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UGC NET English Literature

SHORT STORY MASTER TEST – 75 MCQs

Based on 20 Years of Exam Patterns • 2 Marks Each • Total: 150 Marks

Instructions: Choose the most appropriate answer for each question.

1. Which short story by Edgar Allan Poe ends with the line “In pace requiescat!” after a man is walled up alive? A) The Tell-Tale Heart B) The Cask of Amontillado C) The Pit and the Pendulum D) The Black Cat

2. In James Joyce’s “The Dead,” the song that triggers Gretta Conroy’s memory of her lost love is: A) “The Lass of Aughrim” B) “The Croppy Boy” C) “She Moved Through the Fair” D) “Danny Boy”

3. Akaky Akakievich, the protagonist of Nikolai Gogol’s “The Overcoat,” works as a: A) Court clerk B) Copyist C) Schoolteacher D) Government minister

4. What is the name of the young girl in Saki’s “The Open Window” who fabricates a tale about the lost hunters? A) Vera B) Mabel C) Sappleton D) Agnes

5. In D.H. Lawrence’s “The Rocking-Horse Winner,” the phrase the house seems to whisper is: A) “There must be more money” B) “Luck is everything” C) “The horse knows” D) “Win or lose”

6. Jhumpa Lahiri’s “A Temporary Matter” revolves around a couple revealing secrets during: A) A snowstorm B) A scheduled power outage C) A weekend getaway D) A dinner party

7. Which of the following is NOT a short story collection by Anton Chekhov? A) The Lady with the Dog and Other Stories B) The Darling and Other Stories C) The Death of Ivan Ilyich and Other Stories D) Ward No. 6 and Other Stories

8. The epiphany in James Joyce’s “Araby” occurs when the boy: A) Talks to Mangan’s sister B) Arrives at the bazaar as it closes C) Receives a gift from his uncle D) Leaves Dublin

9. In which of Flannery O’Connor’s stories does the character The Misfit appear? A) “Good Country People” B) “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” C) “Everything That Rises Must Converge” D) “The Life You Save May Be Your Own”

10. Who wrote the short story “The Management of Grief,” based on the Air India Flight 182 bombing? A) Anita Desai B) Bharati Mukherjee C) Jhumpa Lahiri D) Shashi Deshpande

11. The object that Mathilde Loisel loses in Guy de Maupassant’s “The Necklace” is: A) A pearl necklace B) A diamond necklace C) A gold bracelet D) A ruby brooch

12. Which Ernest Hemingway story features an aging writer dying of gangrene on an African safari? A) “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber” B) “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” C) “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place” D) “The Killers”

13. In Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery,” the black box is used for: A) Voting B) The annual stoning ritual C) Drawing lots for a prize D) A marriage ceremony

14. The protagonist of Herman Melville’s “Bartleby, the Scrivener” repeatedly says: A) “I have a headache.” B) “I would prefer not to.” C) “Call me Ishmael.” D) “This is not my job.”

15. The short story “The Yellow Wallpaper” is written in the form of: A) An epistolary narrative B) A diary C) A dramatic monologue D) A third-person limited narration

16. Who wrote “The Happy Prince,” a story about a statue and a swallow that help the poor? A) Hans Christian Andersen B) Oscar Wilde C) Charles Dickens D) George MacDonald

17. Which of the following short stories is set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County? A) “A Rose for Emily” B) “The Fall of the House of Usher” C) “The Yellow Wallpaper” D) “The Lottery”

18. In “The Lady with the Dog,” the protagonist Gurov meets Anna Sergeyevna in which seaside town? A) Sochi B) Yalta C) Odessa D) Sevastopol

19. The short story “Toba Tek Singh” is set in: A) A hospital B) A prison C) A lunatic asylum D) A refugee camp

20. Who wrote “The Paper Menagerie,” the first story to win the Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy Award? A) Ted Chiang B) Ken Liu C) Liu Cixin D) Charles Yu

21. The title of Katherine Mansfield’s “The Fly” refers to: A) A pet fly kept by the boss’s son B) A fly that the boss tortures and kills C) A symbolic insect in a dream D) The name of a pub

22. In “The Gift of the Magi,” Della sells her hair to buy: A) A watch B) A chain for Jim’s watch C) Combs for her hair D) A ring

23. Who is the author of the short story “The Lost Child,” about a boy who gets separated from his parents at a fair? A) R.K. Narayan B) Mulk Raj Anand C) Raja Rao D) Khushwant Singh

24. The short story “The Chrysanthemums” by John Steinbeck centres on the character: A) Ma Joad B) Elisa Allen C) Curley’s wife D) Mary Teller

25. In “The Lottery,” which character draws the marked slip and is consequently stoned? A) Mr. Summers B) Old Man Warner C) Tessie Hutchinson D) Bill Hutchinson

