Focus: The Emergence of American Fiction (1789–1830)
This quiz examines the rise of fiction in early American literature. It includes sentimental novels, early gothic tales, historical romances, and moral fables. Featured authors include Charles Brockden Brown, Susanna Rowson, Washington Irving, James Fenimore Cooper, and more.
1. Who is often considered the first American novelist?
A. Washington Irving
B. Susanna Rowson
C. Charles Brockden Brown ✔️
D. James Fenimore Cooper
2. What is Charles Brockden Brown’s most famous novel?
A. The Coquette
B. Wieland ✔️
C. The Pioneers
D. The Spy
3. Wieland belongs to which genre?
A. Satirical fiction
B. Allegory
C. Gothic novel ✔️
D. Slave narrative
4. What theme dominates Wieland?
A. Romantic passion
B. Religious fanaticism ✔️
C. Natural beauty
D. American exceptionalism
5. Susanna Rowson wrote which sentimental novel?
A. Charlotte Temple ✔️
B. Hope Leslie
C. Clotel
D. Arthur Mervyn
6. The genre of Charlotte Temple is best described as:
A. Domestic tragedy ✔️
B. Romantic satire
C. Allegorical fiction
D. Political parable
7. What is the central theme of Charlotte Temple?
A. War
B. Colonial expansion
C. Seduction and betrayal ✔️
D. Freedom of speech
8. Washington Irving is best known for:
A. Gothic poetry
B. Travel memoirs
C. Sketches and short stories ✔️
D. Religious pamphlets
9. Which short story features Ichabod Crane?
A. Rip Van Winkle
B. The Spy
C. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow ✔️
D. The Last of the Mohicans
10. What literary device is used frequently by Irving?
A. Satire ✔️
B. Tragic irony
C. Allegory
D. Stream of consciousness
11. Which of Irving’s stories involves a man sleeping through historical change?
A. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
B. Rip Van Winkle ✔️
C. The Coquette
D. Wieland
12. What theme is central to Rip Van Winkle?
A. Seduction
B. Patriotism
C. Transformation over time ✔️
D. Gothic horror
13. James Fenimore Cooper is best known for:
A. Gothic fiction
B. Travel writing
C. The Leatherstocking Tales ✔️
D. Essays on Puritanism
14. The hero of The Last of the Mohicans is:
A. Hawkeye ✔️
B. Brom Bones
C. Arthur Mervyn
D. Carwin
15. Cooper’s novels often focus on:
A. Urban development
B. Native American life and frontier conflict ✔️
C. Puritan theology
D. Political satire
16. Which genre did Cooper popularize in American literature?
A. Science fiction
B. Historical romance ✔️
C. Domestic realism
D. Philosophical dialogue
17. Which novel depicts a mysterious voice causing psychological terror?
A. The Pioneers
B. The Coquette
C. Wieland ✔️
D. Clotel
18. Arthur Mervyn deals with what historical event?
A. Revolutionary War
B. Yellow fever epidemic ✔️
C. Civil War
D. The French Revolution
19. Charles Brockden Brown’s style is best described as:
A. Sentimental
B. Satirical
C. Psychological and gothic ✔️
D. Realist
20. What is a defining trait of sentimental novels?
A. Emotional suffering and moral lessons ✔️
B. Political realism
C. Abstract philosophy
D. Mythic structure
21. Which writer combined history with imaginative fiction?
A. Cotton Mather
B. Washington Irving ✔️
C. Roger Williams
D. Jonathan Edwards
22. Susanna Rowson’s Charlotte Temple was:
A. A political satire
B. America’s first bestseller ✔️
C. A religious epic
D. An adventure novel
23. Cooper’s novels often highlight tension between:
A. Europe and Africa
B. Rationalism and faith
C. Civilization and the wilderness ✔️
D. Women and patriarchy
24. The Pioneers is set in:
A. Revolutionary Boston
B. Gothic England
C. The American frontier ✔️
D. Spanish colonies
