UGC NET Paper 2 English Mock Test - 7 - UGC NET MCQ

The correct answer is "a-i, b-ii, c-iii".

Key Points

• Cornelia Sorabji's writings are full of incident, and they exhibit to us from the inside, as it were, customs and ways of living and of thinking which we usually contemplate from the outside only, and which we are apt to consider and appraise through the mists of our own European prejudices.

  • Sorabji was herself an Indian, one whose strength of character and talent enabled her to face the difficulties of a University education and to pass the examinations which, in the case of a male student, would qualify him to practice at the Indian Bar.

  • The aim and ambition of Miss Sorabji's life were to serve her countrywomen, and in these pages will be found pieces of evidence of her deep sympathy and affection for them.

• Tales of Bengal (1910) is a work by the writer S B Banerjea.

• Thillai Govindan is work from the writer Appavaiya Madhaviah.

Therefore the correct answer is option 1. 

The correct answer is ‘C, D, B, A.’

Key Points

• The Book of the Duchess (C): This is Chaucer's first major work, believed to have been written in the latter part of the 1360s. It is an elegy for Blanche of Lancaster, John of Gaunt's first wife.
• The Parliament of Fowls (D): Thought to have been composed in the early 1380s, this poem delves into themes of love and is often read as a Valentine's Day poem, suggesting its placement after "The Book of the Duchess."
• Troilus and Criseyde (B): This work, crafted in the mid-1380s, is a long poem retelling the tragic love story of Troilus and Criseyde set against the backdrop of the Trojan War. It predates "The Canterbury Tales."
• The Canterbury Tales (A): Begun around 1387 but never completed, this collection of stories told by pilgrims on their way to Canterbury is Chaucer's most famous work and is considered a cornerstone of English literature.
• This chronological order reflects Chaucer's development as a writer, moving from courtly love poems to more complex narratives and finally to the rich tapestry of tales for which he is most celebrated.

Therefore, the correct answer is 'Option 3'.

Additional Information

• The chronological order reflects the evolution of Chaucer's style from elegiac and romantic works to his most ambitious project, "The Canterbury Tales," that showcases an array of characters and societal themes.
• This progression illustrates Chaucer's development as a writer and his experiment with various genres and storytelling techniques.

The correct answer is 'It celebrates a successful love affair.'

Key Points

• Most Elizabethan sonnet sequences, following the tradition of Petrarch, focused on unrequited love or the torments of love. However, Spenser's "Amoretti" is unusual in that it ends in success: the poet's beloved returns his affection, they marry, and he writes a beautiful epithalamion (a marriage song) to celebrate.
• This theme is unique and offers an optimistic perspective on love, contrasting with the usual themes of despair and unrequited love in other sonnet sequences of the time.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 2.

The correct answer is " Empiricism"

 Key-Points

• Empiricism is a philosophical concept that believes in propositions that are rationally true or acceptable. According to this philosophy, concepts about an object originate from the experience of that object.
• The term has originated from the Greek word 'empeiria' which means "experience". 
• Empiricism was popularized in the 17th Century by British philosopher John Locke, who formulated the idea of mind as 'tabula rasa' or "blank tablet" on which experience of things leave their impression as a form of knowledge.
• The movement did not originate from art form or literature but was a philosophical treatise that later influenced authors and other schools of philosophy. 

Therefore, the correct answer is option 2

Additional Information

• Cubism was an 'Avant-grade art' movement popular in Europe during the 20th Century.
  • The movement was initiated by famous painters Pablo Picasso and George Braque.
  • They represented humans and other objects in their art in the form of geometric shapes like cubes.
  • French art critic Louis Vauxcelles coined the term 'cubism' after seeing the landscape painting by Braque in 1980. This movement later influenced related architecture, literature and music.
• Expressionism is a modernist art movement that originated in Northern Europe in the early 20th century.
  • The movement initially was seen in poetry and art that typically presented the subjective view of the author/artist in the form of distorted images.
  • The movement was initiated by the group called 'Die Brücke', which comprised four German painters namely; Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Fritz Bleyl, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff and Erich Heckel.
  • This powerful literary art movement lasted in Europe from 1905 to 1920.
  • 'The Scream' by Edvard Munch is one of the famous works of Expressionism. 
• Realism is a mid-19th Century art movement that began as a reaction against Romanticism and Historical paintings.
  • The movement flourished in France around 1840 with the aim of depicting a truthful vision of the contemporary life of the common people.
  • The movement was led by the French painter Gustave Courbet, whose famous work "The Stone Breakers" depicts the real hardship of two peasants.

