Eighteenth-Century Novel

Daniel Defoe Practice Questions

12 free Daniel Defoe practice questions for the English Literature, each with the correct answer and a detailed explanation. Open any question below, or take the full set as an interactive quiz.

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All Daniel Defoe questions

12 questions
  1. Q1. In 'Robinson Crusoe', what name does Crusoe give to the native man he rescues from cannibals, and what structural relationship does this dynamic establish with…
  2. Q2. Defoe's 'A Journal of the Plague Year' (1722) offers a chillingly detailed, eyewitness-style account of the Great Plague of London. What makes the authorship o…
  3. Q3. What structural transition occurs in Defoe's 1720 novel 'Captain Singleton' that mirrors the dualistic puritan narrative pattern of sin and redemption?
  4. Q4. Defoe's characters are frequently categorized by modern critics as expressions of 'homo economicus'. What does this term mean in the context of his fiction?
  5. Q5. In 'The History and Remarkable Life of the Truly Honourable Colonel Jacque' (1722), commonly known as 'Colonel Jack', what is the protagonist's journey regardi…
  6. Q6. How does the narrative structure of most of Defoe's major novels differ from the tightly plotted, interconnected models later used by Henry Fielding?
  7. Q7. What real-world event and historical figure provided the primary creative inspiration for Daniel Defoe's 'Robinson Crusoe'?
  8. Q8. In 'Moll Flanders', after Moll becomes a highly successful and notorious professional thief in London, what specific punishment brings her criminal career to a…
  9. Q9. When Robinson Crusoe finds himself stranded on the 'Island of Despair', how does he visually organize his psychological situation to avoid slipping into comple…
  10. Q10. What is the complex narrative effect of the moralistic commentary that Defoe inserts into the memoirs of his rogue protagonists like Moll Flanders and Roxana?
  11. Q11. In 'Roxana', what happens to Roxana's daughter, Susan, who tries desperately to track down her mother after recognizing her past identity?
  12. Q12. Which of the following landmark critical ideas regarding early fiction is directly linked to Defoe's style in 'The Rise of the Novel' by Ian Watt?