This critical approach assumes that language does not refer to any external reality. It can assert several, contradictory interpretations of one text ?

Related Mcqs:

1. One purpose of LITERARY CRITICISM is described below: A formalist approach might enable us to choose between a reading which sees the dissolution of society in Lord of the Flies as being caused by too strict a suppression of the “bestial” side of man and one which sees it as resulting from too little suppression. We can look to the text and ask: What textual evidence is there for the suppression or indulgence of the “bestial” side of man? Does Ralph suppress Jack when he tries to indulge his bestial side in hunting? Does it appear from the text that an imposition of stricter law and order would have prevented the breakdown? Did it work in the “grownup” world of the novel? What purpose does this prescribe to ?

   A. To help resolve a question, problem, or difficulty in the reading.
   B. To help decide which is the better of two conflicting readings.
   C. To enable to form judgments about literature.
   D. All of the above answers are correct.

2. What approach is described by the paragraph? This approach takes as a fundamental tenet that “literature” exists not as an artifact upon a printed page but as a transaction between the physical text and the mind of a reader ?

   A. Historical/Biographical Approach
   B. Reader Response Approach
   C. Formalism
   D. Mimetic Approach

3. A critic examining John Milton’s “Paradise Lost” focuses on the physical description of the Garden of Eden, on the symbols of hands, seed, and flower, and on the characters of Adam, Eve, Satan, and God. He pays special attention to the epic similes and metaphors and the point of view from which the tale is being told. He looks for meaning in the text itself, and does not refer to any biography of Milton. He is most likely a critic ?

   A. Reader Response
   B. Feminist
   C. Mimetic
   D. Formalist

4. Despite Samson’s defeat and shame, Samson predicts that God will “arise and his great name assert” by making Dagon receive “Such a discomfit, as shall quite despoil him / Of all these boasted Trophies won on me / And with confusion blank his Worshippers” (467–71). This prediction is interesting because ?

   A. the prediction is never fulfilled.
   B. the prophet Enoch had made the same prediction centuries earlier.
   C. Samson doesn’t know he himself will fulfill the prediction.
   D. the prediction is finally fulfilled much later when Jesus defeats Dagon

5. This approach provides a universalistic approach to literature and identifies a reason why certain literature may survive the test of time. It works well with works that are highly symbolic.What approach has this advantage ?

   A. Mimetic
   B. Psychological
   C. Historical/Biographical
   D. Mythological/Archetypal

6. A critic argues that in John Milton’s “Samson Agonistes,” the shearing of Samson’s locks is symbolic of his castration at the hands of Delilah. What kind of critical approach is this critic using ?

   A. Mimetic approach
   B. Formalist approach
   C. Historical approach
   D. Psychological approach

7. They believe that this approach tends to reduce art to the level of biography and make it relative (to the times) rather than universal. What approach possess this disadvantage ?

   A. Moral/Philosophical
   B. Formalism/New Criticism
   C. Historical/Biographical
   D. Psychological

8. What approach is described by the paragraph? Those who apply this approach believe it is necessary to know about the author and the political, economical, and sociological context of his times in order to truly understand his works ?

   A. Historical/Biographical Approach
   B. Moral/ Philosophical Approach
   C. Formalism
   D. Psychological Approach

9. What approach is described by the paragraph? Users of this approach believe that all information essential to the interpretation of a work must be found within the work itself; there is no need to bring in outside information about the history, politics, or society of the time, or about the author’s life ?

   A. Historical/Biographical Approach
   B. Moral/ Philosophical Approach
   C. Formalism
   D. Psychological Approach

10. Detractors argue that such an approach can be too “judgmental.” Some believe literature should be judged primarily (if not solely) on its artistic merits. What approach possess this disadvantage ?

    A. Psychological
    B. Formalism/New Criticism
    C. Moral/Philosophical
    D. Historical/Biographical