TS SET Paper 2 Mock Test - 2 (English) - TS TET MCQ

The correct answer is 'The inherent instability of meaning within the text'.

Key Points

• Post-structuralism challenges the idea that texts can have a single, fixed meaning, instead arguing that meanings are fluid and subject to the interpretation of the reader.
• This approach emphasizes the role of language in shaping reality and suggests that language itself is incapable of fully capturing or conveying fixed meanings.
• Post-structuralist analysis often focuses on how meanings are constructed, deconstructed, and reconstructed by readers, highlighting the multiplicity of interpretations rather than seeking a 'true' or 'original' meaning.
• It also investigates the binary oppositions within texts (e.g., good vs. evil, male vs. female) and how these distinctions are socially constructed and subject to deconstruction.
• Through this lens, the reader's interaction with the text becomes a focal point, where each reading can unveil new meanings, thereby destabilizing any authoritative interpretation.
• This approach implicitly critiques the notion of an all-knowing, all-powerful author, instead foregrounding the active role of the reader in generating meaning.

Therefore, the correct answer is ‘Option 3.’

Additional Information

• The author's intention and biography (Option 1) are emphasized in biographical criticism, not post-structuralism.
• The cultural and historical context of the text (Option 2) aligns more with historical criticism or cultural studies.
• Economic factors influencing the text's creation (Option 4) are the focus of Marxist literary criticism

Usage

Imagism was a movement in early 20th-century Anglo-American poetry that favored precision of imagery and clear, sharp language. The Imagists rejected the sentiment and discursiveness typical of much Romantic and Victorian poetry.

The correct answer is 'The innocence and purity of creation'.

Key Points

• The lamb, as presented in the poem, symbolizes innocence and purity, reflected in its meek and gentle characteristics that parallel the attributes associated with the Creator, who is also described as "meek & he is mild."
• The setting of the poem alongside the tender portrayal of the lamb underscores the theme of the divine innocence imbued within creation, highlighting a world untainted by sin or corruption.
• By framing the Creator Himself as a Lamb, the poem emphasizes the purity and vulnerability that are intrinsic to the divine order and the natural world, offering a reflection on the inherent goodness of God's creations.
• The transformative identification between the lamb and the divine underscores the broader theological assertion of an unbroken connection between Creator and creation, celebrating the sanctity and purity found within this bond.
• The poem's tone, language, and imagery collectively celebrate the joy, simplicity, and innocence of creation, encapsulating these qualities as fundamental aspects of the divine nature and its manifestations.

Therefore, the correct answer is 'Option 3'.

Additional Information

• Options 1 ('The corruption of innocence'), 2 ('The cruelty of nature'), and 4 ('The inevitability of death') focus on themes that contrast sharply with the principal theme of "The Lamb," which is centered on celebrating the purity and goodness of creation.

• Poetic license is the right assumed by poets to alter or invert standard syntax or depart from common diction or pronunciation to comply with the metrical or tonal requirements of their writing.

• Poetic license involves the departure of facts or even rules for language in order to create a different effect, usually dramatic, for a piece of work or speech. Shakespeare does this a lot in his works.

• The famous example is the infamous line from Julius Caesar: “Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your ears” as he has omitted the use of the word “and” after “Romans” in order to keep the line in iambic pentameter. Other examples include the contractions “o’er” and “e’er, ” which are commonly used in poetry.

• The line hints toward the bird described in the poem. As soon the bird realized the presence of the poet or a human it felt cautious and stirred his head as he doesn’t know about the next step of the stranger.
• The action of the bird reflects his fear of an upcoming danger.

Romesh Chunder Dutt
He was an Indian historian and writer of Indian English.
He is well-known for translations of Ramayana and Mahabhartha.
A. K. Ramanujan
A. K. Ramanujan is an Indian poet in English.
He translated Speaking of Siva, a collection of free-verse lyrics written by four major saints of the great ‘bhakti ‘protest movement.
Mohini Chatterjee
He was a Bengali scholar and member of Theosophical society.
He is known as one of the translators of The Bhagvad Gita into English.
Manmatha Nath Dutt
He is a Bengali origin scholar of Sanskrit and known as India’s most prolific translator of Hindu epics and scriptures.
He translated various Indian classics including The Mahbhartha into English.

