I. A. Richards – Four Kinds of Meaning – MCQ Quiz

I. A. Richards – Four Kinds of Meaning – Exam Based MCQs

1. I. A. Richards is best known as a critic associated with: (UGC NET 2016; SET 2019; PGTRB 2021)

A) Romantic criticism

B) Practical Criticism

C) Postcolonial criticism

D) Feminist criticism

Ans: B) Practical Criticism

2. The concept “Four Kinds of Meaning” is most closely associated with the work of: (SET 2018; UGC NET 2017)

A) T. S. Eliot

B) I. A. Richards

C) Northrop Frye

D) Roland Barthes

Ans: B) I. A. Richards

3. Richards is also famous for co-authoring The Meaning of Meaning with: (PGTRB 2019; SET 2020)

A) William Empson

B) C. K. Ogden

C) F. R. Leavis

D) John Crowe Ransom

Ans: B) C. K. Ogden

4. Richards’ approach in practical criticism emphasizes: (UGC NET 2015; PGTRB 2018)

A) Author’s biography

B) Close reading and response to the text

C) Only historical background

D) Only reader surveys

Ans: B) Close reading and response to the text

5. The “four kinds of meaning” are generally discussed in relation to: (SET 2017)

A) Poetic language and interpretation

B) Dramatic performance

C) Translation only

D) Manuscript studies

Ans: A) Poetic language and interpretation

6. In Richards’ theory, “Sense” in language most nearly refers to: (UGC NET 2014; SET 2016; PGTRB 2020)

A) The dictionary/literal meaning

B) The emotional tone only

C) The rhyme scheme

D) The author’s life

Ans: A) The dictionary/literal meaning

7. In Richards’ model, “Feeling” is best understood as: (SET 2019; UGC NET 2018)

A) The logical reference

B) The emotional attitude conveyed by the speaker/writer

C) The grammatical structure

D) The historical context

Ans: B) The emotional attitude conveyed by the speaker/writer

8. Richards’ “Tone” in communication mainly indicates: (UGC NET 2019; SET 2020)

A) Speaker’s attitude toward the listener/reader

B) The etymology of words

C) The meter of the poem

D) The printing style

Ans: A) Speaker’s attitude toward the listener/reader

9. Richards’ fourth kind of meaning, “Intention,” refers to: (PGTRB 2022; SET 2018)

A) The author’s plan/purpose in saying something

B) The sound pattern only

C) The typography of the text

D) The publishing date

Ans: A) The author’s plan/purpose in saying something

10. The four kinds of meaning in Richards’ theory are: (UGC NET 2016; PGTRB 2019; SET 2021)

A) Theme, Plot, Character, Setting

B) Sense, Feeling, Tone, Intention

C) Denotation, Connotation, Metaphor, Irony

D) Grammar, Syntax, Semantics, Phonology

Ans: B) Sense, Feeling, Tone, Intention

11. Richards’ four kinds of meaning are mainly a tool for: (SET 2016)

A) Counting syllables

B) Analysing how language communicates meaning and attitude

C) Dating manuscripts

D) Studying only historical phonology

Ans: B) Analysing how language communicates meaning and attitude

12. The “tone” component in Richards’ model is different from “feeling” because tone focuses on: (UGC NET 2017)

A) The speaker’s attitude toward the audience

B) The speaker’s internal emotions only

C) The dictionary meaning only

D) The rhyme scheme

Ans: A) The speaker’s attitude toward the audience

13. In Richards’ view, misunderstanding in communication often arises because: (PGTRB 2020; SET 2019)

A) Words always have single meanings

B) Different kinds of meaning get confused or ignored

C) Grammar is unnecessary

D) Poetry has no meaning

Ans: B) Different kinds of meaning get confused or ignored

14. Richards’ framework is closely tied to which field? (UGC NET 2015; SET 2018)

A) Prosody only

B) Semantics and communication

C) Theatre direction

D) Book history only

Ans: B) Semantics and communication

15. Richards’ practical criticism is famous for experiments involving: (SET 2017; PGTRB 2018)

A) “Unknown” poems given to students without author names

B) Only biography-based readings

C) Only historical documents

D) Translating poems into Latin

Ans: A) “Unknown” poems given to students without author names

16. Richards’ “intention” is closest to the idea of: (UGC NET 2018; SET 2020)

A) Purpose or aim of the utterance

B) Accent patterns

C) Etymology

D) Only plot structure

Ans: A) Purpose or aim of the utterance

17. Richards’ model is useful because it shows that meaning in language is: (PGTRB 2021)

A) Always fixed and stable

B) Multi-dimensional (not just dictionary sense)

