Tradition and the Individual Talent MCQ Quiz : 20 Questions

By Girdhari Lal Suthar

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Tradition and the Individual Talent MCQ Quiz with 20 Questions

Tradition and the Individual Talent MCQ Quiz : This essay explains the meaning of tradition in poetry and how a poet must relate to the past. The writer says that English critics seldom use the word tradition positively. Many people think tradition means copying old ways or repeating old styles, but true tradition is deeper. Tradition means feeling the whole past living inside the present, not only the work of one or two poets.

Every poet inherits a long line of writing. A mature writer understands that poetry of past ages—from Homer to Shakespeare—exists side by side with modern literature. Tradition must be earned by hard work, not merely by admiration. It needs a historical sense: the ability to feel that literature of all periods forms one ongoing order. When a new poem appears, this order shifts slightly to make room for it. In this way, the past shapes the present, and the present also reshapes the past.

A major idea here is impersonality in poetry. An artist should not simply express private feelings or personal biography. Rather, the poet must allow emotions, images, memories, and experiences—maybe his own, maybe others’—to combine and transform inside the mind. The poet’s mind is like a catalyst—a substance that helps create a chemical reaction without becoming part of the product. Likewise, the poet remains separate from the poem. Poetry becomes a new creation made from ordinary emotions, but shaped by pressure and art.

Key Ideas in the Essay

Concept Meaning
Tradition Living connection with all past literature
Historical Sense Feeling past and present together
Poet’s Mind A catalyst that transforms emotion
Impersonality Poetry is separate from the poet’s personal life

The essay finally points out that critics should value poems more than poets. True appreciation understands that the emotion in art is impersonal, created by fusion of many elements. Only poets with genuine feeling can escape personality and create art that lives beyond the individual. [Full Text]


Tradition and the Individual Talent MCQ Quiz

Tradition and the Individual Talent Quiz

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1. In which year was T.S. Eliot’s essay "Tradition and the Individual Talent" first published?

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2. Which literary magazine first published "Tradition and the Individual Talent"?

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3. The essay was later included in which famous 1920 collection of Eliot’s essays?

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4. To which literary period does this essay belong?

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5. According to Eliot in Part 1, how is the word "traditional" usually employed in literary criticism?

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6. What do readers typically look for when appreciating a writer, according to Eliot?

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7. Eliot claims that the best parts of a poet’s work are often those in which:

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8. The essay suggests that if 'tradition' is used agreeably, it usually implies a reference to which science?

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9. According to the author, criticism is as inevitable as what bodily function?

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10. When praising a poet, the author notes that people tend to dwell upon which aspects of the work?

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11. What specifically does the 'historical sense' involve, according to the text of the essay?

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12. The historical sense compels a man to write with which generation in his bones?

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13. How does the author describe the existence of the whole literature of Europe?

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14. What happens to the existing order of monuments when a new work of art is introduced?

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15. The author emphasizes that a poet must inevitably be judged by what?

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16. When the author says the poet is 'judged' by the past, he clarifies that this judgment is strictly a...?

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17. What is the difference between the present and the past according to the essay?

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18. Regarding the learning required of a poet, the author believes that Shakespeare acquired more essential history from which source?

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19. The author compares the process of depersonalization in art to the condition of which field?

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20. To reach impersonality, the poet must surrender himself wholly to...?

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The average score is 67%


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1Teju Suthar100 %
2Aditya sharma100 %
3jeet saini100 %
4Aaaa100 %
5Ashu95 %
6Sunil95 %
7Niraj yadav90 %
8shiningstar90 %
9Nikhil90 %
10Vp85 %
11Radheshyam sharma85 %
12Ayesha80 %
13Pooja80 %
14Vinita80 %
15Gaurav75 %
16Jitendra75 %
17Aditya Sharma75 %
18Suresh Chhimpa75 %
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23Deepak Mundotiya65 %
24Lomash65 %
25Neeraj65 %

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Girdhari Lal Suthar is an experienced English teacher and education content creator in India, specialising in English Grammar and English Literature for competitive and academic exams. With over 8 years of teaching experience, he has guided aspirants preparing for RPSC, SSC, school teaching exams, and college-level English courses. He holds an M.A. in English Literature and is the founder of Gyankundli, an educational platform that offers clear explanations, exam-oriented notes, MCQs, quizzes, and literary analysis in simple Indian English. His content is designed to help students and teachers master grammar rules, literary concepts, and exam strategies with ease. Connect on LinkedIn: Girdhari Lal Suthar

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