saw Only Gold by Lieh Tzu
There was a man of Chi who desired to have gold. He dressed up properly and went out to the
market in the early morning. He went straight to the gold dealer’s shop and snatched the gold
away and walked off. The officers arrested him and questioned him. “Why, the people were all
there, why did you rob them of gold in broad daylight?” And the man replied “I only saw the
gold. I didn’t see any people.”
What explanation does the man give for stealing the gold in broad daylight?
a. He was blind, he did not see the people around.
b. He took the risk because he wanted the gold badly.
c. The people were unmindful of his presence.
d. He was familiar with the place and was known to the people.
17. Below is an tanka
“I wanted and I” By Princess Nukada Mitsume
I waited and I Stirred at the touch
Yearned for you Of the autumn breeze
My blind
How does the persona feel?
a. Hungry b. lost c. sensitive d. longing
18.Below is a haiku from Basho
Old Pond:
 Frog jump –in
Water-sound
What contrasting images are presented in the haiku?
a. life and death c. poverty and richness
b. change and permanence d. power and weakness
19.Below is a Tanka
The End of My Journey (by Oshikochi)
The end of my journey Of the summer mountain
Was still far off I stood my mind floating
But in the tree – shade
What state of mind is suggested by the phrase “my mind floating” in the Tanka?
a. contemplation b. hangover c. jet lag d. peace of mind

20. Below is a haiku by Issa.

A morning glory vine
All blossoming has thatched
This hut of mine
What is the theme of the haiku?
a. Human beings are helpless over the wrath of nature
b. Nature transforms something plain into something beautiful
c. Human beings are held in awe at the beauty of nature
d. Nature mirrors human emotion and offers comfort
21. Which of the following best describes Panchantantra?
a. It is versified Buddhist scripture traditionally ascribed to Buddha himself.
b. It consists of legends of struggle for supremacy between two groups of cousins.
c. it is an interwoven series of colorful fables.
d. It is an epic depicting the duties of relationships and portraying of ideal characters.
22. The following are the themes mostly favored by the stories presented on Panchantantra except
a. outwitting of roguery c. unsentimental ability
b. practical intelligence d. virtue
23. Read the poem below and choose the best answer to the questions that follow.

VIII 1 whether at Naishapur or Babylon

2 whether the Cup with sweet or bitter run
3 The wine of life keeps oozing drop by drop
4 the leaves of life keep falling one by one From the “Rubaiyat”

The figure of speech used in the Lines 3 and 4 is _____.

a. personification b. metaphor c. simile d. apostrophe
24. Lines 3 and 4 suggest that life is _______________________.
a. Is short and temporary
b. Can be intoxicating
c. Can be sweet and beautiful
d. Is cruel and painful

Read the proverb and then choose the best answer to the questions that follows.
The King who tastes his kingdom like
Elixir, bit by bit,
Who does not overtax its life,
Will fully relish it. From Panchantantra
25. The proverb implies that a king who rules well is one who _________
a. Believes he is god enjoying his power.
b. Can make his country prosperous.
c. Does not exact high taxes
 d. Treasures his kingdom not his position
26. The figure of speech used in line 1-2 is
a. Personification b. metaphor c. Simile d. apostrophe
Read the poem and choose the best answer to the questions that follow
Poverty’s child –
He starts to grind the rice
And gazes at the moon (a haiku by Basho)
27. The haiku suggest the idea that________.
a. Nature offers the only consolation to a lonely life.
b. Life as symbolized by the rice is difficult for the child
c. Humans are lucky to see the moon on a clear night.
d. Poverty makes the child feel hopeless and pitiful.
Read the passages below and the choose the best answer to the questions that follows
It was in this apartment, also, that there stood against the western wall, a gigantic clock of ebony.
Its pendulum swung to and fro with a dull, heavy, monotonous clang ; and when the minute- hand made
the circuit of the face , and the hour was to be stricken, there came from the brazen lungs of the clock
a sound which was clear and loud and deep exceedingly musical , but of so peculiar a note and emphasis
that, at each lapse of an hour , the musicians of the orchestra were constrained to pause, momentarily ,
in their performance, to hearken the sound; and thus the waltzers perforce ceased their evolutions; and
there was a brief disconcert of the whole gay company ; and while the chimes of the aged and sedate
passed their hands over their brows as if in confused reverie or meditation.
From the” Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allan Poe