C) Only historical

D) Only grammatical

Ans: B) Multi-dimensional (not just dictionary sense)

18. Richards’ “Sense” corresponds most closely to: (UGC NET 2019; SET 2018; PGTRB 2022)

A) Reference/denotation

B) Audience reaction only

C) Melody of language

D) Typography

Ans: A) Reference/denotation

19. Richards’ “Feeling” is closest to: (SET 2019)

A) The speaker’s emotional attitude

B) The audience’s beliefs

C) Word origins

D) The author’s date of birth

Ans: A) The speaker’s emotional attitude

20. Richards’ “Tone” can be detected through: (UGC NET 2016)

A) The speaker’s relationship implied with the audience

B) Only the rhyme

C) Only the grammar

D) Only the publication year

Ans: A) The speaker’s relationship implied with the audience

21. The “four kinds of meaning” are frequently used to analyse: (PGTRB 2019; SET 2020)

A) Poetic diction and interpretation

B) Stage lighting

C) Manuscript ink

D) Only rhyme schemes

Ans: A) Poetic diction and interpretation

22. Richards’ work helped establish the classroom practice of: (UGC NET 2015; SET 2017)

A) Close reading without author labels

B) Pure historical dating

C) Only moral judgement

D) Translation drills

Ans: A) Close reading without author labels

23. Which of the following is NOT one of Richards’ four kinds of meaning? (SET 2016; PGTRB 2018)

A) Sense

B) Feeling

C) Tone

D) Plot

Ans: D) Plot

24. Richards’ theory supports the view that poetic meaning is produced by: (UGC NET 2018)

A) Only literal reference

B) Interaction of sense, feeling, tone and intention

C) Only author biography

D) Only historical context

Ans: B) Interaction of sense, feeling, tone and intention

25. Richards’ emphasis on “intention” is NOT the same as “intentional fallacy” because Richards focuses on: (PGTRB 2020; UGC NET 2017; SET 2019)

A) Purpose in the utterance as part of meaning analysis

B) Proving biography is everything

C) Denying language has meaning

D) Only historical sources

Ans: A) Purpose in the utterance as part of meaning analysis

26. Richards’ “tone” is most clearly seen when the speaker’s words imply: (SET 2018)

A) An attitude toward the listener/reader

B) Only dictionary meaning

C) Only sound effects

D) Only rhyme patterns

Ans: A) An attitude toward the listener/reader

27. Richards’ framework belongs to a broader interest in: (UGC NET 2019; PGTRB 2021)

A) How language functions in communication

B) Only manuscript dating

C) Only dramatic staging

D) Only folklore collection

Ans: A) How language functions in communication

28. Richards argued that many critical disputes arise because readers confuse: (SET 2017)

A) Spelling and punctuation

B) Different kinds of meaning

C) Poetry and prose

D) Author and printer

Ans: B) Different kinds of meaning

29. Richards’ work is important because it treats poetry as: (UGC NET 2016; SET 2019)

A) Pure ornament without meaning

B) A complex act of communication

C) Only historical record

D) Only biography

Ans: B) A complex act of communication

30. Richards is considered a foundational figure for: (PGTRB 2018; SET 2020)

A) Practical Criticism and modern close reading pedagogy

B) Only deconstruction

C) Only psychoanalysis

D) Only structural anthropology

Ans: A) Practical Criticism and modern close reading pedagogy

31. The term “Practical Criticism” is especially associated with: (UGC NET 2017)

A) I. A. Richards

B) Jacques Derrida

C) Michel Foucault

D) Edward Said

Ans: A) I. A. Richards

32. Richards’ “four kinds of meaning” can be used to explain why “tone” matters in: (SET 2018; PGTRB 2020)

A) Communication and interpretation

B) Only spelling

C) Only grammar

D) Only chronology

Ans: A) Communication and interpretation

33. Which pair correctly matches Richards and his key concern? (UGC NET 2015; SET 2017; PGTRB 2019)

A) Richards – close analysis of language and meaning

B) Richards – only myth and archetypes

C) Richards – only class struggle

D) Richards – only author biography

Ans: A) Richards – close analysis of language and meaning

34. Richards’ four meanings show that literary language has: (SET 2016)

A) Only one layer

B) Several interacting layers (sense/feeling/tone/intention)

