UGC NET Paper 2 English Mock Test - 4 - UGC NET MCQ

The correct answer is 'Cultural Displacement.'

Key Points

• The collection revolves around the Parsi community's experiences, emphasizing cultural displacement.
• Characters often grapple with the tension between preserving their cultural identity and adapting to a new environment.
• Immigration and diaspora play a crucial role in the narratives, highlighting the challenges of assimilation.
• The Parsi characters navigate between their roots in India and their new lives in the diaspora.
• Cultural displacement serves as a lens to explore issues of identity, belonging, and the impact of change.
• Mistry intricately weaves together the stories to depict the complexities of cultural transitions.

Therefore, the correct answer is 'Option 1.'

Additional Information

• Socioeconomic Inequality (Option 2) is present but not the central theme; the focus is on cultural dynamics.
• Religious Intolerance (Option 3) is addressed, but it's not the primary theme of the collection.
• Generational Conflict (Option 4) is a component, but the overarching theme is cultural displacement.

The correct answer is 'Hardika, Aruna, Smita'.

Key Points

• The play 'Final Solutions' by Mahesh Dattani is structured around the lives of three generations of a Hindu family.
• The first generation character Hardika is portrayed as a grandmother who had unfortunately witnessed terrible religious violence during the pre-independence era, and she carries this trauma with her.
• The second generation is represented by the character of Aruna, Hardika's daughter. Aruna represents the typical post-independence generation that has moved on from the traumas of the partition but continues to harbor subconscious prejudices.
• Lastly, the third generation is depicted through Smita, who is more secular and open-minded, representing the modern generation that seeks to break away from the communal biases present in the previous generations.

The correct answer is  Option 4.

The correct answer is 'Judith Wright'.

Key Points

• Judith Wright is an Australian author, advocator of aboriginal rights and environmentalist. 
• 'Bora Ring'  is a poetry collection by Judith Wright. 
• Bora rings are traditionally religious and cremation sites of the Australian aboriginals.
• In the poem, Wright talks about the loss of this tradition, a hallmark of the aboriginals. 

Therefore the correct answer is option 1. 

Additional Information

• Sally Morgan is an Australian artist, author and dramatist.
  • ​​Some of her works are:
    • ​Sally's story
    • My Place
    • Cruel Wild Woman
• Alexis Wright is an Aboriginal Australian writer.
  • ​Some of her works are:
    • ​Plains of Promise
    • Carpenteria
    • The Swan 

Therefore, the correct answer is ‘the author's intention is irrelevant to the meaning of the text'.

Key Points

• Barthes' concept of the "death of the author" means that the author's intention is irrelevant to the meaning of the text.
• Barthes argues that the meaning of a text is created by the reader, not by the author.
• He believes that the author's intention is only one of many factors that can influence the meaning of a text, and that the reader's own experiences and knowledge are just as important.
• Barthes' concept of the death of the author has been influential in literary theory and criticism, and it has led to a new focus on the role of the reader in the creation of meaning.

Therefore, the correct answer is 'Option 1'.

Additional Information

• Option 2 is incorrect because Barthes believes that the reader is not the sole creator of the meaning of the text.
• Option 3 is incorrect because Barthes believes that the text does not exist independently of the author and the reader.
• Option 4 is incorrect because Barthes believes that the author's biography is less important than the text itself.

The correct answer is ' Arthur Conan Doyle'.

Key Points

•  The Dying Detective or 'The Adventure of the Dying Detective' is a short story written by British writer and physician Arthur Conan Doyle.
•   It was published in 1913. 
•  Conan created the character of the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes. 
•  In the story, Sherlock Holmes pretends to be terribly ill in order to expose a man who is responsible for killing his own nephew.

Thus, it is clear that 'The Dying Detective' is written by Arthur Conan Doyle.

