Two years after that poem, Dryden celebrated the return of which monarch?

• A. Oliver Cromwell
• B. Charles II
• C. James II
• D. Charles I

Answer: (B)

The main idea is the Restoration of the English monarchy and Dryden’s celebratory poetry about it. Two years after that poem, Dryden celebrated the return of Charles II to the throne in 1660, marking the end of Oliver Cromwell’s Commonwealth and a revival of the arts and theatres. The other names were not the returning monarch: Cromwell led the interregnum, Charles I was the monarch Charles II succeeded, and James II came after Charles II. So Charles II is the correct fit for that celebratory moment.