26. Which collection by Jhumpa Lahiri includes “When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine” and “The Third and Final Continent”? A) Unaccustomed Earth B) Interpreter of Maladies C) The Namesake D) The Lowland

27. “The Signal-Man,” a ghost story about a railway worker, was written by: A) Wilkie Collins B) Charles Dickens C) M.R. James D) Sheridan Le Fanu

28. The protagonist of “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates is: A) Laura B) Connie C) Emily D) June

29. Which of the following is a short story by Leo Tolstoy about a greedy landowner who makes a fatal deal with the Bashkirs? A) “The Death of Ivan Ilyich” B) “How Much Land Does a Man Need?” C) “Master and Man” D) “The Kreutzer Sonata”

30. The short story “The Wall” by Jean-Paul Sartre is set during: A) The French Revolution B) The Spanish Civil War C) World War I D) The Algerian War

31. Who wrote “The Star,” a science fiction story about a supernova that destroys an advanced civilization? A) Isaac Asimov B) Arthur C. Clarke C) Ray Bradbury D) Robert A. Heinlein

32. In Rohinton Mistry’s “Swimming Lessons,” the narrator lives in: A) Toronto B) London C) Bombay D) New York

33. “The Lumber Room” by Saki features a clever boy named: A) Bertie B) Nicholas C) Framton D) Cyril

34. Which Russian short story features a man whose nose detaches from his face and leads an independent life? A) “The Overcoat” B) “The Nose” C) “Diary of a Madman” D) “The Queen of Spades”

35. “The Blue Hotel” by Stephen Crane ends with: A) A wedding B) A duel C) A murder in a saloon D) A train crash

36. The short story “The Catbird Seat” by James Thurber centres on the mild-mannered office worker: A) Walter Mitty B) Mr. Martin C) George Babbitt D) J. Alfred Prufrock

37. Who wrote the short story “The Country of the Blind,” about a mountaineer who discovers a valley where everyone is blind? A) H.G. Wells B) Jules Verne C) Aldous Huxley D) E.M. Forster

38. In “A Rose for Emily,” what does the townspeople find in the room after Emily Grierson’s death? A) A wedding dress B) A decomposing body and a strand of grey hair C) A treasure chest D) A portrait of her father

39. The short story “The Bet” by Anton Chekhov involves a wager between: A) A doctor and a patient B) A banker and a lawyer C) A priest and a soldier D) A teacher and a student

40. The protagonist of “The Door in the Wall” by H.G. Wells is haunted by the memory of: A) A locked attic B) An enchanted garden C) A secret library D) A forgotten childhood friend

41. “Lihaaf” (“The Quilt”) by Ismat Chughtai was prosecuted for: A) Sedition B) Obscenity C) Blasphemy D) Slander

42. In “Hills Like White Elephants,” the couple’s conversation revolves around: A) A lost child B) An impending abortion C) A broken marriage D) A hunting trip

43. The short story “The Secret Sharer” by Joseph Conrad is told from the perspective of: A) A young captain B) A first mate C) A stowaway D) A lighthouse keeper

44. In James Joyce’s “Eveline,” the title character is prevented from leaving Dublin because: A) Her father locks her in her room B) She is paralysed by indecision at the quayside C) Her lover abandons her D) The ship sinks

45. “The Darling” by Anton Chekhov follows Olenka, a woman who: A) Adopts the opinions of the men in her life B) Fights for women’s education C) Betrays her husband D) Abandons her children

46. The short story “The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse” is from the collection: A) My Name Is Aram B) The Human Comedy C) The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze D) In Our Time

47. Who wrote “The Killers,” in which two hitmen arrive at a diner to murder Ole Andreson? A) F. Scott Fitzgerald B) John Steinbeck C) Ernest Hemingway D) Raymond Chandler

48. The short story “The Nightingale and the Rose” by Oscar Wilde criticises: A) Industrialisation B) Superficial love and intellectualism C) War and violence D) Religious hypocrisy

49. Which Franz Kafka short story features a character who wakes up transformed into a giant insect? A) “The Judgment” B) “The Metamorphosis” C) “In the Penal Colony” D) “A Hunger Artist”

50. In Katherine Mansfield’s “The Garden Party,” the Sheridan family’s celebration contrasts with the death of: A) A young woman B) A carter who lived nearby C) A child D) An old gardener

51. The short story “The Diamond as Big as the Ritz” by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a satire on: A) The American Dream and wealth B) British colonialism C) Religious fundamentalism D) The Jazz Age music scene

52. “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” by Ursula K. Le Guin is best described as a: A) Space opera B) Utopian allegory C) Gothic horror D) Detective fiction

53. In Mulk Raj Anand’s “The Lost Child,” the child ultimately wants: A) A toy B) A sweet C) His parents D) A ride on the merry-go-round