Additional Information

•  Mark Twain ( Samuel Langhorne Clemens)  was an American writer, humorist, publisher and lecturer.  American writer William Faulkner referred to Mark Twain as  'the father of American literature'. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn are two of his most famous works.
•  Nathaniel Hawthorne was an American novelist, dark romantic and short story writer. His works explored the themes of moral conflict, religion and history. The Scarlet Letter and The House of the Seven Gables are two of his famous novels.
• Ruskin Bond is an contemporary  Indian writer of British descent. He is best-known for his children's books. He was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1992 for his novel 'Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra'. The Room on the Roof, The Blue Umbrella and Angry River are some of his other notable works.

The correct answer is "The Road".

Key Points

• American author Cormac McCarthy's post-apocalyptic novel "The Road" was published in 2006.
• In the book, a father and his young son travel arduously for several months across a terrain that has been ravaged by an unknown catastrophe that has wiped out industrial society and practically all life.

Therefore, the correct answer is option 4.

Additional Information

• Thomas Pynchon's first book, "V", was released in 1963. It tells the story of a former member of the U.S. Navy named Benny Profane, his reunion in New York with the Whole Sick Crew, a gang of fictitious artists and hangers-on, and an elderly traveller named Herbert Stencil's mission to find the enigmatic being he only knows as "V." 
• American author Thomas Pynchon published "The Crying of Lot 49" in 1966. The story centers on Oedipa Maas, a young Californian who adopts a conspiracy belief when she possibly discovers a centuries-old conflict between two mail delivery services. Thurn and Taxis, one of these services, truly existed (1806–1867) and was the first private company to deliver mail.
• American novelist Thomas Pynchon's book "Inherent Vice" was first released in August 2009. A darkly humorous detective story that takes place in 1970s California follows investigator Larry "Doc" Sportello after his ex-girlfriend requests that he look into a conspiracy involving a well-known land developer.

Michael Roberts’ (1902-48) Faber Book of Modern Verse was first published in 1936 and is considered as the most important and influential anthologies of the twentieth century. It canonized modern poetry and poets for quite some further decades. The book saw the publication of three more editions by Anne Ridler, Donald Hall and Peter Porter.

The collection included Roberts’ awareness of the poetry scene, and his sense of the modern movement within it. He opted for poets who would "influence the future development of poetry and language". However, he excluded the Georgian poets like Edmund Blunden and Walter de la Mare because as they "seem to me to have written good poems without having been compelled to make any notable development of poetic technique".

The collection begins with the poems of Gerard Manley Hopkins. Some of the other poets who find a place in the 1936 edition are W. B. Yeats, T. E. Hulme, Ezra Pound, T. S. Eliot and Harold Monro.

Samuel Jhonson wrote "London" in imitation of Juvenal's Third Satire.

London is a poem by Samuel Johnson, produced shortly after he moved to London. Written in 1738, it was his first major published work. The poem in 263 lines imitates Juvenal's Third Satire, expressed by the character of Thales as he decides to leave London for Wales.

The main areas of the satire of the period were man and society, religion and politics, literature and writers. Like all satire, the seventeenth and eighteenth century satire devoted itself to chastisement and correction of the vices and follies of men. Egged on by the scientific temper and the classical moorings, the satirists of the period strove to attain universality by writing about general human vices and follies. Hence we find both universality and particularity in much of the satire of this period. 

The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit (commonly known as Martin Chuzzlewit) is a novel by Charles Dickens, considered the last of his picaresque novels. It was originally serialised between 1842 and 1844. While he was writing it Dickens told a friend that he thought it was his best work, but it was one of his least popular novels. The late nineteenth century English novelist George Gissing read the novel in February 1888 "for refreshment" but felt that it showed "incomprehensible weakness of story". Like nearly all of Dickens's novels, Martin Chuzzlewit was first published in monthly instalments. Early sales of the monthly parts were disappointing, compared to previous works, so Dickens changed the plot to send the title character to the United States.[4] This allowed the author to portray the United States, which he had visited in 1842, satirically, as a near-wilderness with pockets of civilisation filled with deceptive and self-promoting hucksters.

Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard is a poem by Thomas Gray, completed in 1750 and first published in 1751. The poem's origins are unknown, but it was partly inspired by Gray's thoughts following the death of the poet Richard West in 1742. Originally titled Stanzas Wrote in a Country Church-Yard, the poem was completed when Gray was living near St Giles' parish church at Stoke Poges. It was sent to his friend Horace Walpole, who popularised the poem among London literary circles. Gray was eventually forced to publish the work on 15 February 1751 in order to preempt a magazine publisher from printing an unlicensed copy of the poem.

A first language, native language or mother/father/parent tongue (also known as arterial language or L1), is a language that a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period. In some countries, the term native language or mother tongue refers to the language of one's ethnic group rather than one's first language. Children brought up speaking more than one language can have more than one native language, and be bilingual or multilingual. By contrast, a second language is any language that one speaks other than one's first language.

The Advancement of Learning (full title: Of the Proficience and Advancement of Learning, Divine and Human) is a 1605 book by Francis Bacon. It inspired the taxonomic structure of the highly influential Encyclopédie by Jean le Rond d'Alembert and Denis Diderot, and is credited by Bacon's biographer-essayist Catherine Drinker Bowen with being a pioneering essay in support of empirical philosophy.

The following passage from The Advancement of Learning was used as the foreword to a popular Cambridge textbook:

So that as Tennis is a game of no use in itself, but of great use in respect it maketh a quick eye, and a body ready to put itself in all positions, so, in the Mathematics the use which is collateral, an intervenient, is no less worthy, than that which is principle and intended.

The correct answer is 'Love and marriage in the Restoration society'.

Key Points

• Social Commentary: "The Way of the World" is a Restoration comedy that offers incisive commentary on the manners and morals of high society during the Restoration period, with a particular focus on love, marriage, and the mercenary attitudes that often accompanied them.
• Complex Plot and Character Interaction: The play is renowned for its intricate plot and the sophisticated interactions between its characters, who navigate the complexities of marriage contracts, inheritances, and societal expectations.
• Satire and Wit: Through sharp wit and satire, Congreve critiques the superficiality and duplicity of the aristocratic society, particularly in their approach to marriage as a transactional arrangement rather than a romantic or emotional union.
• Characters as Social Archetypes: Characters such as Mirabell and Millamant are seen as representative of the era's changing attitudes toward love, marriage, and autonomy, embodying the tension between traditional societal norms and individual desires.
• Restoration Theatre: The play is a quintessential example of Restoration comedy, noted for its humor, sexual explicitness, and the portrayal of marriage as a vehicle for social mobility and security.

Therefore, the correct answer is 'Option 3'.

Additional Information

• Option 1: This play does not primarily focus on political corruption and bureaucracy.
• Option 2: It does not deal with the futility of war.
• Option 4: The exploration of utopian societies is not a theme in "The Way of the World".

The correct answer is 'Option 3'.

Key Points

• "Burger's Daughter" is a novel that revolves around the South African anti-apartheid struggle, examining the complexities of political commitment.
• "July's People" envisions a post-revolutionary South Africa and explores themes of power dynamics and race relations in a deeply divided society.
• "The Conservationist" is a novel that was awarded the Booker Prize in 1974 and is considered one of Gordimer's most significant works, dealing with themes of alienation and displacement in apartheid South Africa.
• Nadine Gordimer was a South African writer, political activist, and Nobel Laureate in Literature in 1991, celebrated for her thought-provoking works that delve into racial and moral issues during and after apartheid.
• Her writing is characterized by nuanced character development, sophisticated narrative structures, and deep engagement with social issues, making her a critical voice in literature and activism.

Therefore, the correct answer is 'Option 3'.

Additional Information

• Option 1 incorrectly combines "Burger's Daughter" with "Disgrace," the latter being a novel by J.M. Coetzee.
• Option 2 misses "Burger's Daughter," omitting a key work that showcases Gordimer's exploration of the anti-apartheid struggle.
• Option 4 mistakenly includes "Disgrace," failing to recognize that the novel is not among Gordimer's works.