The correct answer is '(a) - (i), (b) - (ii), (c) - (iii), (d) - (iv)'.

Key Points

• Cultural Homogenization refers to the process whereby local cultures are pressured to conform to external, often Western, cultural influences, mainly due to the expansion of multinational corporations.
• Deterritorialization signifies a globalisation effect where traditional geographic and cultural boundaries are becoming less relevant, facilitated by technology and the increase in transnational exchanges.
• Washington Consensus is a term used to describe a set of neoliberal economic policies that have gained prominence globally, especially in policy formation in developing countries.
• Digital Divide highlights the gap between individuals who have access to modern information and communication technology and those who do not, a significant issue in the age of globalisation.

Therefore, the correct answer is 'Option 1'.

Additional Information

• Options 2, 3, and 4 misplace terms with unrelated globalisation concepts, confusing the specific aspects and effects of globalisation.

• Oroonoko: or, the Royal Slave is a widely read and praised work of fiction, written in prose by Aphra Behn and published in 1688. The novel revolves around the life of Oroonkoo, an African prince who was abducted by British traders and fetched to Surinam. The narrator of the novel is an English woman, and possibly the mouthpiece of the author, Aphra Behn.
• The story has a mixture of first and third person narrative. The narrator claims to have met the prince during his captivity and narrate the whole story as an eyewitness of the events described. Trefry is one of the main characters, manager of Parham Plantation, who tried to free the prince.
• Note: Aphra Behn is one of the first English women to earn her living by her writing. She is notably remembered by Virginia Woolf in her essay “A Room of One’s Own”

The correct answer is ‘Crime and Punishment.’

 Key Points

• Crime and Punishment is a psychological novel that delves into the themes of existentialism, morality, and the nature of free will.
• The novel follows the protagonist, Raskolnikov, a former student who murders a pawnbroker in order to prove his theory that he is an extraordinary individual who is above the law.
• Raskolnikov's actions lead him on a journey of guilt, remorse, and self-discovery as he grapples with the consequences of his crime.
• Dostoevsky uses Raskolnikov's story to explore the complex relationship between morality and free will, questioning whether humans are truly free to choose their actions or whether they are predetermined by their circumstances.

Therefore, the correct answer is ‘Option 4.’

 Additional Information

• (1) The Idiot: This novel explores the themes of goodness, innocence, and the destructive power of society on the individual.
• (2) Demons: This novel delves into the themes of political extremism, nihilism, and the dangers of revolutionary ideology.
• (3) The Brothers Karamazov: This novel explores the themes of faith, doubt, and the search for meaning in life through the story of four brothers.

The correct answer is ‘A, B, C, D, E.’

 Key Points

• Renaissance (A) emerged in the 16th and 17th centuries.
• Neoclassicism (B) emerged in the 17th and 18th centuries.
• Romanticism (C) emerged in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
• Victorianism (D) emerged in the 19th century.
• Modernism (E) emerged in the early 20th century.
• These major movements in English literature reflect the changing cultural, intellectual, and social values of their time.
• They are characterized by distinct literary styles, themes, and preoccupations.
• These movements have had a profound impact on the development of English literature.

The correct answer is "Edward Fitzgerald".

Key Points

• Edward FitzGerald (1809–1883) translated and adapted Omar Khayyám's (1048–1131) "The Rubáiyát" into English.
• Khayyám was a Persian polymath who was born in Neyshapur, in modern-day Iran.
• He was a mathematician, philosopher, astronomer, physician, and poet. One of the foremost mathematicians and astronomers of the medieval era, Khayyám wrote treatises on mechanics, geography, and music.
• His few remaining philosophical writings and his importance as a philosopher and teacher have not garnered the same prominence as his scientific and artistic accomplishments.

Therefore, the correct answer is option 1.

