UGC NET English Aug 2024 Shift 2 Solved Paper | PYQ with Explanations

Correct Answer: 1 (Rajmohan’s Wife by Bankimchandra Chatterjee)

Explanation: Bankimchandra Chatterjee's Rajmohan’s Wife (1864) is widely acknowledged as the first Indian novel written in English. Though he later became famous for his Bengali works like Anandamath, this marked his only English novel and was serialized in the Indian Field magazine.

Context: The novel explores themes of domestic oppression, honor, and colonial society, set against the backdrop of Bengal.

Why other options are incorrect:

• The Young Zamindar: Left incomplete and published later.
• Samyogita / The Star of Sikri: These are 20th-century works and not pioneering texts.

Correct Answer: 3) B, C, E, D, A

Explanation: The correct chronological order of R.K. Narayan's Malgudi-based works is:

• The Bachelor of Arts (1937): A coming-of-age story of young Chandran.
• The English Teacher (1945): A semi-autobiographical novel on love and grief.
• The Financial Expert (1952): A satire on ambition featuring Margayya.
• The Guide (1958): His most acclaimed work on transformation and identity.
• The Vendor of Sweets (1967): Explores generational conflict between Jagan and his son.

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

Explanation: The timeline of these early Indian English poets is as follows:

• Henry Louis Vivian Derozio (1809–1831): The first Indian poet to write in English.
• Michael Madhusudan Dutta (1824–1873): A pioneer of the epic tradition.
• Toru Dutt (1856–1877): Known for Ancient Ballads and Legends of Hindustan.
• Manmohan Ghose (1869–1924): Brother of Aurobindo Ghosh and a scholarly poet.
• Sarojini Naidu (1879–1949): The "Nightingale of India" and freedom fighter.

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

Explanation: Chronological publication order of these world literature classics:

• Exile and the Kingdom (1957): Short stories by Albert Camus.
• Dream on Monkey Mountain (1967): Postcolonial play by Derek Walcott.
• Death and the King's Horseman (1975): Yoruba ritual play by Wole Soyinka.
• Breast-Giver (1977): Seminal short story by Mahasweta Devi.
• Diamond Dust (2000): Short story collection by Anita Desai.

Correct Answer: 4) B, A, E, C, D

Explanation: The birth years of these major Indian English playwrights are:

• Nissim Ezekiel (1924): Often considered the father of modern Indian English poetry and drama.
• Asif Currimbhoy (1928): Known for his prolific and modern dramatic output.
• Gurcharan Das (1949): Noted for plays like Larins Sahib.
• Cyrus Mistry (1956): Famed for portraying the Parsi community.
• Mahesh Dattani (1958): Sahitya Akademi winner for urban-centric dramas.

Correct Answer: 3

Correct Matches:

• Night of the Scorpion → Nissim Ezekiel (Social realism and irony)
• Unfinished Poem → Eunice De Souza (Minimalist verse on female identity)
• The Looking Glass → Kamala Das (Confessional poetry on female sexuality)
• To a Friend Far Away → A.K. Ramanujan (Reflections on memory and distance)

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

Explanation: The chronological publication order of Salman Rushdie's novels is as follows:

• Grimus (1975): Rushdie’s debut novel, a work of science fantasy.
• Midnight's Children (1981): His Booker Prize-winning masterpiece exploring post-independence India.
• The Moor's Last Sigh (1995): A family saga blending Mumbai's history with political allegory.
• The Ground Beneath Her Feet (1999): A rock-n-roll retelling of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth.
• Fury (2001): Set in post-millennium New York, focusing on globalized identity and exile.

Correct Answer: 1

Correct Matches:

• On a Muggy Night in Mumbai → Mahesh Dattani (Play exploring homosexuality)
• The Golden Gate → Vikram Seth (Novel in verse set in San Francisco)
• The Boyfriend → R. Raj Rao (Urban gay-themed fiction)
• Love and Longing in Bombay → Vikram Chandra (Interlinked short stories)

Correct Answer: 2

Correct Matches:

• Delinquent Chacha → Ved Prakash Mehta (Semi-autobiographical fiction)
• Tales from Firozsha Baag → Rohinton Mistry (Parsi life in a Mumbai complex)
• Beethoven Among the Cows → Rukun Advani (Satire on Indian academia/intellectualism)
• The Thousand Faces of Night → Githa Hariharan (Feminine identity and myth)

Correct Answer: 1 (Tirukkural: The Book of Desire)

Explanation: Tirukkural: The Book of Desire is a translation of the Kamattu-p-pal section of the ancient Tamil classic Tirukkural. This specific translation was done by the Dalit feminist poet Meena Kandasamy, not Perumal Murugan.

Author Context: Perumal Murugan is the author of the other three works:

• Poonachi: An allegory of a black goat representing the marginalized.
• One Part Woman: Explores caste and gender norms through a childless couple.
• Pyre: A tragic tale of inter-caste love and societal prejudice.

Correct Answer: 3 (Shantabai Krushnaji Kamble)

Explanation: Shantabai Krushnaji Kamble is credited with writing the first female Dalit autobiography titled Majya Jalmachi Chittarkatha (The Kaleidoscope Story of My Life), published in Marathi in 1983.