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

Key Points

• "Moby-Dick" is a seminal work in American literature written by Herman Melville, matching with option (iii). This novel is known for its ambitious exploration of good and evil, depicted through the obsessive quest of Ahab, the captain of the whaler the Pequod, for the titular white whale.
• "Beloved" is authored by Toni Morrison, aligning with option (ii). Morrison’s narrative, centered around the life of a former slave years after the end of the Civil War, delves deeply into the psychological trauma of slavery and its enduring legacy on those who survived it.
• "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald, pairs with option (i). Fitzgerald’s critique of the American Dream through the tragic story of Jay Gatsby and his undying love for Daisy Buchanan captures the disillusionment of the Roaring Twenties.
• "The Scarlet Letter" is a classic novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne, which corresponds with option (iv). Set in 17th-century Puritan Massachusetts, the novel explores themes of sin, guilt, and redemption through the story of Hester Prynne, who bears an illegitimate child and struggles to create a new life of dignity and repentance.

Therefore, the correct answer is 'Option 2'.

Additional Information

• Option 1 incorrectly matches the authors with the works not associated with them based on the provided options.
• Option 3 mixes up the works and their authors, attributing novels to authors who didn't write them.
• Option 4 also gives incorrect matchups, further complicating the relationship between the given works and authors.

The correct answer is 'The transient nature of worldly success.'

Key Points

• In "The Last Ride Together" by Robert Browning, the speaker reflects on the transient and ephemeral nature of worldly success and achievements.
• The poem narrates the story of a rejected lover who, instead of succumbing to despair, chooses to ride together with the beloved for one last time.
• Browning explores the theme of the inadequacy of worldly success in bringing lasting happiness.
• The speaker realizes that the transient moments of joy with the beloved hold more significance than worldly accomplishments.
• The poem emphasizes the transformative power of choosing love and experience over material success.

Therefore, the correct answer is 'Option 2.'

Additional Information

• Option 1: The poem does not primarily focus on a failed romantic relationship.
• Option 3: While mortality is a theme in the poem, it is not the central focus.
• Option 4: Unrequited love is not the primary theme explored in "The Last Ride Together."

The correct answer is "Elegiac sonnets".

Key Points

• Charlotte Smith was an early Romantic poet whose work had a considerable influence on later, more famous Romantic poets such as William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
• She is particularly renowned for her elegiac sonnets, which often express profound melancholy and explore themes of loss, exile, and the transience of life.
• Her first volume of poetry, "Elegiac Sonnets", was highly praised and widely read in her time.
• Smith's work helped to revive the sonnet form in English literature, paving the way for other Romantic poets to experiment with this form.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 2.

The correct answer is 'The fluidity and complexity of human identity'.

Key Points

• Metaphorical Representation: The Cobra in Nagamandala is not just an animal but a symbolic representation that explores the fluidity and complexity of human identity. It transforms into a human form to express love, showcasing the non-static nature of identity.
• Expression of Desire and Love: Through its ability to take on a human form to be with Rani, the Cobra embodies the themes of desire, love, and the complexities associated with them, going beyond its physical identity.
• Challenge to Societal Norms: The Cobra's actions and its relationship with Rani challenge rigid societal norms and expectations about marriage and fidelity, illustrating how identity can transcend societal constraints.
• Symbolism of Dreams and Reality: The play blurs the lines between dreams and reality, and the Cobra, crossing these lines, symbolizes the interconnectedness of both realms and their impact on one’s identity.
• Reflection on Freedom and Constraint: Through the Cobra’s character, the play comments on the notions of freedom and constraint within relationships, suggesting that identity is a fluid concept that can both liberate and confine.

Therefore, the correct answer is 'Option 2'.

Additional Information

• Option 1 ('The constraints of traditional marriage'): While the play does explore this theme, it's more of a setting/context rather than what the Cobra symbolizes directly.
• Option 3 ('The authority of the village elders'): This is represented through other elements and characters in the play, not directly by the Cobra.
• Option 4 ('Economic disparities in rural India'): This theme is not a primary focus of the Cobra's symbolic representation in the play.

The correct answer is 'They are merely superficial and transient factors according to her'.