Additional Information

• Algernon Charles Swinburne was an English poet, playwright, writer, and critic. In addition to writing multiple books and poetry collections like Poems and Ballads, he also made a significant contribution to the Encyclopaedia Britannica's renowned Eleventh Edition.
  • Swinburne wrote about a variety of taboo subjects, including anti-theism, lesbianism, and sado-masochism. His poetry frequently references the ocean, time, and death.
• British textile designer, poet, artist, author of architectural design, printer, translator, and socialist activist William Morris was a member of the British Arts and Crafts Movement.
• Matthew Arnold stands out among the other notable Victorian authors in that his fame is based equally on his poetry and his poetry criticism.

Drilling is a technique that us foreign language learning classrooms. It used to be an important feature of audio-lingual method approaches to language teaching, which emphasized on repeating structural patterns through oral practice.

Drilling means listening to a model, provided by the teacher, or a tape or another student and repeating what is heard. Harmer states that drilling is mechanical ways if getting students to demonstrate and practice their ability to use specific language items in a controlled manner. Also, comprehension of the item by the learners is not required in Drilling.

The concept of "Star-equilibrium" in connection with man-woman relationship appears in Women in Love. It discloses Lawrence's assertion of establishing the equilibrium Male/Female relationship.

The correct answer is "a - II, b - I, c - IV, d - III".

Key Points

• Sir John Falstaff is a character in William Shakespeare's play "The Merry Wives of Windsor". Two housewives, Mistress Ford and Mistress Page are pursued by a big, dishonourable Sir John Falstaff, but they outsmart and humiliate him in the process.
• Shakespeare's Macbeth has a fictional figure named King Duncan. He is the father of two young sons and the victim of his dependable commander Macbeth's well-planned regicide in an attempt to seize power.
• In Shakespeare's play Cymbeline, King Cymbeline's daughter is named Imogen.
  • William Hazlitt referred to her as "probably the most sensitive and the most artless" of all the women in Shakespeare's plays.
• One of the conspirators in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar was the Roman commander Marcus Brutus. Despite being a man of honour and a friend of Caesar, Brutus participates in the plot to assassinate him by persuading himself that Caesar's demise is in the best interests of Rome.

Therefore, the correct answer is option 1.

The correct answer is 'Horatian satire'.

Key Points

• "The Rape of the Lock" by Alexander Pope is an example of a mock-epic, a form of light, gentle, and indirect satire termed as Horatian satire.
• Unlike the bitter and critical tone employed in Juvenalian satire, Horatian satire focuses on humor and mockery, holding up folly to a somewhat lighthearted ridicule.
• Pope uses this style to mock the upper society's trivial concerns (specifically a fight over a lock of hair), treating it with the seriousness of a national catastrophe and thereby invoking humor and critique.
• Through his effective usage of Horatian Satire, Pope humorously plumbs the social frivolity of the aristocratic class.

The correct answer is ‘Henry V.’

 Key Points

• Henry VI, Part 1 portrayed Joan of Arc as a witch, in keeping with British views at the time.

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 "Boethius".

Key Points

• Boethius, also known as Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius, was a Roman senator, consul, magister officiorum, historian, and philosopher of the Early Middle Ages.
• Geoffrey Chaucer was a poet, author, and government servant best remembered for his work The Canterbury Tales.
  • He has been referred to as the "Father of English Literature" or the "Father of English Poetry".
  • He was the first writer to be buried in what is now known as Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey.
• Geoffrey Chaucer translated Boethius' The Consolation of Philosophy into Middle English.
  • The original text, written in Latin, emphasizes the relevance of philosophy in everyday life and was a prominent work of philosophy during the Middle Ages.

Therefore, the correct answer is option 4.

Additional Information

• Homer was a Greek poet who wrote The Iliad and The Odyssey, two epic poems that are considered foundational classics of ancient Greek literature. Homer is regarded as one of history's most respected and influential authors.
• Quintus Horatius Flaccus, better known as Horace in the English-speaking world, was the leading Roman lyric poet during the reign of Augustus.
• Publius Vergilius Maro, sometimes known as Virgil or Vergil in English, was an Augustan-era Roman poet. He wrote three of Latin literature's most famous poems: the Eclogues, the Georgics, and the epic Aeneid.