The correct answer is John Bergers' "Ways of Seeing".

Key Points 

• John Berger was a novelist, painter and critic. 
• His 1972 book " Ways of Seeing" is an adaptation of a TV show by the same name.
• The book introduced his concept of the "male gaze" which was later popularized by Laura Mulvey.

Therefore, Option 1 is the correct answer. ​Additional Information

• "Surfacing" is a 1972 novel by the Canadian novelist Margaret Atwood.
• "Middlemarch" is an 1871 novel by the Victorian novelist George Eliot.​

The correct answer is As You Like It.

Key Points

• 'As You Like It' is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623.
• As you like it is a Pastoral comedy. 
• Orlando de Boys, the youngest son of the late Sir Rowland de Boys, has been kept in poverty by his brother Oliver since his father's death. Orlando decides to wrestle for his fortune at Frederick's court, where he sees Rosalind and they fall in love.
• William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet and actor.
  • His plays include : Macbeth, Julius Caesar, The Tempest.

Therefore, The correct answer is option 3.

Additional Information

• Hamlet is a revenge tragedy. The ghost of the King of Denmark tells his son Hamlet to avenge his murder by killing the new king, Hamlet's uncle. Hamlet feigns madness, contemplates life and death, and seeks revenge. His uncle, fearing for his life, also devises plots to kill Hamlet.
• The Tempest is a Tragicomedy. Prospero uses magic to conjure a storm and torment the survivors of a shipwreck, including the King of Naples and Prospero's treacherous brother, Antonio. Prospero's slave, Caliban, plots to rid himself of his master, but is thwarted by Prospero's spirit-servant Ariel.
• King Lear is a tragedy. King Lear divides his kingdom among the two daughters who flatter him and banishes the third one who loves him. His eldest daughters both then reject him at their homes, so Lear goes mad and wanders through a storm.

The correct answer is "William Langland".

Key Points

• William Langland wrote the Middle English allegorical narrative poem Piers Plowman, also known as Visio Willelmi de Petro Ploughman (William's Vision of Piers Plowman).
• The verse is divided into sections called passus (Latin for "step"). 
• It is written in an alliterative, non-rhyming verse.

Therefore, the correct answer is option 3.

Additional Information

• The Canterbury Tales, which Geoffrey Chaucer wrote, is his best-known work as a poet, author, and public official in England. He has been referred to as the "father of English poetry" and the "father of English literature."
• John Gower was an English poet, Geoffrey Chaucer's close friend, and a contemporary of William Langland and the Pearl Poet.
• Sir Thomas More was an English lawyer, judge, social philosopher, author, statesman, and well-known Renaissance humanist. He is also known as Saint Thomas More in the Catholic Church.

The correct answer is 'To a Skylark.'

 Key Points

• "To a Skylark" is a major work by Percy Bysshe Shelley, known for its revolutionary and visionary themes.
• The poem is an ode addressed to a skylark, celebrating the bird's unbounded freedom and contrasting it with the limitations of human existence.
• Shelley uses the skylark as a symbol of the poet's aspirations for a better, more liberated world.
• The poem reflects Shelley's belief in the transformative power of poetry to inspire social change.
• Shelley, a Romantic poet, was deeply influenced by political and social issues, and "To a Skylark" exemplifies his visionary and revolutionary spirit.

Therefore, the correct answer is 'Option 2'.

 Additional Information

• Option 1 is incorrect. "Ode to a Nightingale" is a poem by John Keats, not Shelley. It explores themes of mortality and the contrast between the ideal and the real.
• Option 3 is incorrect. "Endymion" is a narrative poem by John Keats, not Shelley. It follows the mythological story of Endymion and focuses on the theme of beauty and ideal love.
• Option 4 is incorrect. "The Eve of St. Agnes" is another poem by John Keats, not Shelley. It is a romantic narrative poem with elements of the supernatural.

The correct answer is 'The importance of fulfilling familial duties.'

Key Points

• The quote emphasizes the duty of comforting family and returning them to the fatherland, highlighting the importance of fulfilling familial responsibilities. 
• While death is mentioned, the central theme is the obligation to family and the potential negative consequences if this duty is neglected.

