Table of Contents
- Question 30: The Kothari Commission Report
- Question 31: Chairman of the University Education Commission (1948)
- Question 32: The First Newspaper of India
- Question 33: Quote on European Literature in India
- Question 34: Characters in Mulk Raj Anand's Novels
- Question 35: Match List - Early Indian Women Writers
- Question 36: Match List - Modern Subcontinental Poetry
- Question 37: Chronology of Indian English Novels
- Question 38: Author of the Play Larins Sahib
- Question 39: Plays by Vijay Tendulkar
- Question 40: Plays by Asif Currimbhoy
- Question 41: False Statement about V. S. Naipaul
- Question 42: Novels NOT Written by Amitav Ghosh
Question 30
In which year did the ‘Indian Education Commission’ (The sixth commission in the history of Indian Education) under the chairmanship of Dr. D. S. Kothari submit its report?
The Kothari Commission (officially the National Education Commission) was appointed in 1964 and submitted its landmark report in 1966.
Chaired by Dr. D.S. Kothari, it was the first ad hoc commission to comprehensively examine the entire educational system in India (rather than just specific tiers like university or secondary education). Its recommendations formed the basis of India's first National Policy on Education (NPE) in 1968, which standardized the 10+2+3 educational structure.
Question 31
Who was the Chairman of the University Education Commission of 1948?
The University Education Commission of 1948 (the very first education commission of independent India) was chaired by Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan.
Dr. Radhakrishnan was a towering philosopher, academic, and later the second President of India. The commission was specifically tasked with evaluating and improving higher education (university level) to meet the needs of the newly independent nation.
(Note: Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was India's first Education Minister, but not the chairman of this specific commission).
Question 32
Which of the following is the first newspaper of India?
Hicky's Bengal Gazette (also known as the Calcutta General Advertiser) was the first printed newspaper in India, and the first in Asia.
Founded by the Irishman James Augustus Hicky in 1780, it was a highly controversial, independent weekly newspaper. It fiercely criticized the East India Company's administration, particularly Governor-General Warren Hastings, which eventually led to the paper being seized and Hicky being imprisoned.
Question 33
“The great object of the British Government ought to be the promotion of European literature and science among the natives of India, all funds appropriated for the purpose of education would be best employed on English education alone.”
Who made the comment given above?
This is the central thesis of Thomas Babington Macaulay's infamous "Minute on Indian Education" (1835).
Macaulay controversially argued that traditional Indian (Sanskrit and Arabic) knowledge was inherently inferior to Western knowledge. He convinced the Governor-General (Lord William Bentinck) to redirect all government education funds exclusively toward teaching Western curriculum in the English language, creating a class of anglicized Indian intermediaries.
Question 34
Which of the following are the leading characters in the novels written by Mulk Raj Anand?
A. Munoo
B. Bakha
C. Sampath
D. Gangu
E. Dopdi
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Identifying the protagonists of the Marxist/Social Realist novelist Mulk Raj Anand:
- (A) Munoo is the young, exploited orphan protagonist of Coolie (1936).
- (B) Bakha is the young sweeper boy protagonist of his groundbreaking debut, Untouchable (1935).
- (D) Gangu is the protagonist of Two Leaves and a Bud (1937), a worker exploited on a British-owned Assam tea plantation.
Why the others are wrong: Sampath (C) is the protagonist of R.K. Narayan's Mr. Sampath. Dopdi (E) is the famous tribal protagonist of Mahasweta Devi's short story "Draupadi".
Question 35
Match List I with List II:
| List I (Work) | List II (Author) |
|---|---|
| A. Ratanbai: A Sketch of a Bombay High Caste Hindu Young Wife | I. Krupabai Satthianadhan |
| B. The Hindoo Wife or The Enchanted Fruit | II. Shevantibai M. Nikambe |
| C. Kamala, A Story of Hindu Life | III. Toru Dutt |
| D. Bianca or The Young Spanish Maiden | IV. Raj Lakshmi Debi |
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Matching early foundational works by Indian women writers in English:
A. Ratanbai (1895) — (II) Shevantibai M. Nikambe. A novel advocating for women's education in Bombay.
B. The Hindoo Wife or The Enchanted Fruit (1876) — (IV) Raj Lakshmi Debi. One of the earliest novels in English by a Bengali woman.
C. Kamala, A Story of Hindu Life (1894) — (I) Krupabai Satthianadhan. A semi-autobiographical novel critically analyzing child marriage and female suppression.
D. Bianca or The Young Spanish Maiden (1878) — (III) Toru Dutt. Her unfinished first novel (published posthumously).
Question 36
Match List I with List II:
| List I (Poet) | List II (Work) |
|---|---|
| A. Rabindranath Tagore | I. Purdah and Other Poems |
| B. Muhammad Iqbal | II. The Unfinished Man |
| C. Nissim Ezekiel | III. The Child |
| D. Imtiaz Dharker | IV. The Secrets of the Self |
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Matching prominent Subcontinental poets to their works:
A. Rabindranath Tagore — (III) The Child.
B. Muhammad Iqbal — (IV) The Secrets of the Self. His famous Persian philosophical poem Asrar-i-Khudi (translated by R.A. Nicholson).