Nineteen Eighty-Four is a dystopian novel by English author George Orwell published in 1949. The novel is set in Airstrip One (formerly known as Great Britain), a province of the super state Oceania in a world of perpetual war, omnipresent government surveillance and public manipulation, dictated by a political system euphemistically named English Socialism (or Ingsoc in the government's invented language, Newspeak) under the control of a privileged Inner Party elite, that persecutes  individualism and independent thinking as "thought crimes."

The correct answer is '(Smith & Jones, 2018).'

Key Points

• Use of Ampersand: APA format requires the use of an ampersand "&" between the two authors' last names within the parentheses for in-text citations.
• Year of Publication: The year of publication follows the authors’ names, separated by a comma.
• Parenthetical Format: The entire citation is placed within parentheses.
• Authors' Last Names Only: Only the last names of the authors are used; no initials unless there are multiple authors with the same last name.
• Simplification: This format provides a clear, concise way to reference multiple authors without cluttering the text.

Therefore, the correct answer is 'Option 1'.

Additional Information

• Option 2: Listing the authors separately with different publication years is incorrect for a single work by two authors.
• Option 3: "And" is used in narrative citations, not within parentheses; for parenthetical citations, "&" is correct.
• Option 4: Initials are not required in parenthetical in-text citations in APA.

The correct answer is 'A, B, C, D, E'

 Key Point

• New Criticism became prominent in the 1930s and 1940s. It focused on close reading of the text itself, without considering external factors such as authorship or historical context. New Criticism emphasized the text's intrinsic value and its structural and literary devices.
• Structuralism emerged in the mid-20th century, particularly in the 1950s and 1960s, drawing heavily from linguistics. It proposed that human culture could be understood by identifying and analyzing its underlying structures. Structuralism looks for the underlying meaning behind cultural phenomena and was influential in the development of other theories.
• Post-Structuralism, developing in the late 1960s and into the 1970s, evolved as a response to Structuralism. It questioned the idea of fixed structures and meanings, suggesting that meaning is always deferred and can never be fully pinned down. This theory argues against the rigid frameworks of Structuralism, proposing that interpretations can vary.
• Deconstruction, a form of criticism developed by Jacques Derrida in the late 20th century (mostly in the 1970s), often associated with Post-Structuralism, further explores the instability of meaning within texts. It deconstructs established structures and ideas, revealing contradictions and conflicts within texts themselves.
• New Historicism rose to prominence in the 1980s. It merges the literary analysis with historical context, proposing that literature and history are dynamically interrelated. New Historicism reconsiders texts within the context of their creation and reception historically.

In the 1960s Derrida’s work was welcomed in France and elsewhere by thinkers interested in the broad interdisciplinary movement known as structuralism. The structuralists analyzed various cultural phenomena such as myths, religious rituals, literary narratives and fashions in dress and adornment as general systems of signs analogous to natural languages, with their own vocabularies and their own underlying rules and structures and attempted to develop a metalanguage of terms and concepts in which the various sign systems could be described.

• The Graveyard school of Poetry was pioneered by Edward Young and Robert Blair, referring to the tendency of some 18th-century writers to harp on death and grave.
• The Satanic School was a name applied by Robert Southey to a class of writers headed by Byron and Shelley, because, according to him, their productions were "characterized by a Satanic spirit of pride and audacious impiety".
• The Fleshly School is the name given by Robert Buchanan to a realistic, sensual school of poets, to which Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Morris, and Algernon Charles Swinburne belong. He accused them of immorality in an article entitled "The Fleshly School of Poetry" in The Contemporary Review in October 1871.
• The "Cockney School" refers to a group of poets and essayists writing in England in the second and third decades of the 19th century

The correct answer is Charles Francis Hockett.

