MH SET Paper 2 Mock Test - 8 (English) - MAHA TET MCQ

The correct answer is 'Stream of Consciousness'.

Key Points

• 'Stream of Consciousness' is a literary device used in narratives to show multiple streams of thoughts and feelings of the narrator.
• This mode of narration is characteristic of high-modern literature.
• It was extensively used by Modern Age writers like Virginia Woolf in "Mrs. Dalloway" (1925) and James Joyce in "Ulysses" (1922).

Therefore, Option 3 is the correct answer.

Additional Information

• Dorothy Richardson's 1915 novel "Pointed Roofs" is considered the first English novel to employ the stream-of-consciousness technique throughout its narrative.
• Automatic Writing is the term used to refer to such writing that is produced involuntarily or unconsciously by a person.
• Free Association is a psychological technique that was employed by Sigmund Freud to allow his patients to interact freely. In writing, this term is used for writing without self-censoring one's thoughts and feelings.

Fourth edition (1779), title page for Vol II. Author, Fanny Burney. Illustrator, John Mortimer. Country, United Kingdom. Language, English. Genre, Novel. Publisher, Thomas Lowndes. Publication date. 1778. Pages, 455. Evelina, or the History of a Young Lady's Entrance into the World is a novel written by English .

The correct answer is 'The real and the hyperreal'.

Key Points

• Baudrillard theorized the concept of hyperreality, where the distinction between reality and a simulated version of it becomes blurred.
• He argued that in contemporary society, simulations or copies of reality (the hyperreal) often replace or become more significant than the original reality, leading to a loss of meaning.
• This concept reflects Baudrillard's concern with how media and technology create a world where the "real" is no longer distinguishable from simulations, impacting how we understand and interact with the world.
• Hyperreality is evidenced in phenomena such as reality TV, theme parks, and social media, where simulacra (copies without originals) dominate and shape our perceptions of reality.
• Baudrillard's analysis suggests that in the hyperreal condition, people are increasingly alienated from the physical, tangible world, losing touch with the authentic or original experiences.
• He believed that this evolution of society into the hyperreal was indicative of a broader cultural and historical shift, which has profound implications on identity, society, and culture.

Therefore, the correct answer is 'Option 2'.

• Art for art’s sake is a term or phrase used to describe a literary movement aestheticism which originates against the notion of indifference or hostility toward any art that was not useful or did not teach moral values. Aestheticism advocates art for its own value and should be judged apart from any themes, such as morality, religion, History, or politics. The phrase is an English translation of French l’art pour l’art” states that a work of art should be treated beautiful and to be contemplated as an end in itself without depending upon formal perfection and moral purpose.
• Neo realism is an Italian literary movement emerged after the Fascist regime fell at the end of World War II. The literature or cinema related to the movement known for depicting the events leading up to the war and the social problems that were generated during the time and afterwards.
• Didacticism is a literary term that based upon the notion that the motive of any art should be transmission of information and instructions along with pleasure and entertainment. For example, John Bunyan’s “Pilgrim’s Progress”it instructs the reader and entertain as well.
• Realism is an artistic movement in field of literature, paintings and other forms of arts as well. It advocate to represent life in true sense as real as it is It include those activities and experience of real life which usually devoid from artistic works.

The correct answer is 'It emphasizes the importance of both material conditions and symbolic or discursive practices in shaping culture'. 

Key Points

• Raymond Williams was a Welsh Marxist theorist who introduced the concept of "Cultural Materialism".
• Cultural Materialism, as per Williams, does not solely focus on the economic base of society (the 'base-superstructure' model), unlike what traditional Marxist criticism suggests
• Williams' approach refutes the idea that culture is largely independent of material conditions and also goes beyond the assertion that cultural artefacts merely reflect the ideological superstructure.
• Instead, Williams emphasizes the importance of both material conditions (economic factors, physical environment, etc.) and symbolic or discursive practices in shaping culture, making it a dynamic entity influenced by various factors.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 4.

The correct answer is "The Old Man and the Sea".