C. Nissim Ezekiel — (II) The Unfinished Man. His acclaimed 1960 poetry collection analyzing modern urban alienation.
D. Imtiaz Dharker — (I) Purdah and Other Poems. Her 1989 collection exploring gender, religion, and identity.
Question 37
Find the chronological order of publication of the given works:
A. Rajmohan’s Wife
B. A Bend in the Ganges
C. Kanthapura
D. Untouchable
E. Distant Drum
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
The correct chronological sequence of these classic Indian English novels is:
- (A) Rajmohan's Wife (1864): Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay (The first Indian novel in English).
- (D) Untouchable (1935): Mulk Raj Anand.
- (C) Kanthapura (1938): Raja Rao.
- (B) A Bend in the Ganges (1964): Manohar Malgonkar's partition novel.
- (E) Distant Drum (1960/1975 revised): Manohar Malgonkar's army novel.
(Note: This exact same question appeared in Shift 1 of this exam cycle).
Question 38
Name the playwright who has written Larins Sahib.
Larins Sahib (1970) is an acclaimed historical play written by the Indian author and former CEO Gurcharan Das.
The play won the Sultan Padamsee prize. It is a historical drama set in 1846, centering on the complex figure of Henry Lawrence (the British Resident in the Punjab), who begins to identify too closely with the Indian people he rules, attempting to rule like a Maharaja ("Larins Sahib").
Question 39
Identify the plays originally written by Vijay Tendulkar from the following:
A. The Cyclist and His Fifth Woman
B. Scandal in Fairyland
C. The Vultures and Encounter in Umbugland
D. Sakharam Binder
E. Fire and the Rain
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Identifying the gritty, realistic, and often controversial Marathi plays of Vijay Tendulkar:
- (A) The Cyclist and His Fifth Woman are both translated plays by Tendulkar.
- (C) The Vultures (Gidhade) and Encounter in Umbugland are highly political/domestic works by him.
- (D) Sakharam Binder (1972) is his notoriously controversial play about a man who takes in discarded women.
Why the others are wrong: Fire and the Rain (E) is by the great Kannada playwright Girish Karnad. Scandal in Fairyland is by Badal Sircar.
Question 40
Identify the plays written by Asif Currimbhoy from the following:
A. Princes
B. The Captives
C. An Experiment with Truth
D. Angkor
E. Dance Like a Man
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Asif Currimbhoy was one of India's most prolific early English-language playwrights, known for tackling intense political and social themes.
- (B) The Captives (About the 1962 Sino-Indian War).
- (C) An Experiment with Truth (A controversial play analyzing Gandhi's life and asceticism).
- (D) Angkor (Exploring the Cambodian ruins and history).
Why the others are wrong: Princes (A) is a play by Gieve Patel. Dance Like a Man (E) is a famous play by Mahesh Dattani.
Question 41
Which one of the following is false about V. S. Naipaul?
Statement 2 is FALSE. While A House for Mr. Biswas (1961) is considered V.S. Naipaul's masterpiece, it did not win the Booker Prize (the prize wasn't even established until 1969).
Naipaul did win the Booker Prize in 1971, but he won it for his novel In a Free State.
The other statements are true: He won the Nobel Prize in 2001, his early collection Miguel Street won the Somerset Maugham Award, and his father was a journalist for the Trinidad Guardian where Naipaul also contributed.
Question 42
Which of the following novels is NOT written by Amitav Ghosh?
English, August: An Indian Story (1988) is a famous coming-of-age novel written by Upamanyu Chatterjee, not Amitav Ghosh.
The other three options are written by Amitav Ghosh. Sea of Poppies (2008) and Flood of Fire (2015) are parts 1 and 3 of his epic historical Ibis Trilogy (detailing the opium trade). Gun Island is his 2019 novel dealing with climate change and migration.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was Macaulay's Minute on Indian Education?
Authored in 1835 by Thomas Babington Macaulay, this highly controversial document argued that British colonial funds should be spent exclusively on teaching English language and Western science in India, dismissing classical Indian literature (Sanskrit/Arabic) as practically worthless. It laid the foundation for the English-medium education system in India.
Who was Toru Dutt?
Toru Dutt (1856–1877) was a pioneering Indian poet and novelist who wrote in English and French. Though she died at the age of 21, she left behind vital works, including translations of French poetry, the English poetry collection Ancient Ballads and Legends of Hindustan, and the unfinished novel Bianca.
What is the "Ibis Trilogy"?
A massive historical fiction undertaking by the contemporary Indian author Amitav Ghosh. The trilogy consists of Sea of Poppies, River of Smoke, and Flood of Fire. It traces the intertwined lives of diverse characters aboard the ship Ibis against the backdrop of the 19th-century Opium Wars between Britain and China.