28. The dominant atmosphere in the passage quoted is evidently _______.

a. Terrifying and horrifying c. dramatic and suspenseful
b. sad and tranquil d. tense and exciting
29. The image that helps the most to create the atmosphere is ____________.
a. the musicians who stopped performing
b. the waltzers who paused from their dancing
c. the sound of the clock which chimed every hour
d. the older people who held their brows in confusion.
30. The expression ‘the brazen lungs of the clock’ shows the use of________ as a figure of speech.
a. simile b. personification c. metaphor d. metonymy
31. The passage appeals the most to the sense of ______ to create the dominant atmosphere.
a. Hearing b. sight c. smell d. touch
Read the excerpt below from a poem and then choose the letter of the best answer to the
questions that follows.
“…. Palm of my hand, soles of my feet
Are peroxide blond. Friction, caused –
Foolishly, madam-
By sitting down, has turned
My bottom ravens black – one moment, madam! – Sensing
Her receiver rearing on the thunderclap
About my ears – “Madam,” I pleaded, “wouldn’t you rather
See for yourself? From “Telephone Conversation” by Wole Soyinka
32. The tone of the persona is ___________
a. arrogant b. apologetic c. sarcastic d. envious
33. The Poem is a direct attack on the issue of __________.
a. gender b. race c. class d. all of the above
Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow.
‘Then answered him in turn the lord of men Agamemnon: “…. I care nothing about you [Achilles]. I
take no account of your anger. But here is my threat to you. Even as Phoebus Apollo is taking away
my Chrysies, I shall convey her back in my own ship, with my own followers; but I shall take the fair
cheeked Briseis, your prize, I myself going to your shelter, that you may learn well how greater I am
than you, and another man may shrink back from likening himself to me and contending against me.”
(from the “Iliad”)
34. Agamemnon shows that he is ______________________.
 a. Proud and arrogant
b. Impatient and intolerant
c. Inhuman and evil
d. Envious and insecure
35. Agamemnon announces that he is about to get Briseis, Achilles ‘prize’ in one of the battles with
the Trojans. He wants to tell Achilles that _____________________.
a. He [Agamemnon] likes Brisies more than Chryseis.
b. He [Agamemnon] has the every right to take what he likes.
c. He [Achilles] is not entitled to any prize from the battle he won.
d. He [Achilles] should get another woman as his prize.
36. The lines “Even as Phoibus Apollo is taking away my Chryseis, I shall convey her back in my own
ship” and “I shall take the fair cheeked Brisies” imply that Agamemnon________________.
a. Is blessed by Phoibus Apollo so the god will understand him.
b. Believes Phoibus Apollo is no match for him even if he is only human.
c. Is willing to defy Apollo to make Achilles bend to his authority.
d. Love Chryseis that much that he is ready to offend Phoebus Apollo.
Read the passage below from the Iliad and choose the best answer to the questions that follows
[Achilles, still very angry because Briseis is going to be taken from him, speaks to Agamemnon after
talking with the goddess Athena who told him not to fight with Agamemnon.]
1 “You wine sack, with a dog’s eyes, and with a deer’s heart. Never
2 once you have taken courage in your heart to arm with the people
3 for battle, go into ambuscade with the best of Achaeans [the Greeks]
4 No, for in such things you see death. Far better to your mind
5 it is, all along the widespread host of the Achaeans
6 to take away the gifts of any man who speaks up against you.
7 King who feeds on your people, since you rule nonentities,
8 otherwise, son of Atreus, this were your last outrage.
9 …. And this shall be a great oath before you:
10 someday longing for Achilleus will come to the sons of the Achaeans
11 all of them. Then stricken at heart though you be, you will be able
12 to do nothing, when in their numbers before man- slaughtering Hektor
13 they drop and die. And then you will eat out the heart within you
14 in sorrow, that you did no honor to the best of the Achaeans “
37. In lines 1-8 Achilles is saying that Agamemnon is _____