Key Points

• Jane implies that, while society might value these attributes, she considers them superficial in the context of genuine relationships.
• By suggesting that beauty and wealth could make it difficult for someone to leave her, Jane indicates these factors are external and not the foundation of true emotional or spiritual connection.
• Her assertion underscores a belief in the enduring value of the soul and heart over temporary and surface-level qualities like wealth and beauty.
• Jane's perspective reveals her critique of societal priorities and the superficiality of basing relationships on material or aesthetic criteria.
• This stance aligns with Brontë's broader themes of challenging Victorian norms, particularly regarding marriage, love, and social class.
• Jane's character embodies the conviction that true connection and compatibility transcend external appearances and worldly possessions.

Therefore, the correct answer is 'Option 4'.

Additional Information

• While Jane Eyre's narrative tackles complex views on love and relationships, this excerpt specifically demonstrates her viewpoint on the non-essential nature of wealth and beauty in establishing meaningful connections

The correct answer is 'Her awareness and rejection of societal prejudices'.

Key Points

• Jane communicates a clear awareness of how society judges individuals based on wealth and appearance.
• She rejects these societal prejudices by asserting her possession of soul and heart, qualities she deems more significant.
• Jane's statement reflects a critique of societal standards that value external over intrinsic qualities.
• Through her words, Jane exhibits a conscious rejection of the notion that her value is diminished by her lack of societal-defined beauty or wealth.
• Her assertive declaration exhibits a self-view that values personal integrity and moral worth over adherence to societal expectations.
• This part of the dialogue from Jane Eyre illustrates Brontë's exploration of Victorian social mores and advocates for a deeper, more meaningful assessment of human value.

Therefore, the correct answer is 'Option 3'.

Additional Information

• While Jane Eyre does address these themes generally throughout the novel, this excerpt specifically showcases her awareness and active rejection of how society judges worth.

The correct answer is 'By emphasizing the equal worth of soul and heart regardless of physical or economic status'.

Key Points

• Jane directly challenges the notion that her worth is diminished because she is "poor, obscure, plain and little".
• By affirming she has "as much soul as you, - and full as much heart," Jane asserts that intrinsic qualities such as soul and heart hold equal value for every individual, irrespective of external circumstances.
• This statement underscores the theme of human dignity and the inherent value of every person, a key moral perspective championed in the novel.
• Jane's rebuttal serves to critique and dismantle the superficial measures of value imposed by society.
• Through this passionate declaration, Jane reveals her profound understanding of equality and her insistence on being recognized for her deeper, intrinsic qualities.
• This excerpt reflects Brontë's engagement with Victorian social norms and her advocacy for recognizing an individual's moral and emotional worth above material or physical considerations.

Therefore, the correct answer is 'Option 2'.

Additional Information

• While the other options may relate to themes within "Jane Eyre" or strategies characters use, this specific excerpt focuses on the internal, intrinsic value over external qualities

The correct answer is 'Her soul and heart'.

Key Points

• Jane emphasizes that despite being "poor, obscure, plain and little," she possesses as much soul and heart as anyone else.
• This defense highlights Jane's belief in the intrinsic value and dignity of a person regardless of their external circumstances.
• Jane Eyre's declaration challenges society's tendency to equate physical beauty and wealth with moral and emotional depth.
• It reflects Brontë's recurring theme of the importance of inner qualities over superficial attributes.
• This moment of assertiveness from Jane illustrates her resilience and self-respect, crucial aspects of her character development throughout the novel.
• By directly addressing these presumptions, Jane demonstrates her awareness of societal prejudices and her refusal to be diminished by them.

Therefore, the correct answer is 'Option 2'.

Additional Information

• Her intelligence: While intelligence is a significant aspect of her character, this option is not the primary focus of the given excerpt.
• Her economic status: Although mentioned, it's not the quality she's defending in this context.
• Her physical appearance: While she acknowledges her appearance, the defense targets a deeper aspect of her being.

The correct answer is 'Harpsichord'.