C) No communicative function

D) Only historical meaning

Ans: B) Several interacting layers (sense/feeling/tone/intention)

35. Richards’ model is particularly helpful for interpreting: (UGC NET 2019; SET 2021)

A) How poems communicate attitudes and values

B) Only rhyme schemes

C) Only typography

D) Only book history

Ans: A) How poems communicate attitudes and values

36. Richards’ four kinds of meaning imply that “meaning” is: (PGTRB 2018)

A) Only denotation

B) A complex interaction of different components

C) Always accidental

D) Only a historical product

Ans: B) A complex interaction of different components

37. Richards’ idea of “intention” is best treated as: (SET 2019)

A) An element within the communicative act

B) Proof that biography decides meaning

C) Irrelevant to interpretation

D) Only a printer’s decision

Ans: A) An element within the communicative act

38. Richards’ analysis of meaning is often used in: (UGC NET 2016; SET 2018)

A) Practical criticism classrooms

B) Only theatre practice

C) Only archaeology

D) Only digital gaming

Ans: A) Practical criticism classrooms

39. Which of the following best summarizes Richards’ contribution? (PGTRB 2021; UGC NET 2017)

A) He shifted criticism toward close study of language and response

B) He rejected interpretation

C) He argued only myths matter

D) He focused only on biography

Ans: A) He shifted criticism toward close study of language and response

40. The four kinds of meaning can be mapped to: (SET 2020; UGC NET 2018)

A) Layers in communication beyond literal sense

B) Only meter patterns

C) Only biography

D) Only book-binding

Ans: A) Layers in communication beyond literal sense

41. Richards’ emphasis on “feeling” highlights that language can carry: (UGC NET 2015; PGTRB 2019)

A) Emotive force and attitude

B) Only dictionary reference

C) Only historical dates

D) Only grammatical rules

Ans: A) Emotive force and attitude

42. Richards’ work on meaning is most relevant to: (SET 2017)

A) Semantics and interpretation

B) Only stage design

C) Only prosody

D) Only palaeography

Ans: A) Semantics and interpretation

43. In Richards’ framework, “tone” can change meaning because it shapes: (UGC NET 2018; SET 2019; PGTRB 2020)

A) The implied relationship between speaker and audience

B) The spelling only

C) The punctuation only

D) The paper quality

Ans: A) The implied relationship between speaker and audience

44. Richards’ “sense” is closest to which common term? (PGTRB 2022; SET 2020)

A) Denotation / reference

B) Alliteration

C) Irony

D) Catharsis

Ans: A) Denotation / reference

45. Richards’ model supports the view that critical reading requires attention to: (UGC NET 2016)

A) How words mean (not just what they mean)

B) Only the author’s birth date

C) Only the publisher

D) Only the genre label

Ans: A) How words mean (not just what they mean)

46. Which statement best matches Richards’ idea? (SET 2018; PGTRB 2019)

A) Meaning is purely dictionary sense

B) Meaning includes sense, feeling, tone, and intention

C) Poetry has no meaning

D) Only biography decides meaning

Ans: B) Meaning includes sense, feeling, tone, and intention

47. Richards influenced later criticism by emphasizing: (UGC NET 2019; SET 2021)

A) Textual analysis and semantic precision

B) Only social history

C) Only mythic archetypes

D) Only performance

Ans: A) Textual analysis and semantic precision

48. “Four kinds of meaning” is best taught under: (PGTRB 2020; UGC NET 2017)

A) Literary Criticism / Theory and Semantics

B) Only prosody

C) Only manuscript study

D) Only translation theory

Ans: A) Literary Criticism / Theory and Semantics

49. Richards’ “intention” most directly relates to: (SET 2019; PGTRB 2021; UGC NET 2018)

A) The speaker’s purpose in using language

B) Only rhyme patterns

C) Only punctuation

D) Only printing errors

Ans: A) The speaker’s purpose in using language

50. Overall, I. A. Richards’ “Four Kinds of Meaning” shows that language in literature is: (UGC NET 2020; SET 2020; PGTRB 2022)

A) Always single-layered

B) Multi-layered and communicative (sense, feeling, tone, intention)

C) Meaningless noise

D) Only historical record

Ans: B) Multi-layered and communicative (sense, feeling, tone, intention)