Notes on other writers:

• Urmila Pawar: Wrote the celebrated Aaydan (The Weave of My Life), but it was published after Kamble's work.
• Sharmila Rege: A prominent Dalit feminist scholar known for academic works like Writing Caste, Writing Gender.
• Meena Kandasamy: A contemporary novelist and poet (e.g., When I Hit You).

Correct Answer: 2 (Sharankumar Limbale)

Explanation: Akkarmashi (1984) is a landmark Dalit autobiography by Sharankumar Limbale. The title literally means "illegitimate" and reflects the narrator's struggle with identity as the son of an upper-caste father and a Dalit mother.

Incorrect Options:

• Baby Kamble: Wrote Jina Amucha (The Prisons We Broke).
• Annabhau Sathe: A social reformer and folk writer (Lavaid, Fakira).
• Anand Teltumbde: A scholar and activist known for critical analysis of caste.

Correct Answer: 3

Correct Matches:

• A Room Called Earth → Madeleine Ryan (Narrative by an autistic writer)
• Tomorrow, and Tomorrow and Tomorrow → Gabrielle Zevin (Chronic pain and disability in gaming)
• A Time to Dance → Padma Venkatraman (YA novel about a dancer with physical disability)
• Almond: A Novel → Won Pyung Sohn (Boy with alexithymia and neurodivergence)

Correct Answer: 4

Correct Matches:

• Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star → Jane and Ann Taylor (1806)
• Wee Willie Winkie → William Miller (Scottish rhyme)
• Mary Had a Little Lamb → Sarah Josepha Hale (1830)
• Old Mother Hubbard → Sarah Catherine Martin (1805)

Correct Answer: 3) B and D only

Explanation: This question focuses on pioneers of Indian graphic narratives and visual storytelling:

• Orijit Sen: A pioneer of the Indian graphic novel genre, famous for The River of Stories (1994). His work heavily emphasizes visual storytelling.
• George Mathen (Appupen): Creator of the "Halahala" universe and famous for wordless graphic novels like Moonward, Aspyrus, and The Silent Mind.

Notes on other options: Roy Fuller and Anthony Hecht are renowned poets, while George Monbiot is a prominent environmental journalist.

Correct Answer: 4 (Love in a Wood)

Explanation: Love in a Wood (or St James's Park) is a Restoration comedy written by William Wycherley in 1671. It is an original work and not an adaptation of Shakespeare's play.

Shakespearean Adaptations:

• The Boys from Syracuse: A 1938 musical and later a film adaptation.
• Do Dooni Chaar (1968): An Indian adaptation starring Kishore Kumar.
• Angoor (1982): Directed by Gulzar, this is a famous remake of Do Dooni Chaar and a classic adaptation of the play.

Correct Answer: 1) D, E, A, B, C

Explanation: The chronological order of these landmark Partition narratives in cinema is:

• Chinnamul (1950): Directed by Nemai Ghosh; an early portrayal of the Bengal Partition.
• Subarnarekha (1965): Directed by Ritwik Ghatak; focuses on the refugee crisis in East Bengal.
• Garm Hawa (1973): Directed by M.S. Sathyu; explores the impact of Partition on a Muslim family in Agra.
• Tamas (1988): Directed by Govind Nihalani; based on Bhisham Sahni’s novel regarding communal violence.
• Khamosh Pani (2003): Directed by Sabiha Sumar; a look at intergenerational trauma and hidden histories.

Correct Answer: 1 (The 3 Mistakes of My Life)

Explanation: The 2013 film Kai Po Che!, directed by Abhishek Kapoor, is based on Chetan Bhagat’s 2008 novel The 3 Mistakes of My Life. Set in Ahmedabad, it follows three friends against the backdrop of the 2001 Gujarat earthquake and the 2002 communal riots.

Other Adaptations:

• Five Point Someone: Adapted into the blockbuster 3 Idiots.
• Two States: Adapted into the 2014 film 2 States.
• Half Girlfriend: Adapted into a film of the same name in 2017.

Correct Answer: 4 (Abhinavagupta)

Explanation: Abhinavagupta, the 10th-century Kashmiri philosopher, was the primary advocate for Śāntarasa (the rasa of tranquility) as the ninth and foundational rasa. He used the Shiva metaphor to elevate Śānta above the eight classical rasas mentioned in Bharata's Nāṭyaśāstra.

Key Figures:

• Bharata: Defined the original 8 rasas in Nāṭyaśāstra.
• Ānandavardhana: Established the Dhvani (suggestion) theory.
• Daṇḍin: Focused on Guṇa and Alaṃkāra in poetic style.

Correct Answer: 1 (Requiem in Raga Janki by Neelum Saran Gour)

Explanation: In 2023, the Sahitya Akademi Award for English was awarded to Neelum Saran Gour for her novel Requiem in Raga Janki, a historical fiction based on the life of Hindustani singer Janki Bai Ilahabadi.

Previous Winners:

• Anuradha Roy (2022): All the Lives We Never Lived.
• Anees Salim (2018): The Blind Lady's Descendants.
• Cyrus Mistry (2015): Chronicles of a Corpse Bearer.