Therefore, the correct option is ‘Option 2.’

Additional Information 

• Option 1 is incorrect. While death is mentioned, the primary focus is on fulfilling duties to family, not the inevitability of death.
• Option 3 is incorrect. Exile is mentioned, but the central theme is the duty to family rather than the consequences of exile.
• Option 4 is incorrect. Personal happiness is not the central theme; the emphasis is on familial duties.

Irish was not a dialect of Old English. There are four dialects of old English: Mercian, Northumbrian, Kentish, and West Saxon. Thus, “Irish” is the odd one out. Irish (Gaeilge) is a Goidelic (Gaelic) language that originated in Ireland and has been historically spoken by the Irish people.

"Ode to a Nightingale" is a poem by John Keats written either in the garden of the Spaniards Inn, Hampstead, London or, according to Keats' friend Charles Armitage Brown, under a plum tree in the garden of Keats' house at Wentworth Place, also in Hampstead. According to Brown, a nightingale had built its nest near the house Keats and Brown shared in the spring of 1819. Inspired by the bird's song, Keats composed the poem in one day.

"To a Skylark" is a poem completed by Percy Bysshe Shelley in late June 1820 and published accompanying his lyrical drama Prometheus Unbound by Charles and James Collier in London.

Gerard Manley Hopkins  (28 July 1844 – 8 June 1889) was an English poet and Jesuit priest, whose posthumous fame established him among the leading Victorian poets. His manipulation of prosody (particularly his concept of sprung rhythm and use of imagery) established him as an innovative writer of verse. Two of his major themes were nature and religion. Falcon is written by G. H. Hopkins.

There is a poem by Ted Hughes called Hawk Roosting. Hughes included this poem in his second book of poetry called Lupercal, which was published in 1960. Hughes was met with almost instant acclaim in 1957 after his first book of poetry, Hawk in the Rain, was published; it catapulted Hughes into the spotlight. Hughes was born in England in 1930; he received his formal education at Cambridge, and he even served in the Royal Air Force. Hughes married American poet Sylvia Plath in 1956. Hughes and Plath had two children, but the majority of their marriage was rocky and unstable. Plath ended her life in 1963. Hughes served as Poet Laureate from 1984 until his death of cancer in 1998. Birthday Letters, the last book of poetry published before his death, explored the complex relationship he shared with Plath.

Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee was celebrated on 20th and 21st of June 1887. On 20th June the day began quietly with breakfast under the trees at Frogmore, the resting place of her beloved late husband, Prince Albert.

• Reading Rape by Sabine Sielke examines how American culture talks about sexual violence and explains why, in the latter twentieth century, rape achieved such significance as a trope of power relations.
• Writing About Rape by Jim C. Hines. 
• The Rape of Lucrece is a narrative poem by William Shakespeare about the legendary Lucretia. 
• The Rape of the Lock is a mock-heroic narrative poem written by Alexander Pope.

The Marriage of Heaven and Hell is a book by the English poet and printmaker William Blake. It is a series of texts written in imitation of biblical prophecy but expressing Blake's own intensely personal Romantic and revolutionary beliefs. ... The plates were then coloured by Blake and his wife Catherine.

Volpone refers to his gold as "Thou" but that is not one of the options. Go back then to the opening when Volpone refers to his gold as "my saint" in the shrine.

The correct answer is 'It enables a multi-perspective critique of societal norms, through varied letters capturing different characters' views'.

Key Points

• The epistolary form of "Evelina" allows Burney to present a range of voices and perspectives on the society and times, facilitating a nuanced exploration of eighteenth-century life, manners, and the stark gender expectations placed upon women.
• Through the letters of various characters, readers gain access to differing societal viewpoints, insights, and experiences, which collectively critique and satirize the norms and mores of the period.
• The personal nature of letters allows for an intimate glimpse into characters' thoughts and feelings, presenting a more complex and layered understanding of the challenges faced by women like Evelina in navigating public and private spheres.
• This form also reflects the significance of reputation, communication, and miscommunication in eighteenth-century society, engaging with themes of public vs. private identity, the role of women, and the complexities of social mobility.
• Evelina's growth and moral development throughout the novel, as depicted through her correspondence, confront and question the limitations imposed by society on women, offering readers a critical lens on gender roles and expectations.