25. Who introduced the American short story to the world?
A. Cooper
B. Brown
C. Irving ✔️
D. Jefferson
26. Irving’s alter ego “Geoffrey Crayon” is used in:
A. The Sketch Book ✔️
B. Wieland
C. Charlotte Temple
D. The Spy
27. Cooper’s novels explore the decline of:
A. Religious authority
B. Native American tribes ✔️
C. Gothic belief
D. European nobility
28. Brown’s fiction often explores:
A. Sensory perception and psychology ✔️
B. Governmental laws
C. Colonial loyalty
D. Poetic language
29. Irving was influenced by:
A. French romanticism
B. German folklore ✔️
C. Spanish drama
D. Greek tragedy
30. Who is considered the first American literary humorist?
A. Cooper
B. Brown
C. Irving ✔️
D. Paine
31. Which author was the first to gain fame abroad?
A. James Fenimore Cooper ✔️
B. William Cullen Bryant
C. John Winthrop
D. Thomas Hooker
32. Cooper’s The Spy is set during:
A. The Civil War
B. The Revolutionary War ✔️
C. The War of 1812
D. The French and Indian War
33. Susanna Rowson used fiction to:
A. Explore satire
B. Promote national policy
C. Teach moral reform ✔️
D. Attack science
34. Which female author shaped sentimental fiction?
A. Phillis Wheatley
B. Susanna Rowson ✔️
C. Anne Hutchinson
D. Mercy Otis Warren
35. Brown’s novels often critique:
A. Feminism
B. Rationalist overconfidence ✔️
C. Political loyalty
D. Christian values
36. Brown’s recurring character, Carwin, represents:
A. Native tradition
B. Federal ideals
C. Untrustworthy knowledge ✔️
D. Heroic action
37. Washington Irving blended American subjects with:
A. Gothic excess
B. Classical mythology
C. European literary form ✔️
D. Realist criticism
38. The Sketch Book was first published in:
A. America only
B. England only
C. Both America and England ✔️
D. France
39. Cooper’s The Prairie explores themes of:
A. Nationalism
B. Urban satire
C. Frontier decay ✔️
D. Romantic idealism
40. Early American fiction was criticized for:
A. Using foreign influences ✔️
B. Ignoring religion
C. Overuse of satire
D. Disregard of structure
41. The Coquette is another early American sentimental novel written by:
A. Hannah Webster Foster ✔️
B. Susanna Rowson
C. Mercy Otis Warren
D. Anne Bradstreet
42. In sentimental fiction, female characters often:
A. Seek revenge
B. Pursue independence
C. Suffer moral fall and regret ✔️
D. Lead rebellions
43. Early fiction authors addressed:
A. Slavery
B. Scientific exploration
C. Gender and virtue ✔️
D. Global trade
44. What best defines Washington Irving’s tone?
A. Solemn
B. Pedantic
C. Whimsical and nostalgic ✔️
D. Harsh and direct
45. The Leatherstocking Tales trace:
A. Religious awakening
B. Urban growth
C. American frontier life ✔️
D. Economic crisis
46. Irving’s Sleepy Hollow shows tension between:
A. Romantic love and duty
B. Superstition and modernity ✔️
C. North and South
D. Men and women
47. Cooper’s works often romanticize:
A. Political struggle
B. Native American nobility ✔️
C. Urban culture
D. Religious orthodoxy
48. Brockden Brown was influenced by:
A. Enlightenment rationalism
B. British gothic novels ✔️
C. Romantic transcendentalism
D. Scientific revolution
49. Brown’s novels often blur:
A. Gender roles
B. Fact and fiction ✔️
C. Poetry and drama
D. Nation and empire
50. The emerging American fiction defined itself through:
A. Religious allegory
B. Classical imitation
C. American identity and conflict ✔️
D. Abstract philosophy
Quiz Test-5 The History of American Literature: https://americanlit.englishlitnotes.com/american-revolutionary-literature-quiz-5/
Grammar Puzzle Solved by Naeem Sir: http://grammarpuzzlesolved.englishlitnotes.com