Romantic Criticism: UGC NET English Previous Year Solved Papers

Romantic Criticism: Previous Year Solved Papers with Explanations

Table of Contents

Romantic Criticism: Introduction

Romantic theory and criticism constitute a core component of the UGC NET English syllabus, with special emphasis on the poetic and critical principles of William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Previous year questions from this area repeatedly assess candidates’ conceptual clarity regarding key Romantic ideas such as imagination, emotion, nature, poetic diction, organic form, and the celebrated distinction between Fancy and Imagination, as articulated in Preface to Lyrical Ballads and Biographia Literaria.

Next Read: Coleridge’s Theory of Fancy and Imagination

This solved-paper compilation presents carefully selected UGC NET previous year questions on Romantic criticism, accompanied by concept-based explanations that link theoretical ideas with their textual and philosophical contexts. The objective of this section is to strengthen both factual recall and analytical precision, enabling aspirants to approach Romantic criticism questions in UGC NET English with confidence. Towards the end of the section, Frequently Asked Questions related to Romantic Criticism have been included to address common conceptual traps.

What is Romantic Criticism?

Romantic criticism is a literary theory that emphasizes imagination, emotion, individuality, nature, and organic form, while rejecting Neoclassical rules, imitation, and mechanical structure. It is chiefly associated with William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge and forms a core area in the UGC NET English syllabus.

Read: Wordsworth's Theory of Poetry

UGC NET Previous Year Solved Questions on Romantic Criticism

UGC NET June 2012

1. Who among the following defined poetry as “the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings”?

a) Coleridge
b) Shelley
c) Wordsworth
d) Keats

Correct Answer: c) Wordsworth

Explanation: William Wordsworth defined poetry as “the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings” in the Preface to Lyrical Ballads (1800).

2. Wordsworth’s qualification to the spontaneity of poetry is that it must be

a) Expressed immediately
b) Morally instructive
c) Recollected in tranquility
d) Written in metre

Correct Answer: c) Recollected in tranquility

Explanation: NET often tests the complete definition to trap candidates who remember only the phrase “spontaneous overflow.”

UGC NET June 2013

3. Wordsworth’s rejection of poetic diction implies a preference for

a) Ornamental language
b) Classical vocabulary
c) Language really used by men
d) Metaphorical abstraction

Correct Answer: c) Language really used by men

Explanation: This doctrine opposes eighteenth-century artificial diction.

UGC NET December 2013

4. Who among the following made a philosophical distinction between Imagination and Fancy?

a) Wordsworth
b) Coleridge
c) Shelley
d) Blake

Correct Answer: b) Coleridge

Explanation: The distinction between imagination and Fancy is  Elaborated in Coleridge's famous critical work  Biographia Literaria. 

Next Read: UGC/NTA NET English Solved Paper with Explanation

UGC NET June 2014

5. Coleridge’s concept of Primary Imagination refers to

a) Poetic creativity
b) Fancy
c) Human perception
d) Artistic imitation

Correct Answer: c) Human perception

Explanation: According to Coleridge, Primary Imagination is universal and unconscious, unlike Secondary Imagination, which is creative and conscious.

UGC NET December 2014

6. Which work contains Coleridge’s theory of imagination?

a) Preface to Lyrical Ballads
b) Defence of Poetry
c) Biographia Literaria
d) A Defence of Poesy

Correct Answer: c) Biographia Literaria

Explanation: NET frequently uses title-based elimination traps involving Sidney, Shelley, and Coleridge.

UGC NET June 2015

7. “A Man Speaking to Men”: Wordsworth describes the poet as

a) A moral philosopher
b) A prophet
c) A man speaking to men
d) A divine creator

Correct Answer: c) A man speaking to men

UGC NET December 2015

8. According to Wordsworth, poetry differs from prose primarily in terms of

a) Subject matter
b) Language
c) Degree of emotion
d) Moral seriousness

Correct Answer: c) Degree of emotion

UGC NET June 2016

9. The Romantic concept of organic form is associated with

a) Wordsworth
b) Coleridge
c) Dryden
d) Pope

Correct Answer: b) Coleridge

Explanation: Organic form rejects Neoclassical mechanical form and derives from German Idealism.

UGC NET January 2017

10. Coleridge’s criticism of Wordsworth is directed against his

a) Political radicalism
b) Theory of imagination
c) Theory of poetic diction
d) Use of metre

Correct Answer: c) Theory of poetic diction 

Explanation: Coleridge believed rustic language could become unpoetic if applied indiscriminately.

UGC NET December 2018

11. Romantic criticism primarily emphasizes

a) Rules and decorum
b) Imitation of classical models
c) Imagination and emotion
d) Social realism

Correct Answer: c) Imagination and emotion

UGC NET June 2019

12. Coleridge’s idea that form and content are inseparable is known as

a) Spontaneity
b) Organic unity
c) Fancy
d) Symbolism

Correct Answer: b) Organic unity 

Explanation: Organic unity is central to Coleridge’s aesthetic philosophy.

Next Read: Romanticism in English Literature: Salient Features

UGC NET December 2020

13. Wordsworth’s preference for rustic life is based on the belief that it

a) Is morally superior
b) Preserves essential passions
c) Avoids imagination
d) Encourages symbolism

Correct Answer: b) Preserves essential passions 

Explanation: Wordsworth believes that  Rustic life ensures emotional purity and simplicity.

UGC NET June 2022

14. Which Romantic critic was most influenced by German Idealist philosophy?

a) Wordsworth
b) Keats
c) Coleridge
d) Shelley

Correct Answer: c) Coleridge 

Explanation: Kant and Schelling significantly shaped Coleridge’s theory of imagination.

FAQs on Romantic Criticism for UGC NET English

Who defined poetry as “the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings”?
William Wordsworth, in the Preface to Lyrical Ballads (1800).

What does “recollected in tranquility” mean?
It means emotion is reflected upon calmly before poetic expression.

What is Wordsworth’s theory of poetic diction?
Use of language really used by men, especially rustic speech.

What is organic form?
Form growing naturally out of content. This concept is  associated with Coleridge.

Which Romantic critic was influenced by German Idealism?
Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

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