Therefore, the correct answer is ‘Option 3.’

Additional Information

• Limited to Evelina's point of view (Option 1) contradicts the varied perspectives offered by the epistolary format.
• Enhances the authenticity of historical events (Option 2) overlooks the novel’s primary function as social critique rather than historical documentation.
• Focuses solely on romantic developments (Option 4) understates the depth of societal and gender critique present in the novel.

• Alliteration is a literary device that involves the repetition of the same initial consonant sound in a series of nearby words or syllables.
• In the phrase "Pretty purple pansies", the alliteration is created by the repetition of the "p" sound in "pretty", "purple", and "pansies".
• The repetition of the "p" sound creates a pleasing rhythmic effect and draws attention to the phrase.

Therefore, the correct answer is 'Option 2.'

• Option 1: "Sunset over the ocean" does not contain any alliteration.
• Option 3: "Running quickly through the forest" contains alliteration in the "r" sound in "running" and "quickly", but it is not as prominent as the alliteration in Option 2.
• Option 4: "Bright stars in the sky" does not contain any alliteration.

The correct answer is 'Elizabeth Bennet — Hester Prynne — Sherlock Holmes — Jay Gatsby'.

Key Points

• Elizabeth Bennet is a character from "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen, which was published in 1813. This novel is one of the earliest among the options listed, setting the foundation for later English literature.
• Hester Prynne is the protagonist of "The Scarlet Letter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne, published in 1850. This places her next chronologically, as this novel delves into themes of legality, sin, and societal norms in 17th-century Puritan Massachusetts Bay Colony.
• Sherlock Holmes, created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, first appeared in "A Study in Scarlet" in 1887. As a detective character, Holmes represents a significant aspect of Victorian literature and has become iconic in mystery and detective fiction.
• Jay Gatsby is from "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald, published in 1925. This novel reflects the opulence and disillusionment of the American Jazz Age, making Gatsby the most modern character among these options.

Therefore, the correct answer is 'Option 2'.

Additional Information

• Options 1, 3, and 4 misorder the characters, not aligning with the publication dates of their respective novels.

The correct answer is 'Satire.'

Key Points

• The Comedy of Humours is a genre associated with the portrayal of characters dominated by a single trait or "humour" (such as melancholy, sanguine, choleric, or phlegmatic).
• This comedic style aims to satirize and exaggerate these dominant traits for humorous effect.
• Ben Jonson is a notable playwright associated with the Comedy of Humours, and his play "Every Man in His Humour" is a prime example.

Therefore, the correct answer is 'Option 2.'

Additional Information

• Option 1: Farce is a comedic genre characterized by exaggerated and improbable situations.
• Option 3: Romantic Comedy focuses on romantic relationships and often ends with a positive resolution.
• Option 4: Morality Plays are a different genre that conveys moral lessons through allegorical characters and events

The correct answer is 'Both Assertion and Reason are true, and Reason is the correct explanation of Assertion'.

Key Points

• Freytag's Pyramid is indeed a structure often applied to analyze the plot sequence of stories and plays.
• The five critical components - exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and denouement - rightly encapsulate the narrative arc that many classical and modern works follow.
• This model helps dissect and understand the progression and the narrative mechanics at play within a story.
• It allows both writers and critics to visualize a narrative's construction, ensuring a cohesive and compelling development from beginning to end.
• Exposition introduces settings and characters; rising action builds tension; climax is the turning point; falling action leads towards resolution, and denouement ties up loose ends, offering closure.

The correct answer is 'Comedy of Manners'.

Key Points

• Oscar Wilde was a renowned playwright from the Victorian era, well known for his 'Comedy of Manners' plays. In this genre, the lifestyles, attitudes, and values of the social upper class are often mocked.
• "The Importance of Being Earnest", his best-known play, is a printed demonstration of his razor-sharp wit, verbal dexterity, and his knack for poking fun at the traditional norms and pretension of Victorian society.
• Often using humor, irony, and satire, Wilde portrayed characters whose lifestyles were choked by societal pressures, falseness, and superficiality, thus challenging and critiquing the morality of the Victorian upper class.
• Wilde's comedies not just entertained but depicted the decadence of Victorian society with a light, humorous touch.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 2.

The correct answer is "To Penshurst".

