Bicol University

College of Education
Daraga, Albay

LET Reviewer in Literary Criticism

Part I
Directions: Read and analyze the following items about the different literary approaches. Then, be able to identify the best
answer by choosing the letter that corresponds to it.

1. Literary Criticism is a systematic way of understanding the meaning and value of any literary creation. It involves
certain processes as enumerated below except
a. Describing c. Quantifying
b. Analyzing d. Explaining
2. Literary Criticism has also certain purposes that justify its practice. Which among the following is not one of them?
a. Resolve difficulty in reading c. Present one's opinion of a work
b. Choose between two conflicting d. Develop judgment about literature
readings
3. This refers to the "interchangeable lenses" that a critic can use to take the "perfect shot" of a piece under analysis.
a. Literary theories d. Criticism
b. Theory c. Intertextuality
4. As critics analyze different literary pieces, they often resort to "comparisons" between or among various works in order
to prove or deepen their thesis about their respective merits. Such is under what is known as
a. Comparison and contrast c. Synthesis
b. Intertextuality d. Simplification
5. For literary critics to be successful in probing their thesis about a particular literary work, he or she must first have a
"framework" which will serve as the basis of his/her analysis. This is known as
a. Literary approach c. Theory
b. Criticism d. Description
6. This is what formalism as a whole, aims to find in a text
a. Meaning c. Organic Unity
b. Form and essence d. Resemblance
7. He is the one of the famous proponents behind Psychoanalytic Criticism
a. Ferdinand de Saussure c. Carl Jung
b. Karl Marx d. Sigmund Freud
8. The one who pioneered the "three-pronged" approach in analyzing literature
a. Karl Marx c. Hippolyte Taine
b. Virginia Woolf d. Carl Jung
9. Reader's Response Theory deals with
a. How the reader responds to a text c. How a reader buys a text
b. How a reader deconstructs a text d. How a reader encounters and interprets a text
10. Among the following, which is NOT a component of Reader’s Response Criticism?
a. Text c. Symbols
b. Reader d. Meaning
11. Sometimes, apart from the author, a critic using Historical-Biographical approach must also analyze
_________________ to fully understand a work.
a. The symbols used c. The life and times of characters
b. The context of events d. The life and times of other authors
12. Who among these philosophers argued that literature must exhibit "moralism and utilitarianism?"
a. Aristotle c. Socrates
b. Aristophanes d. Plato
13. On the other hand, who was the philosopher who insisted that literature instead must be crafted with "artistic"
qualities?
a. Aristotle c. Rene Descartes
b. Thomas Aquinas d. Horace
14. Who among the following is associated with the New Criticism?
a. Hippolyte Taine c. Karl Marx
b. John Crowe Ransom d. Carl Jung
15. The primary focus of Formalism is
a. The reader himself c. The text itself
b. The author himself d. The context itself
16. Which among the following is NOT one of the rules in applying Reader’s Response Theory?
a. Do not add c. Do not compare
b. Do not alter d. Do not ignore
17. As far as Psychoanalysis is concerned, the main source of human’s desire is
a. the super ego c. the ego
b. the id d. opposite sex
18. Structuralists aim to uncover the system governing the meaning of a work which is known as
a. the parole c. the units
b. the langue d. the rules
19. For Psychoanalytic critics, dreams are powerful catalysts of great ideas. Among the following, this is illustrated by
a. John Milton c. Robert Browning
b. Nathaniel Hawthorne d. Edgar Allan Poe
20. Which among the following is a common concern between structuralism and deconstruction?
a. binary oppositions c. images and symbols
b. connotations and denotations d. paradoxes
21. Marxist critics concern themselves with the following contexts of a work except
a. economic c. artistic
b. political d. cultural
22. Formalism and Structuralism are literary theories that both lead to
a. a subjective textual interpretation c. an artistic textual interpretation
b. a scientific textual interpretation d. an intertextual interpretation
23. The most common basis of interpretation in using Reader’s Response is
a. one’s education c. one’s beliefs
b. one’s connections with others d. one’s experiences
24. For Formalist a critic, an author’s intention is irrelevant in unlocking a work’s meaning. This is called
a. Affective fallacy c. Circumstantial Fallacy
b. Reasoning fallacy d. Intentional Fallacy
25. On the other hand, judging a work’s meaning solely on what it makes a reader feel, in Formalism, is known as
a. Affective fallacy c. Circumstantial Fallacy
b. Reasoning fallacy d. Intentional Fallacy
26. New Criticism was a term coined by
a. T.S. Eliot c. Carl Jung
b. Michael Foucault d. John Crowe Ransom
27. According to Carl Jung, certain things can evoke a similar response among people of different races. This similar
response is one of those which he calls as
a. Archetypes c. Collective Schema
b. Unitypes d. Collective Thoughts
28. Which of the following approaches has the advantage of being used without “extensive research?”
a. historical-biographical approach c. deconstruction
b. structuralism d. formalism
29. New Historicism was first introduced in a particular journal volume written by Stephen Greenblatt known as
a. Chronicle c. Messiah
b. Genre d. Olympus
30. She is the gender theorist who coined the term “queer.”
a. Virginia Woolf c. Teresa de Lauretis
b. Simone de Beauvoir d. Teresa de Loretti
31. It can also be inferred that the powerlessness that Aunt Jennifer depicted in the poem in the hands of “uncle”
is also true to the women during the author’s time. This statement comes from a
a. Marxist critic c. Feminist critic
b. Reader's Response critic d. Historical-Biographical critic
32. Despite the "good nature" of Mr. Wright which is illustrated by his ability to keep his word, pay his debts, and
stay away from his vices, this is however undermined by the way he treats his wife. Hence, the irony in his
character is seen between
a. Family and Nature c. Family and Friends
b. Family and Neighbors d. Family and Society
33. The fact that Young Goodman Brown “changed” from being a faithful and loving husband to a skeptic,
gruesome, and lonesome being betrays everything he once stood for. Adopting a formalist standpoint, this shows
that he is a
a. Dynamic character c. Static character
b. Flat character d. Round character
34. "I think the duchess in the poem didn't attend school since she failed to appreciate the value of the Duke's 900-
year-old name and the immense wealth that comes along with it. I can say that, being clueless myself in this world
for so many years, until I began flipping pages as a student." This reader's response analysis is based on the critic's
a. Age c. Perception
b. Experience d. Culture
35. "Because culture has already predetermined the expected behavior of a woman during that time, Mrs. Hale,
Mrs. Peters, and Mrs. Wright can be viewed as victims of culturally constructed realities that are not as true as
what most people before believe to be." This critic's statement focuses on the women's
a. Attitude c. Flaccidity
b. Identity d. Responsibility
36. "It is very clear that the story entitled "Zita" is the author's way of painting a caricature of love’s harsh facet –
that of unrequited. The tragic love story between Mr. Reteche and Zita is a classical proof to this." This analysis is
most likely made by a
a. Feminist critic c. Marxist critic
b. Formalist critic d. Reader's Response critic
37. "The way the sheriff and the court attorney laughed and dismissed what they heard from the two women in the
story about "to quilt or to knot" depicts men’s arrogant cluelessness which is similar to men these days exhibiting
that same behavior like my father to my own mother." This assertion is best associated with a
a. Formalist critic c. Reader's Response critic
b. Historical-Biographical critic d. Feminist critic
38. "The table which displays both a clean and dirty opposite end, signifies that Mr. and Mrs. Wright's marriage
has already been marred right before the crime happened." An argument like this will certainly come from a
a. Marxist critic c. Feminist critic
b. Formalist critic d. Reader's Response critic
39. "We can also look at the same table which has both dirty and clean ends as a reflection of the married couple's
individual hygienic differences. This I say because it is generally natural for men to be a little untidy and for
women to be so finicky especially inside the house as what I have observed among the couples in our place." This
is definitely coming from a
a. Formalist critic c. Reader's Response critic
b. Historical-Biographical critic d. Feminist critic
40. "My Last Duchess, in terms of the way it was written, can be viewed as a picture of Browning's changing
epoch which is marked by the eclectic combination of romantic and modern poetic writing conventions that he
himself has adopted (as seen in the poem). This can also be seen as one of his experimental attempts to introduce
a new wave of writing style in line with such change." This is a critical analysis made by a
a. Formalist critic c. Reader's Response critic
b. Historical-Biographical critic d. Feminist critic