Key Points

• "He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream and he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish." - This line is the opening line of Hemingway's "The Old Man and the Sea".
• The Old Man and the Sea is a novella written by Ernest Hemingway in Cayo Blanco in 1951 and released in 1952.
• It was Hemingway's final major work of fiction to be published during his lifetime.
• The epic conflict between an aged, seasoned fisherman and the greatest catch of his life is told in The Old Man and the Sea.
• Santiago, an elderly Cuban fisherman, has been at sea for eighty-four days and has returned empty-handed.
• Hemingway is arguing that being determined and never giving up reveals the type of person one is. This is a recurring theme.
• Reflecting on the old man's experience serves as motivation for living one's own life and dealing with challenges.

Therefore, the correct answer is option 4.

Additional Information

• The Sun Also Rises is Ernest Hemingway's first novel, published in 1926. It depicts American and British exiles traveling from Paris to the Festival of San Fermn in Pamplona to watch the running of the bulls and bullfights.
• Herman Melville's novel Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, was published in 1851. The novel recounts the sailor Ishmael's account of Ahab, captain of the whaling ship Pequod's pursuit for vengeance against Moby Dick, the huge white whale who wounded him on the ship's previous expedition.
• Herman Melville's debut work, Typee: A Peep at Polynesian Life, was published in 1846.

“New Atlantis” is an unfinished utopian novel by Sir Francis Bacon, published in 1627. In this work, Bacon portrays a sight of the future of human discovery and knowledge, conveying his aspirations and expectations for humankind. The novel depicts the creation of a utopian land where "generosity and enlightenment, dignity and splendor, piety and public spirit" are upheld by the inhabitants of the mythical Bensalem.

The correct answer is 'Ulysses'.

Key Points

• Ulysses is a modernist novel written by the Irish author James Joyce.
• It is regarded as one of the most significant works of modernist literature.
• The work is very allusive, with prose that mimics the styles of various periods of English literature.
• Ulysses recounts the appointments and meetings of the wanderer Leopold Bloom in Dublin on an average day, June 16, 1904.

Therefore, the correct option is 'Option2'.

Additional Information

• Emily Bronte's first and only work, Wuthering Heights, was first published in 1847 under her pen name "Ellis Bell." It follows the Earnshaws and the Lintons, two landed gentry families residing on the West Yorkshire moors, and their troubled connections with the Earnshaw's foster son, Heathcliff.
• William Makepeace Thackeray's novel Vanity Fair recounts the lives of Becky Sharp and Amelia Sedley among their friends and family during and after the Napoleonic Wars. From 1847 to 1848, it was published as a 19-volume monthly serial under the title Pen and Pencil Sketches of English Society.
• Great Expectations is Charles Dickens' thirteenth and last completed work. It chronicles the schooling of Pip, an orphan (the novel is a Bildungsroman, or coming-of-age story).

Midsummer, also known as St John's Day, is the period of time centered upon the summer solstice, and more specifically the Northern European celebrations that accompany the actual solstice or take place on a day between June 21 and June 25 and the preceding evening. The exact dates vary between different cultures. The Christian Church designated June 24 as the feast day of the early Christian martyr St John the Baptist, and the observance of St John's Day begins the evening before, known as St John's Eve.

The correct answer is 'Satan'.

Key Points

• "Paradise Lost" is an epic poem that explores the Christian story of the fall of man, with Satan cast as one of its central characters.
• Satan, after being cast out of heaven, gives a series of speeches to his followers, establishing his defiance against God's authority and justifying the rebellion.
• His famous assertion of preferring "to reign in Hell, than serve in Heaven" encapsulates the character's pride, ambition, and refusal to submit.
• Satan's speeches are crucial for developing his complex character, illustrating his persuasive oratory skills and his capacity to motivate his followers.
• Through these speeches, Milton explores themes of freedom, obedience, ambition, and the nature of rebellion.

The correct answer is 'Queer Theory.'