54. The short story “Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin is primarily about: A) A father-son conflict B) Two brothers and the power of music C) A prison escape D) A romance in Harlem

55. Who wrote “The Swimmer,” in which Neddy Merrill decides to swim home through his neighbours’ pools? A) John Updike B) John Cheever C) Raymond Carver D) Richard Ford

56. In “The Pit and the Pendulum,” the narrator is a prisoner of the: A) French Revolution B) Spanish Inquisition C) Salem Witch Trials D) Roman Colosseum

57. “The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W. Jacobs is an example of: A) A detective story B) A supernatural horror story C) A comic farce D) A dystopian sci-fi

58. Which of the following short stories by Rabindranath Tagore features a young bride who writes letters to her husband? A) “The Postmaster” B) “Kabuliwala” C) “The Wife’s Letter” D) “The Hungry Stones”

59. The short story “The Tell-Tale Heart” is narrated by: A) An omniscient observer B) The old man C) The murderer himself D) A detective

60. In Flannery O’Connor’s “Good Country People,” the Bible salesman Manley Pointer steals: A) Hulga’s wooden leg B) Mrs. Hopewell’s savings C) A valuable painting D) A family heirloom

61. The short story “The Most Dangerous Game” takes place on: A) An African safari B) A Caribbean island C) A ship in the Pacific D) A castle in the Alps

62. Which short story by Gabriel García Márquez describes a winged old man found in a courtyard after a storm? A) “The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World” B) “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” C) “Chronicle of a Death Foretold” D) “Love in the Time of Cholera”

63. The narrator of “Araby” lives on which street in Dublin? A) Eccles Street B) North Richmond Street C) Grafton Street D) Usher’s Island

64. In “The Lagoon” by Joseph Conrad, the dying woman is named: A) Nina B) Diamelen C) Aissa D) Jewel

65. “The Cop and the Anthem” by O. Henry features a vagrant named: A) Bob Cratchit B) Soapy C) Dodger D) Rip Van Winkle

66. Which American writer created the detective C. Auguste Dupin in short stories such as “The Murders in the Rue Morgue”? A) Arthur Conan Doyle B) Edgar Allan Poe C) Raymond Chandler D) Dashiell Hammett

67. “The Iceberg Theory” of narrative is most associated with: A) James Joyce B) Ernest Hemingway C) Virginia Woolf D) Henry James

68. The short story “Kabuliwala” ends with the protagonist: A) Returning to Afghanistan B) Being reunited with his own daughter through a meeting with Mini C) Dying in prison D) Opening a shop in Calcutta

69. In “The Story of an Hour,” Louise Mallard’s cause of death according to the doctors is: A) Heart disease – of the joy that kills B) A sudden stroke C) Poison D) A broken neck

70. The collection Winesburg, Ohio, a cycle of interconnected short stories about a small town, was written by: A) Sinclair Lewis B) Sherwood Anderson C) F. Scott Fitzgerald D) John Dos Passos

71. The short story “The Garden of Forking Paths” by Jorge Luis Borges explores themes of: A) Time and infinite possibilities B) Colonial conquest C) Religious epiphany D) Romantic betrayal

72. In Anton Chekhov’s “The Lady with the Dog,” what ultimately prevents Gurov and Anna from being together openly? A) Their different social classes B) Their respective marriages C) Gurov’s job D) Anna’s illness

73. Who wrote the short story “The Fly” in which a boss torments a fly after recalling his son’s death in war? A) James Joyce B) Virginia Woolf C) Katherine Mansfield D) D.H. Lawrence

74. The short story “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place” by Ernest Hemingway takes place in a: A) Train station B) Café C) Hospital room D) Barracks

75. Which Indian English short story collection includes “The Lost Child,” “The Barber’s Trade Union,” and “The Price of Bananas”? A) Malgudi Days B) The Lost Child and Other Stories C) The Mark of Vishnu and Other Stories D) Games at Twilight and Other Stories

ANSWER KEY

1. B 2. A 3. B 4. A 5. A 6. B 7. C 8. B 9. B 10. B 11. B 12. B 13. B 14. B 15. B 16. B 17. A 18. B 19. C 20. B 21. B 22. B 23. B 24. B 25. C 26. B 27. B 28. B 29. B 30. B 31. B 32. A 33. B 34. B 35. C 36. B 37. A 38. B 39. B 40. B 41. B 42. B 43. A 44. B 45. A 46. A 47. C 48. B 49. B 50. B 51. A 52. B 53. C 54. B 55. B 56. B 57. B 58. C 59. C 60. A 61. B 62. B 63. B 64. B 65. B 66. B 67. B 68. B 69. A 70. B 71. A 72. B 73. C 74. B 75. B