a. Such an ugly man inside and out
b. A drunkard, a greedy man, and a coward
c. No better than a dog and the deer
d. A worthless and an irresponsible person
38. In lines 10-14 Achilles, feeling angry, insulted and offended, predicts that without him _______.
a. The Trojans will be defeated by the Achaeans
b. Agamemnon will die in the hands of Hektor
c. All of the Achaeans will suffer a tragic defeat
d. Agamemnon will not gain fame as a hero
39. In lines 10-14 Achilles, feeling angry, insulted and offended, predicts that without him______.
a. The Trojans will be defeated by the the Achaians.
b. Agamemnon will die in the hands of Hector.
c. All of the Achaians will suffer a tragic defeat.
d. Agamemnon will not gain fame as a hero.
Read the passage below and choose the best answer to the questions that follow.
Teiresias: I say thou art the murderer of the 1 Oedipus: Think’st thou for aye unscathed to 9
man 2 wag thy tongue?
Whose murderer thou pursue.
Oedipus: Thou shalt rue it 3 Teiresias: Yea, if the might of truth can aught 10
4 prevail.
 Twice to repeat so gross a
calumny.
Teiresias: Must I say more to aggravate thy 5 Oedipus: With other men, but not with thee, 11
rage? for thou 12
In ear, wit, eye, in everything blind.
Oedipus: Say all thou wilt; it will be but 6 Teiresias: Poor fool to utter gibes at me which 13
waste of breath. all 14
Here present will cast back on thee
ere long.
Teiresias: I say thou livest with thy nearest 7 From “Oedipus Rex” by Sophocles
kin 8
In infamy, unwitting in thy shame.
40. Teiresias reveals in lines 1 & 2 that Oedipus is the man who murdered the former King of Thebes,
but Oedipus does not know this. Everybody in the play knows that Oedipus is the murderer
except himself. Sophocles, the dramatist, used ____________ to emphasize the sad fate of
Oedipus.
a. ephiphany b. peripeteia c. mimesis d. irony
41. Based on his lines, Oedipus shows his ________________ toward Teiresias.
a. arrogance b. respect c. pity d. hatred
42. From the excerpt, Oedipus clearly shows that he is suffering from _____________.
a. guilt b. intense jealousy c. overwhelming pride d. insecurity
43. What figure of speech are the following lines?
O Western wind, when wilt thou blow Christ, that my love were in my arms,
That the small rain down can rain? And I in my bed again!
(Anonymous, "O Western Wind")
a. litotes b. paradox c. anaphora d. apostrophe
44. What figure of speech are the following lines from E. A. Robinson’s "Richard Cory"?
And he was rich, yes, richer than a king, So on we worked and waited for the light,
And admirably schooled in every grace: And went without the meat and cursed the bread,
In fine--we thought that he was everything And Richard Cory, one calm summer night,
To make us wish that we were in his place. Went home and put a bullet in his head.
a. litotes b. chiasmus c. irony d. antithesis

45. What figure of speech is “We talked with each other about each other/ Though neither of us
spoke” by Emily Dickinson?
a. metonymy b. paradox c. personification d. synecdoche
46. From what perspective is the following story told?
“I could picture it. I have a rotten habit of picturing the bedroom scenes of my friends. We
went out to the Café Napolitain to have an aperitif and watch the evening crowd on the
boulevard.” From “The Sun Also Rises” by Ernest Hemingway
a. first person b. second person c. third person omniscient d. third person
limited
47. What figure of speech is “I had so much homework last night that I needed a pickup truck to
carry all my books home!”
a. synecdoche b. onomatopoeia c. pun d. hyperbole
48. What figure of speech is “The chug-a, chug-a, chug-a of the train echoed down the hill, while a
cloud of smoke rose up to the blue western sky.”
a. metaphor b. metonymy c. anaphora d. onomatopoeia
49. What figure of speech is it when you substitute the word “euthanasia” for “mercy killing" or
"killing the terminally ill"?
a. hyperbole b. assonance c. euphemism d. oxymoron
50. What figure of speech is exemplified below?
 “The wind stood up and gave a shout. He whistled on his two fingers.”
a. allusion b. metaphor c. onomatopoeia d. personification