This document contains a series of multiple choice questions and answers about Russian Formalism, a literary theory that originated in Russia in the early 20th century. Some key ideas of Russian Formalism discussed include its focus on analyzing the form and structure of a text rather than its context or the author's biography. Terms explained include defamiliarization, literariness, and foregrounding. The document aims to test the reader's understanding of concepts central to Russian Formalism through a multiple choice question format.

1. SHRI BALAJI INFOTECH
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Russian Formalism
Literary Criticism
By Payal Mudliar
MCQs with Explanation

2. MCQs on Russian Formalism
• Which country is most associated with the theory of Formalism?
Answer: Russia
• Which of these features of a text would a Formalist be most
interested in?
Answer: Structure
• Which type of text would be the most useful when applying
Formalism?
Answer: Poem

3. MCQs on Russian Formalism
• What is the term Formalists use to describe a text that exhibits a
special use of language?
Answer: Literariness
• Which of these people is connected with defamiliarisation, a feature of
some Formalist texts?
Answer: Victor Shklovsky
• Which of these literary theories DOES NOT oppose Formalism?
Answer: New Criticism

4. MCQs on Russian Formalism
• Formalism is the study of form. True or false?
Answer: True
• An easy one for you! In which of these possible modules of an English
literature course would you be most likely to study Formalism?
Answer: Theory and Practice
• Formalism can be easily applied to most texts.
• Answer: False

5. MCQs on Russian Formalism
• Formalism helps you look at a text in a way you may not have thought of
previously.
• Answer: True
• Which theorist is most closely associated with the idea of art as imitation ?
• Answer: Plato
• Jacques Derrida’s concept of différance challenges us to think about
language as a system that___________?
• Answer: 1:3

6. MCQs on Russian Formalism
• Poetic language's ability to make strange the familiar, making readers do
a double take and experience the word/image in a new way - Russian
Formalist term
Answer: Estrangement
• School of criticism in the Soviet Union, from 1914-1930 (when it was
banished by the Soviet Union) - declared the autonomy of
literature/poetic language - the proper study of literature was
LITERATURE, not psychology/biography/history/etc. Study literature by
studying the poetics and literariness of a text - "scientific" approach to
literary interpretation - indirectly influenced New Critics
Answer: Russian Formalism

7. MCQs on Russian Formalism
• Relying on a work's form or structure to determine its meaning - interpretation must
come from the structure of the work itself and NOT from external elements (e.g.,
author's biography, historical context)
• Answer: Formalism
• making strange the familiar, putting the old in a new light - poet slows down the act
of perception and forces readers to reexamine the word/line/other poetic device -
readers experience intensified act of perception, thus experiencing a tiny part of
their world in a new way - coined by Russian Formalist Victor Shklovsky
• Answer: Defamiliarization

8. MCQs on Russian Formalism
• The concept of literary language being different from everyday language - literary
language FOREGROUNDS itself, shouting, "Look at me! I'm special!" - Russian
Formalist term
• Answer: Foregrounding
• Analysis of a literary work's constituent parts - Russian Formalist term
• Answer: Defamiliarization
• language used in a work of art - it calls attention to itself as language, thus
FOREGROUNDING itself - Russian Formalist term
• Answer: Literariness

9. Thank You
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