William Blake – Previous Year UGC-NET | GATE Questions

Which of the following is a “Visionary” work by William Blake ?
(A) The Song of Los
(B) Songs of Experience
(C) Poetical Sketches
(D) The Vision of the Daughters of Albion
Ans: (D)

Who is the author of the statement “A prophet is a Seer, not an Arbitrary Dictator” ?
(A) Salman Rushdie
(B) Kahlil Gibran
(C) William Blake
(D) Oscar Wilde
Ans: (C)

In Blake’s “The Human Abstract”, the fragmented world of Experience is symbolized in the image of the
(A) Caterpillar
(B) Fly
(C) Raven
(D) Fruit of Deceit
Ans: (D)

“Beneath them sit the aged men, wise guardians of the poor; Then cherish pity, lest you drive an angel from your door.” These concluding lines of William Blake’s Innocence poem called “Holy Thursday” allude to a Biblical passage. Identify the passage.
(A) The angel of the Lord encampeth round about those who fear Him and delivereth them. Psalms 34.7
(B) Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error. Ecclesiastes 5.6
(C) And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so.
Then said they, It is his angel. The Acts 12.15
(D) Be not forgetful to entertain strangers for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Hebrews 13.2
Ans: (D)

In particular William Blake was influenced by the religious writings of
I. Martin Luther
II. Jacob Boehme
III. Emanuel Swedenborg
IV. Confucious
The right combination according to the code is
(A) I and IV
(B) I and II
(C) II and III
(D) III and IV
Ans: (C)

Among the Romantic poets William Blake was a total artist, undertaking many roles usually separated. In his last years he produced some of his finest engravings. Which of the following was NOT illustrated by Blake?
(A) The Book of Job
(B) The rape of Leda
(C) Virgil’s Pastorals
(D) The works of Dante
Ans: (B)

The second part of Pilgrim’s Progress deals with the pilgrimage of Christian’s wife, Christiana. She has a companion and a guide in this journey. Pick out the pair’s names from the following list.
(a) Patience
(b) Tenderheart
(c) Mercy
(d) Greatheart
The right combination according to the code is :
(A) (c) and (d)
(B) (b) and (c)
(C) (a) and (d)
(D) (b) and (d)
Ans: (A)

‘The mind-forged manacles’ is phrase from :
(A) ”London”
(B) ”Eternity”
(C) “A Poison Tree”
(D) “I Asked a Thief”
Ans: (A)

William Blake’s famous poems such as “London”, “The Sick Rose”, and “The Tyger” appear in
(A) Songs of Innocence
(B) Songs of Experience
(C) The Marriage of Heaven and Hell
(D) Vision of the Daughters of Albion
Ans: (B)

William Blake developed the ideas of “Prolifics” and “Devourers” in
(A) Jerusalem
(B) Milton
(C) Marriage of Heaven and Hell
(D) Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience
Ans: (C)

The phrase “dark satanic mills” has become the most famous description of the force at the centre of the industrial revolution. The phrase was used by
(A) William Wordsworth
(B) William Blake
(C) Thomas Carlyle
(D) John Ruskin
Ans: (B)

Match the items in the List – I with items in List – II according to the code given below :
List – I (Authors)
i. Lucy Hutchinson
ii. John Bunyan
iii. John Evelyn
iv. Margaret Cavendish
List – II (Works)
1. The Life and Death of Mr. Badman
2. Sylva : or a Discourse of Forest Trees
3. Natures Pictures
4. Memoirs of the Life of Colonel Hutchinson
Codes :
i ii iii iv
(A) 2 3 1 4
(B) 4 3 2 1
(C) 4 1 2 3
(D) 4 2 1 3
Ans: (C)

“Love seeketh only self to please, To bind another to its delight.”
This selfish and possessive nature of love is illustrated in Blake’s
(A) ‘The Clod and the Pebble’
(B) ‘The Sick Rose’
(C) ‘A Poison Tree’
(D) ‘Ah Sunflower’
Ans: (A)

The Marriage of Heaven and Hell is a …………… by …………….
(A) novel, Nathaniel Hawthorne
(B) play, Mrs. Radcliffe
(C) poem, William Blake
(D) sermon, Laurence Sterne
Ans: (3)

Who is the author of the following lines ?
“To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour…”.
(A) Thomas Gray
(B) William Blake
(C) William Collins
(D) William Cowper
Ans: (B)

William Blake expressed the importance of the particular when he said that “To Generalize is to be ____________. To Particularize is the alone Distinction of Merit.” Fill in the blank.
a. An Idiot
b. A Poet
c. A Dreamer
d. A Skunk
Ans: (a)

In which work does William Blake say that Milton was “a true poet and of devil’s party without knowing it” ?
(A) “London”
(B) “Songs of Innocence”
(C) “The Marriage of Heaven and Hell”
(D) “The Chimney Sweeper”
Ans: (C)