 Key Points

• Queer Theory, emerging in the late 20th century, challenges normative assumptions about sexuality, gender identity, and societal norms.
• It advocates for the deconstruction of binary concepts like male/female and challenges heteronormativity.
• Queer theorists question established categories and explore fluidity and variability in sexual and gender identities.
• The framework encourages a critical examination of power dynamics and social constructs that marginalize non-normative identities.
• Queer Theory has influenced various disciplines, including literature, sociology, and cultural studies, contributing to a more inclusive understanding of identity and sexuality.

Therefore, the correct option is ‘Option 2.’

Additional Information 

• Option 1 is incorrect. Marxism focuses on class struggle and economic structures.
• Option 3 is incorrect. Structuralism, associated with Ferdinand de Saussure, seeks to uncover hidden structures in language and culture.
• Option 4 is incorrect. Postcolonialism examines the effects of colonialism and imperialism on cultures and societies.

The story is narrated in flashback by Achakka, a wise woman in the village. She, like her female audience (whom she addresses as “sisters”), has survived the turbulence of social and political change which was induced by Mohandas K. Gandhi’s passive resistance against the British government. Achakka provides a detailed picture of the rural setting, establishing both an ambiance and a rhythm for the novel. It is clear that her speech and idiomatic expression are meant to express a distinctively feminine viewpoint an extraordinary achievement for a male Indo-English novelist. Achakka quickly creates a faithful image of an Indian way of life, circumscribed by tradition and indebted to its deities, of whom Kenchamma, the great and bounteous goddess, is made the village protectress. She is invoked in every chapter, for the characters never forget that her power resides in her past action. It is she who humanizes the villagers, and their chants and prayers ring out from time to time.

The narrator establishes the parameters of the story within old and new legends. While Kenchamma and Siva are remembered for their marvelous feats and interventions in human affairs, analogies are sometimes drawn with contemporary figures such as Gandhi who serve to turn fact and history into folklore, and who provide the motive for political struggle. At the beginning, while there are simply rumors of Gandhi’s activities, the villagers follow their customary routines. Then, Moorthy, a young, dedicated Brahmin, inspired by Gandhi, returns to Kanthapura to propagandize the cause of the Indian National Congress and Gandhi’s satyagraha (truth-force) movement. The colonial masters (nicknamed “Red-men” for their ruddy complexions) are a palpable, tyrannical presence but are sensed only obliquely at the beginning via the mysterious passing policeman who is treated as a spy and who, consequently, seeks refuge on the Skeffington Coffee Estate run by a brutal gang-boss.

The correct answer is 'The shared emotional and cultural atmosphere of a specific historical period'.

Key Points

• Raymond Williams introduced the concept of 'structures of feeling' to describe the shared emotional and cultural climate that characterizes a particular historical era.
• According to Williams, 'structures of feeling' encompass the intangible yet pervasive attitudes, values, and moods that shape the thoughts, behaviors, and experiences of individuals within a specific social and historical context.
• These structures are not fixed or static but evolve over time, reflecting the changing social, political, and cultural dynamics of a given period.
• By exploring 'structures of feeling,' Williams sought to understand how cultural forms, including literature and art, reflect and contribute to the broader social and historical conditions of their time.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 3.

The Beggar’s Opera is a three –act ballad opera or a social satire written in 1728 by John Gay. Mr Peachum is the main character of the opera, a powerful leader of a gang of thieves, highwaymen and prostitutes. He is not a pimp, but a fencer of goods stolen by his gang of robbers and profiting by their earnings.

He is not a Lawyer but when his affiliates are no longer of use, he betrays them to the criminal court system or impeach them for a respectable reward for himself. It satirizes Italian opera, which was much popular in those days in London.

Note: Three Penny Opera, a modern opera with new music by Bertolt Brecht and Elisabeth Hauptmann is a parody of Gay’s The Beggar’s Opera, with closely similar to characters and plot as well,

Origin of Miles to Go Before I Sleep. This phrase appears in the two last lines of Robert Frost's simple poem Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening. The speaker in the poem repeatedly utters it in the fourth stanza of the poem, indicating that the phrase is very important.

