Part One History of Novel 

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 Part Two History of Novel 

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A novel is a relatively long narrative fiction which describes intimate human experiences normally in a prose form. The present English word 'novel' is derived from the Italian ‘novella', meaning 'new'. A novel narrates a story embellishing it with more details of time, place, nature, people and their minds, their gestures and activities. It creates a picture of the society of that time. The novel makes life easier to understand than drama and poetry. In the modern era,  novels have as adopted literary prose. 

The novel as a literary genre has a history of about two thousand years. There are six elements essential to "Novel' or "Novella'. All these factors may be related to one another in the work of an author. 

4.1 History of Novel: MCQ with answers

1. The eighteenth century introduced two new forms to English literature: the periodical essay and the _______.  

→ novel  

2. The word ‘novel’ is derived from the Italian word _______.  

→ novella  

3. Novels primarily describe _______ human experiences.  

→ intimate  

4. The earliest known novel in the world is _______ by Murasaki Shikibu.  

→ The Tale of Genji  

5. The European novel is often said to begin with _______.  

→ Don Quixote  

6. Don Quixote was written by _______.  

→ Miguel de Cervantes  

7. Don Quixote was published in two parts between _______.  

→ 1605 and 1615  

8. The 18th-century novel was largely influenced by the rise of the _______ class.  

→ middle  

9. ‘Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded’ was written by _______.  

→ Samuel Richardson  

10. _______ wrote ‘Robinson Crusoe’.  

→ Daniel Defoe  

11. ‘Gulliver’s Travels’ is a famous satire by _______.  

→ Jonathan Swift  

12. ‘The Pilgrim’s Progress’ was authored by _______.  

→ John Bunyan  

13. ‘Oroonoko’ was written by _______.  

→ Aphra Behn  

14. The 18th-century novel focused on _______ rather than romance or tragedy.  

→ realism  

15. The Industrial Revolution helped promote the reading habits of the _______ class.  

→ educated middle  

16. ‘Clarissa’ is another epistolary novel by _______.  

→ Samuel Richardson  

17. _______ wrote ‘Tristram Shandy’.  

→ Lawrence Sterne  

18. _______ and _______ were the two dominant literary genres before the rise of the novel.  

→ Drama, Poetry  

19. The 20th-century novelists used _______ styles and techniques.  

→ innovative  

20. The spread of _______ gave the middle class more time to read.  

→ machines  

21. ‘The Canterbury Tales’ was written by _______.  

→ Geoffrey Chaucer  

22. _______ is considered a precursor of modern prose fiction.  

→ Greek Romances  

23. Aphra Behn’s novel ‘Oroonoko’ was published in the year _______.  

→ 1688  

24. The novel offers a more _______ picture of society than poetry or drama.  

→ realistic  

25. ‘Pamela’ and ‘Clarissa’ are examples of _______ novels.  

→ epistolary  

26. _______ wrote historical novels and contributed to the genre significantly.  

→ Walter Scott  

27. _______ wrote about scientific themes in his novels.  

→ H.G. Wells  

28. Charles Dickens often wrote about _______ life and issues.  

→ urban  

29. _______ wrote 'Heart of Darkness'.  

→ Joseph Conrad  

30. ‘The Tale of Genji’ was written in the year _______.  

→ 1010  


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B. Match the Pairs (31–50)


**Match the Author with the Work:**  

31. Samuel Richardson → (b) Pamela  

32. Daniel Defoe → (a) Robinson Crusoe  

33. Aphra Behn → (e) Oroonoko  

34. Jonathan Swift → (d) Gulliver’s Travels  

35. John Bunyan → (c) The Pilgrim’s Progress  


**Match the Novelist with Their Contribution:**  

36. E.M. Forster → (c) Psychological depth  

37. H.G. Wells → (b) Scientific themes  

38. George Orwell → (a) Political fiction  

39. Salman Rushdie → (e) Postcolonial literature  

40. D.H. Lawrence → (d) Human emotions  


**Match the Century with the Event:**  

41. 17th century → (b) Bunyan’s & Behn’s works  

42. 18th century → (a) Rise of the novel  

43. 19th century → (e) Dickens & Hardy  

44. 20th century → (c) Modernism & style  

45. 21st century → (d) Global voices  


**Match the Literary Feature with the Genre:**  

46. Realism → (b) Novel  

47. Stage action → (c) Drama  

48. Musicality → (a) Poetry  

49. Prose form → (d) Novel  

50. Dialogue-based performance → (e) Drama  


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C. Chronological Order (51–70)