Key Points

• "A Song for St. Cecilia's Day" by John Dryden is a poem that glorifies music and its power to evoke various emotions and responses.
• Dryden employs rich imagery and symbolism, associating different instruments with specific qualities and effects.
• Instruments like the trumpet, violin, and organ are each mentioned and celebrated for their unique contributions to the canon of music and their symbolic significance within the poem.
• The harpsichord, while a popular instrument of the baroque period, is not specifically mentioned in Dryden's poem. The focus is instead on other instruments that symbolize aspects of the human experience and the divine.

Therefore, the correct answer is 'Option 4'.

The correct answer is 'Incorporating cultural context and real-life communication situations from the beginning'.

Key Points

• Incorporating cultural context aids in understanding the practical use of language in its native setting, making learning more relevant and engaging.
• Real-life communication situations provide context that helps students understand how language is used in everyday scenarios, enhancing retention and practical skills.
• This approach aligns with communicative language teaching (CLT), which emphasizes interaction as both the means and the ultimate goal of learning a language.
• By introducing the cultural and communicative aspects early, learners develop a deeper connection with the language, fostering motivation and a more profound learning experience.
• It helps learners to not only grasp the language but also understand the social and cultural nuance, preparing them for more effective and appropriate communication.
• Encouraging early exposure to real-life situations helps in building confidence and reducing the fear of making mistakes.

Therefore, the correct answer is 'Option 3'.

Additional Information

• Option 1 is ineffective as it can overwhelm learners with complexity before they understand the basics.
• Option 2 lacks practical engagement, which is crucial for developing communication skills in a new language.
• Option 4 can be too rigid and may not address the practical usage of the language in everyday contexts.

The correct answer is 'The dynamics of power and control in relationships.'

Key Points

• Abusive Power Dynamic: The relationship between Bill Sikes and Nancy starkly illustrates the abusive power dynamic that often characterizes relationships founded in crime and exploitation.
• Control and Manipulation: Sikes’s manipulation and control over Nancy highlight the destructive impact of power imbalances within personal relationships, reflecting broader societal issues of control and domination.
• Violence and Fear: The fear and violence inherent in their relationship showcase the extreme consequences of power being wielded destructively, further emphasizing the novel’s critique of societal violence.
• Lack of Genuine Affection: While Nancy exhibits feelings for Sikes, the relationship is devoid of mutual respect or genuine affection, illustrating how environments of crime corrupt interpersonal dynamics.
• Tragic Consequences: The tragic outcome of their relationship underscores the inevitable consequences of such power imbalances, serving as a cautionary tale against the destructive nature of abusive relationships.

Therefore, the correct answer is 'Option 3'.

Additional Information

• Option 1: While love is explored in "Oliver Twist," the relationship between Bill Sikes and Nancy is more abusive than transformative.
• Option 2: Although crime and violence are central themes, their relationship more directly explores power dynamics rather than the broader consequences of crime.
• Option 4: Nancy does make a significant sacrifice, but the primary focus of their relationship is the abuse of power, rather than redemption.

Antonin Artaud in 1930s put forth a theory for a Surrealist experimental theater called the Theater of Cruelty that shades a major influence on avant-grade 20th-century theater. This form of theater launches an attack on the spectators subconscious in an attempt to release deep-rooted fears and anxieties that are normally suppressed, forcing people to view themselves and their natures without the shield of civilization. By cruelty, he meant often a violent, physical determination to shatter the false reality.

"There is no outside-text." It is usually mistranslated as "There is nothing outside the text" by his opponents to make it appear that Derrida is claiming nothing exists beyond language

Harold Bloom  is an American literary critic and Sterling Professor of Humanities at Yale University.Since the publication of his first book in 1959, Bloom has written more than forty books, including twenty books of literary criticism, several books discussing religion, and a novel. He has edited hundreds of anthologies concerning numerous literary and philosophical figures for the Chelsea House publishing firm. Bloom's books have been translated into more than 40 languages.

• Kinetic imagery is one of the five imageries, which corresponds our five senses. It includes movement, sense of touch, feelings and temperature also.
• Here, in the given poem velvet head is an example of visual imagery as it represents the beauty and delicacy of the bird’s head.
• The other three are examples of Kinetic imagery as these are reflecting the movements of the bird.