Key Points

• Charles Francis Hockett (January 17, 1916 – November 3, 2000) was an American linguist who developed many influential ideas in American structuralist linguistics.
• Human language has a duality of structure, it has words and sounds.
• Human language is arbitrary. That means human language has no natural connection between encoded signs and its meaning.
• Human languages are creative, it is an open-ended systems.
• Human language is productive, meaning infinite structures of sentences can be made.
• Displacement is possible in human language, for example, you can talk about something that happened in past in the present.
• Human language is culturally transmitted, hence can be studied by any human being.
• They are dynamic and modifiable. That means human communication can change over time.
• Prevarication or lying is possible in human language.
• Specialisation is possible in human language. 

Therefore the correct answer is Option 1.

Additional Information

• ​Animal Communication is an example of another kind of communication different from human communication.

The correct answer is 'Troilus and Criseyde.'

 Key Points

• Courtly Love: Troilus and Criseyde is a narrative poem that adheres to the conventions of courtly love, exploring the theme of love in a chivalric context.
• Chaucer's Innovation: Chaucer brings a unique perspective to the traditional love story, delving into the psychological complexities of the characters.
• Characterization: The characters, especially Troilus and Criseyde, undergo significant development, providing insights into human nature.
• Tragic Element: The poem takes a tragic turn, addressing themes of betrayal, destiny, and the fickleness of fortune.
• Influence: Chaucer draws on various sources, including Boccaccio's 'Il Filostrato,' to craft a compelling and intricate narrative.

Therefore, the correct answer is 'Option 1.'

 Additional Information

• Option 2: The Canterbury Tales is a collection of diverse stories, and while it includes tales of love, it does not specifically focus on courtly love conventions.
• Option 3: The Romaunt of the Rose is a partial translation of a French allegorical poem, not directly addressing themes of jealousy and fortune.
• Option 4: The Book of the Duchess is an elegy mourning the death of Blanche, Duchess of Lancaster, with a focus on grief rather than courtly love.

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

 Key Points

• Close Reading: New Criticism is a school of literary criticism that emphasizes the close reading of a literary text, paying meticulous attention to its language, structure, imagery, and other intrinsic qualities.
• Intrinsic Qualities: New Critics argue that the meaning of a literary work resides within the text itself, independent of external factors such as the author's intentions, historical context, or reader's response. They believe that the text is a self-contained object that can be analyzed and interpreted solely on its own terms.
• Both the Assertion and Reason are true, and the Reason is the correct explanation for the Assertion. New Critics believe that the text is a self-contained object that can be analyzed and interpreted solely on its own terms.

Therefore, the correct answer is 'Option 1.'

 Additional Information

• Option 2: Both the Assertion and Reason are true, and the Reason explains the Assertion.
• Option 3: The Assertion is true, and the Reason is also true, providing a valid explanation.
• Option 4: The Assertion is false, as New Criticism indeed advocates for a close reading independent of authorial intentions or historical context.

John Anthony Burgess is an English writer (majorly a comic writer) and composer who was born in 1917 and died in 1993. Few of his famous works include the Malayan trilogy, 'The Long Day Wanes' (3 books are 'Time for a Tiger', 'The Enemy in the Blanket' and 'Beds in the East') and his dystopian novel 'A Clockwork Orange.'

'A Dead Man in Deptford' is the last novel of the author which was published in 1993. The novel depicts life and character of Christopher Marlowe, the renowned playwright of the Elizabethan age. The novel explores the life of Marlowe as a sex addict and his love for theatre.

Ottava rima, Italian stanza form composed of eight 11-syllable lines, rhyming abababcc. It originated in the late 13th and early 14th centuries and was developed by Tuscan poets for religious verse and drama and in troubadour songs.

Learners acquire language by trying to use it in real situations such as going shopping, introducing yourself, making calls, expressing your opinion and many more. Learner practice in particular communicative situations, illustrated with exemplary dialogues, vocabulary and important idioms. Learner’s first language or mother tongue also plays an important role in learning any other languages, specifically in translation method of language learning. Through communicative activities, students can learn to use language in real communication.

It is important that activities in Communicative Language Teaching focus on students to practice using the target language in the classroom. As all four parts of language learning are important, equally in themselves so language cannot be acquired if more stress given on writing rather than speech in the target language.