**Put in chronological order (earliest to latest):**  

51. (a) Tale of Genji, (b) Don Quixote, (c) Pamela, (d) Clarissa  

→ a, b, c, d  

52. (a) Gulliver’s Travels, (b) Tristram Shandy, (c) Clarissa, (d) Pamela  

→ d, c, a, b  

53. (a) Pilgrim’s Progress, (b) Oroonoko, (c) Robinson Crusoe, (d) Pamela  

→ a, b, c, d  

54. (a) Walter Scott, (b) Charles Dickens, (c) George Orwell, (d) Salman Rushdie  

→ a, b, c, d  

55. (a) Greek Romances, (b) Morte D’Arthur, (c) The Canterbury Tales, (d) Don Quixote  

→ a, b, c, d  


**Arrange Authors by Era:**  

56. (a) Bunyan, (b) Defoe, (c) Fielding, (d) Hardy  

→ a, b, c, d  

57. (a) James Joyce, (b) Conrad, (c) Forster, (d) Golding  

→ b, a, c, d  

58. (a) Aphra Behn, (b) Henry Fielding, (c) H.G. Wells, (d) Ishiguro  

→ a, b, c, d  

59. (a) Cervantes, (b) Richardson, (c) Dickens, (d) Orwell  

→ a, b, c, d  

60. (a) Virgil, (b) Chaucer, (c) Cervantes, (d) Defoe  

→ a, b, c, d  


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D. Multiple Choice Questions (71–100)


71. Who is credited with writing the first modern European novel?  

→ b) Miguel de Cervantes  

72. Which of the following is an epistolary novel?  

→ b) Clarissa  

73. The novel originated as a literary form in England after:  

→ d) 1740  

74. The word “novel” comes from which language?  

→ c) Italian  

75. Which class primarily supported the rise of the novel?  

→ c) Middle Class  

76. Who wrote "Tristram Shandy"?  

→ c) Lawrence Sterne  

77. "Gulliver’s Travels" is best described as a:  

→ c) Satire  

78. What genre did novels begin to replace in popularity during the 18th century?  

→ c) Poetry and Drama  

79. Which author is NOT from the 18th century?  

→ c) Thomas Hardy  

80. What literary device was commonly used in 18th-century novels?  

→ b) Epistolary form  

81. Which of these novels is based on travel and adventure?  

→ c) Robinson Crusoe  

82. The rise of newspapers and periodicals in the 18th century influenced:  

→ c) Novel development  

83. What major movement during the 18th century helped spread novel reading?  

→ b) Industrial Revolution  

84. Which of the following novels is considered a satire on society?  

→ c) Gulliver’s Travels  

85. The 18th-century novelists focused primarily on:  

→ c) Everyday life and common people  

86. Who among the following was not a novelist of the 18th century?  

→ c) D.H. Lawrence  

87. The main feature of the novel as opposed to poetry is its use of:  

→ c) Prose  

88. Aphra Behn is considered one of the first English _______ novelists.  

→ c) Female  

89. ‘The Tale of Genji’ was written in which country?  

→ b) Japan  

90. What is the central theme in most 18th-century novels?  

→ c) Realistic life and moral instruction  

91. Which 18th-century novelist used humour and irony extensively?  

→ b) Henry Fielding  

92. Who is the author of *Tom Jones*?  

→ b) Henry Fielding  

93. The 20th-century novelist who explored stream-of-consciousness was:  

→ c) James Joyce  

94. Which writer contributed to the gothic novel tradition?  

→ b) Horace Walpole  

95. Which immigrant writer is famous for *Midnight’s Children*?  

→ c) Salman Rushdie  

96. Novels in the 18th century were often used to:  

→ b) Teach virtue and morality  

97. Tobias Smollett is known for writing:  

→ a) Comic and picaresque novels  

98. Which of the following is not typically found in 18th-century n

ovels?  

→ c) Heroic epics  

99. Which 20th-century writer explored dystopian themes?  

→ b) George Orwell  

100. Who among the following is a Nobel laureate?  

→ c) V.S. Naipaul  

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