Key Points

• Every Man in His Humour is a 1598 play by the English playwright Ben Jonson.
  • The play belongs to the subgenre of the "humours comedy," in which each major character is dominated by an over-riding humour or obsession.
• Volpone is a comedy play by English playwright Ben Jonson first produced in 1605–1606, drawing on elements of city comedy and beast fable.
• The Alchemist is a comedy by English playwright Ben Jonson.
  • First performed in 1610 by the King's Men
• "To Penshurst" is a country house poem by Ben Jonson.

Therefore, the correct answer is option 1.

Additional Information

• A country house poem is a poem in which the author compliments a wealthy patron or a friend through a description of his country house.
• Such poems were popular in early 17th-century England.

The Elizabethan Religious Settlement, which was made during the reign of Elizabeth I, was a response to the religious divisions in England during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI, Lady Jane Grey, and Mary I. This response, described as "The Revolution of 1559", was set out in two acts of parliament.
The Act of Supremacy of 1558 re-established the Church of England's independence from Rome, with parliament conferring on Elizabeth the title Supreme Governor of the Church of England while the Act of Uniformity of 1559 re-introduced the 1552 Book of Common Prayer (BCP) which contained the liturgical services of the church with some modification in a more Catholic direction.

Lyrical Ballads, with a Few Other Poems is a collection of poems by William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, first published in 1798 and generally considered to have marked the beginning of the English Romantic movement in literature.The immediate effect on critics was modest, but it became and remains a landmark, changing the course of English literature and poetry.

Patrick White is the first Australian to win a Nobel prize for his novels and one of the most celebrated novelist of 20th century English literature. These four novels were written by White. The chronology is as follows:

Anita Desai is one of the most celebrated Indian novelist of English Language. She is best known for the psychological study of characters specifically of Indian women.

Where Shall We Go This Summer? is a novel by Desai which revolves around the life of a middle aged woman in contemporary urban settings who suffered from pre-natal neurosis.

The Zigzag Way is a novel about an American academician Eric, who went to Mexico as follows her girlfriend at her research site and come to know some secret about the history of his family.

Cry, the Peacock is the maiden novel of Anita Desai and published in year 1963. The novel talks about psychological analysis of Maya, a neurotic and introvert woman who is the victim of the inadequacy of human relationships. Her frustration and loneliness depict by the writer effectively in the novel.

Baumgartner’s Bombay is a novel focus on the life of Baumgartner a German Jew who seeks refuge in India.

R. P. Blackmur was an American literary critic whose criticism was influential among many modernist poets and the New Critics. The above piece has been extracted from an essay by the critic titled “A Critic’s Job of Work”. In the essay, Blackmur announces that criticism is the province of the “amateur” and is concerned with love and understanding rather than allegiance to a particular school or method.

In the given lines, Blackmur compares walking with criticism because he considers both to be “arts” of a similar kind that call for attention to detail and utmost care. He does not quite give the readers the equivalents of “Some paved walks and some form of rapid transport” in order to press his comparison.

• Chartism was a well -known movement for political reform in Britain that existed from 1838 to 1857. It took its name from the People’s Charter of 1838 and was a national protest movement.
• The People’s Charter called for six reforms to make the political system more democratic:

1. A vote for every man twenty-one years of age, of sound mind, and not undergoing punishment for a crime.
2. Vote by secret ballot to protect the elector in the exercise of his vote.
3. No property qualification for Members of Parliament.
4. Payment of Members, enabling tradesmen, working men, or other persons of modest means to leave or interrupt their livelihood to attend to the interests of the nation.
5. Equal constituencies, securing the same amount of representation for the same number of electors.
6. Annual Parliamentary elections.

Leigh Hunt, was an English critic, essayist, poet, and writer. He was a central figure of the Romantic movement and Criticism in England. The lines are from an essay by Hunt “An Answer to the Question: What is Poetry? “In the essay, Hunt talks over Romanticism and the purpose of Poetry.

What is poetry? is a didactic work for the reader to follow and benefitted. This essay is, a valuable contribution to early 19th century literary criticism and inspired Shelley, Coleridge and Wordsworth to write their well-known treatises.

• Thomas Hardy was a Victorian novelist and poet as well. Jude the Obscure, the last completed novel by him and was first published in book form in 1895.
• The novel received a harsh reception from some scandalized critics and Hardy stopped writing novel after that.