Find the chronological order of the writers in terms of the period they belonged to:
A) Richard Steele
B) Charles Lamb
C) John Dryden
D) Francis Bacon
E) Matthew Arnold
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

The correct option is D, C, A, B, E.

To determine the correct chronological order, we look at the historical periods and lifespans of each writer:
1. Francis Bacon (D): Belonged to the Elizabethan and Jacobean periods. His lifespan was 1561–1626.
2. John Dryden (C): Belonged to the Restoration period. His lifespan was 1631–1700.
3. Richard Steele (A): Belonged to the Augustan (Early Georgian) period. His lifespan was 1672–1729.
4. Charles Lamb (B): Belonged to the Romantic period. His lifespan was 1775–1834.
5. Matthew Arnold (E): Belonged to the Victorian period. His lifespan was 1822–1888.

Arranging these writers chronologically based on their active literary periods and lifespans gives us:
Francis Bacon (D) ⇒ John Dryden (C) ⇒ Richard Steele (A) ⇒ Charles Lamb (B) ⇒ Matthew Arnold (E).

Therefore, the chronological order is D, C, A, B, E.