Part II
Directions: Read and analyze the following statements describing the analysis of the different stories. Then, identify the
literary approach used in each of them by choosing the letter of your choice below.
A. Historical-Biographical Approach E. Marxism
B. Formalism F. Psychoanalytic Approach
C. Reader’s Response G. Feminism
D. Structuralism H. New Historicism

41. …another notable aspect of this love story, “Zita,” is the way “education” was discreetly emphasized as a potent social force that has a profound
influence among the lives of people in the island where Zita lives. This is manifested in the way her father would go as far as “paying” Mr. Reteche
as a tutor, to teach her the manners of a woman in the society.

42. In the story entitled, “The Life of Cardo,” the readers are introduced to the image of a “twisted” balete tree that resembles the body of Cardo. At
the same time, it also stands as a symbol representing the the prejudiced way of thinking that prevails among those townspeople who would judge
Cardo as a devil and hurt him out such superficial accusation.

43. The Life of Cardo also indirectly illustrates how narrow-minded and judgmental Filipino people were based on how he was maltreated just
because of his physical deformity.

44. Paz Marquez-Benitez’s well-renowned story, “Dead Stars,” portrays how privileged men were as Alfredo deliberately enjoyed himself in the
company of Julia despite being engaged with Esperanza; something that women are certainly going to be despised for should they do the same thing.

45. We can also look into it through Esperanza as a recount of past Filipino women’s admirable nature, virtue, and attitude that many have lost today.
Hence, this story is also a “revisit to the golden days of Maria Claras.”

46. Manuel Arguilla’s “Rice” vividly portrays how good and evil collide in times of adversity with the former represented by Pablo and the latter by
Andres.
47. Present in the same story likewise was the desperate struggle of the farmers against their landlords who are obviously imposing their power over
them when the Seniora changed the tersiohan system to takipan.

48. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s guilt for what one of his ancestors did to some innocent civilians during the Salem Witch Trials could be responsible to
the utterly gloomy and pessimistic portrayal of the puritans in the story, “Young Goodman Brown.”

49. Brown’s wife’s “floating pink ribbon” in the story symbolizes the loss of his “faith” upon attending and witnessing the same “ritual” he and other
“believers” and “followers” of that faith despise.

50. We can also infer from the story “Dead Stars” that men have the insatiable physical desire and that they have the tendency to irrationally
“indulge” themselves into it as illustrated by Alfredo’s growing affection and subsequent escapades with Julia. This only affirms the notion that men
are polygamous by nature.