UGC NET English Aug 2024 Solved PYQs | American & World Literature

Correct Answer: 3 (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

Explanation: Ralph Waldo Emerson, a central figure of American Transcendentalism, believed in the unity of the poet and the philosopher. While John Keats famously wrote "Beauty is truth, truth beauty" in Ode on a Grecian Urn, the specific phrasing regarding the "true philosopher and true poet" being one belongs to Emerson.

Correct Answer: 3 (Jo's Boys)

Explanation: The Little Women series follows this chronological order:

• Little Women (1868)
• Good Wives (1869) - Often published as Part 2 of Little Women.
• Little Men (1871) - Follows life at Plumfield.
• Jo's Boys (1886) - The final sequel that concludes the story of the March family and the Plumfield students.

Correct Answer: 3 (The Plough and the Stars)

Explanation: The Plough and the Stars is a famous play by the Irish dramatist Seán O'Casey, part of his Dublin Trilogy. The other three options are major works by the American playwright Eugene O'Neill, who is known for introducing realism and Greek tragedy elements into American drama.

Correct Answer: 3 (C, D, E Only)

Explanation: The Harlem Renaissance (roughly 1918–1937) was a "rebirth" of African American arts and culture. Key figures include:

• Alain Locke (C): Known as the "Dean" of the movement; edited the influential anthology The New Negro.
• Langston Hughes (D): The movement's most famous poet, known for "The Negro Speaks of Rivers."
• Zora Neale Hurston (E): Renowned for Their Eyes Were Watching God and her work as an anthropologist.

Note: Leslie Jamison is a contemporary essayist, and Stephen King is a modern master of horror; neither belong to this historical era.

Correct Answer: 4 (Maya Angelou)

Explanation: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969) is the first of seven autobiographies by Maya Angelou. It is a landmark text in African American literature, detailing her early years and the struggles of overcoming racism and trauma in the American South.

Key Facts:

• The title is taken from Paul Laurence Dunbar's poem "Sympathy."
• It established Angelou as a major voice in the Civil Rights era.
• While Toni Morrison and Chimamanda Adichie are also major Black women writers, their famous works are primarily fiction (e.g., Beloved and Half of a Yellow Sun).

Correct Answer: 2

Correct Matches & Background:

• Sally Morgan (A–III): My Place (1987) is a landmark autobiography that helped many Australians reconnect with their Indigenous heritage.
• Monica Clare (B–I): Karobran (1978) was the first novel by an Aboriginal woman to be published, detailing the hardships of the Stolen Generations.
• Nugi Garimara (C–II): Also known as Doris Pilkington, she is most famous for Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence. Caprice was her first award-winning novel.
• Alexis Wright (D–IV): A major voice in contemporary World Literature. Plains of Promise was her debut novel, though she is perhaps best known for Carpentaria.

Correct Answer: 1 (B, C, E Only)

Explanation: The Australian Aboriginal Movement was driven by Indigenous voices asserting sovereignty and land rights:

• Oodgeroo Noonuccal (B): Formerly Kath Walker; the first Aboriginal Australian to publish a book of poetry (We Are Going, 1964).
• Jack Davis (C): A Noongar playwright (No Sugar) who highlighted colonial exploitation.
• Kevin Gilbert (E): A powerful activist and author of Because a White Man'll Never Do It.

Note: While Judith Wright was a supporter of Aboriginal rights, she was a non-Indigenous poet. David Malouf is of Lebanese-English descent and known for his own literary contributions rather than Aboriginal activism.

Correct Answer: 2 (B, D, E Only)

Explanation: Physical disability is a central theme or plot point in these 19th-century classics:

• Madame Bovary (B): Features Hippolyte, whose clubfoot is tragically botched by Charles Bovary.
• A Christmas Carol (D): Tiny Tim is the iconic representation of disability and the need for social charity.
• Moby-Dick (E): Captain Ahab’s missing leg (replaced by whale ivory) symbolizes his physical and psychological obsession.

Correct Answer: 3 (B, C, E only)

Explanation: These works intersect with science fiction or speculative themes:

• A Mango-Shaped Space (B): Explores neurological medical fantasy.
• Travels in Hyperreality (C): While essayistic, it is core to postmodern science fiction theory (simulacra).
• Never Let Me Go (E): A famous dystopian novel centered on human cloning.

Note: Murakami is typically categorized as Magical Realism. While The Swarm is hard Sci-Fi, it wasn't grouped in the correct option key provided in the exam.

Correct Answer: 2 (D, C, B, A, E)

Chronology:

1. Brideshead Revisited (1945)
2. The Groves of Academe (1952)
3. The History Man (1975)
4. Disgrace (1999)
5. The Human Stain (2000)