Table of Contents
Question 42
Which of the following concepts are associated with Bhartrhari's theory of ‘Sphota’?
A. Rasa
B. Alankara
C. Dhvani
D. Vakrokti
E. Shabda Brahman
Choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below:
In ancient Sanskrit linguistic philosophy, Bhartrhari's theory of Sphota (the "bursting forth" of meaning in the mind when language is uttered) is deeply connected to (C) Dhvani (the acoustic element/sound) and (E) Shabda Brahman (the transcendental sound or eternal word).
Bhartrhari posited that while the spoken sounds (Dhvani) are temporary and variable, the underlying meaning (Sphota) is an indivisible, eternal reality linked to the ultimate reality of Shabda Brahman.
(Note: Rasa refers to aesthetic emotion, Alankara refers to poetic ornamentation, and Vakrokti refers to oblique/curved poetic expression—none of which are the primary focus of Bhartrhari's specific linguistic Sphota theory).
Question 43
Tolkappiyam is a book of grammar and poetics written in the…
The Tolkāppiyam is the most ancient extant Tamil grammar text and the oldest surviving long work of Tamil literature.
It is a comprehensive text on grammar and poetics, including sutras on orthography, phonology, etymology, morphology, semantics, and prosody.
Question 44
Who is the author of the essay “Three Women’s Texts and a Critique of Imperialism” (1985)?
"Three Women’s Texts and a Critique of Imperialism" is a highly influential 1985 essay by the postcolonial feminist theorist Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak.
In this essay, Spivak famously critiques the imperialism embedded in 19th-century feminist literature. She specifically analyzes Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, and Jean Rhys's Wide Sargasso Sea, pointing out how the "feminist" triumphs in western novels (like Jane Eyre's) often rely on the brutal marginalization and silencing of colonized subjects (like Bertha Mason).
Question 45
“It is significant that the productive capacities of this Third Space have a colonial or post-colonial provenance”.
The above lines have been written by:
The concept of the "Third Space" (or "Third Space of Enunciation") is a central tenet of postcolonial theory developed by Homi K. Bhabha in his book The Location of Culture (1994).
Bhabha argues that colonial and post-colonial cultural identity is never pure or static; instead, it exists in a fluid, hybrid "Third Space" where cultures collide, mix, and negotiate meaning, constantly destabilizing the binary of colonizer/colonized.
Question 46
Who among the following critics appropriates the following statement by Karl Marx?
“They cannot represent themselves : they must be represented”.
The prominent postcolonial and transnational feminist theorist Chandra Talpade Mohanty explicitly addresses this Marx quote.
In her book Feminism Without Borders: Decolonizing Theory, Practicing Solidarity, she writes: "It is time to move beyond the Marx who found it possible to say: they cannot represent themselves; they must be represented."
(Note: Edward Said also famously used this exact Marx quote as an epigraph for his seminal book 'Orientalism'. However, among the Indian feminist theorists listed here, Mohanty critically appropriates it to discuss the representation of "Third World Women").
Question 47
Which of these graphic narratives depicts a political crisis?
A. Sarnath Banerjee - Corridor
B. Art Spiegelman - Maus
C. Joe Sacco - Footnotes in Gaza
D. Amruta Patil - Kari
E. Phoebe Gloeckner - The Diary of a Teenage Girl
Choose the correct answer from the options given below: (Note: Actual official options typically pair B & C together for this specific question type)
The graphic narratives from this list that deal heavily with large-scale political crises and historical atrocities are:
- (B) Maus by Art Spiegelman: Depicts the horrors and political crisis of the Holocaust, portraying Jews as mice and Nazis as cats.
- (C) Footnotes in Gaza by Joe Sacco: A piece of graphic journalism investigating the bloody incidents between Israelis and Palestinians during the 1956 Suez Crisis.
Why the others are wrong: Corridor (A) and Kari (D) are Indian graphic novels focusing on urban life and personal identity in Delhi and Mumbai. The Diary of a Teenage Girl (E) is a coming-of-age story.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Bhartrhari's Sphota theory?
It is an ancient Indian linguistic theory from the Sanskrit grammarian Bhartrhari. It suggests that language is fundamentally indivisible in the mind; the spoken sounds (Dhvani) are just vehicles that cause the full, eternal meaning (Sphota) to "burst forth" into the listener's consciousness.
What is Gayatri Spivak's critique of "Jane Eyre"?
In "Three Women's Texts and a Critique of Imperialism," Spivak argues that the feminist victory of Jane Eyre (becoming an independent individual) relies heavily on the imperialist, racist subjugation and silencing of Bertha Mason, the "madwoman in the attic" from Jamaica.
Who coined the term "Third Space" in literary theory?
Postcolonial theorist Homi K. Bhabha coined the term to describe the fluid, hybrid, and ambiguous area of cultural negotiation that occurs between the colonizer and the colonized, rejecting pure, binary cultural identities.
What is "Footnotes in Gaza"?
It is a seminal work of comics journalism published in 2009 by Joe Sacco. It details his investigation into two little-known massacres of Palestinians by Israeli forces in 1956 during the Suez Crisis.