The correct answer is 'Epic theatre'.

Key Points

• Bertolt Brecht was a German playwright and poet, who wrote actively during and after the second world war.
• Brecht pioneered Epic theatre, which was a movement in theatre that began in the twentieth century.
• The Epic Theatre is rooted in the idea that a work of art should not attempt to lull the audiences into believing that the work is realistic.
• Rather, a play should actively remind the audience that the play being performed is only a dramatic construction.
• Epic theatre believes in stopping the audience from suspending their disbelief for the sake of art. It achieves this goal through the technique of 'Verfremdungseffekt' or the "alienation effect".
• Brecht's plays "Mother Courage and Her Children" and "The Good Person of Szechwan" are both works of Epic Theatre.

Therefore, option 4 is the correct answer.

Imagism was a poetic vogue that flourished in England, and even more vigorously in America, approximately between the years 1912 and 1917. It was planned by a group of writers, under the influence of the poetic theory of T. E. Hulme.

Ezra Pound was the first leader of the movement and succeeded by Amy Lowell, another famous leader of the Imagism. Imagism sometimes referred as Amygism by Pound. Other leading participants of the movement were H. D. (Hilda Doolittle), D. H. Lawrence, William Carlos Williams, John Gould Fletcher, and Richard Aldington. W. B. Yeats was not associated with the movement and was not an Imagist.

The correct answer is "(1-D), (2-C), (3-B), (4-A)"

Key Points 

•  "​A Lost Season" is a poem by Roy Broad Bent Fuller. It is written in 1944 and records his wartime experience. 
• "A Modern Folk Ballad" is a poem by Charles Stanley Causley.
• "My Sad Captains" is a poem by Thomas William Gunn which the poet tributes to people who have inspired the poet.
• "The Hawk in the Rain" is a poem by Ted Hughes. The poem is taken from his first poetry collection named 'Hawk in the Rain' published in 1957.  

​Therefore the correct answer is "option 2".

Pope argues that the length of a work or that the preponderance of words in a work has nothing to do with whether that work is of artistic quality. In fact, according to him, the opposite is usually the case. If one were to dig beneath the layer of rotting leaves covering a forest's floor, one would find nothing that was producing anything akin to fruit. Likewise, by the time one searches beneath all of the words of a lengthy piece, one often finds nothing much has been said, nothing fruitful anyway. Nevertheless, Pope's "Essay on Criticism" is three books in length and is 744 lines long itself, despite his advice to avoid verbosity. Interestingly, Pope claimed he wrote his "Essay" in heroic couplets and in the form of a poem partially because he felt it would help reign in any attempts to be overly wordy.

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 'Personification'.

Key Points

• The poem begins by addressing the lamb directly, attributing it with the capacity to interact and engage in a conversation, a clear use of personification.
• This rhetorical figure breathes life into the lamb beyond its natural attributes, enabling it to be a participant in a dialogue that explores themes of creation and existence.
• Personification throughout the poem serves not only to draw closer the worlds of human and divine creation but also to emphasize the innocence and purity of the lamb by attributing it human-like qualities of curiosity and gentleness.
• By asking the lamb, "Dost thou know who made thee?" the speaker in the poem employs personification to frame a theological inquiry, making the poem accessible and engaging to the reader.
• The technique invites readers to empathize with the lamb, facilitating a deeper contemplation of the divine qualities imbued in all creations.

Therefore, the correct answer is 'Option 4'.

Additional Information

• Options 1 ('Metaphor'), 2 ('Alliteration'), and 3 ('Rhyme') are present in the poem but do not predominantly define the interaction in the first stanza as much as personification does.

The correct answer is 'God'.

Key Points

• The poem implies a creator who has given the lamb life and provisions for survival, highlighted by expressions of nurturing and creation.
• The peaceful and idyllic imagery of living "By the stream & o'er the mead" alludes to divine care and provision.
• The mention of "Gave thee clothing of delight, / Softest clothing wooly bright" suggests a creator who not only gives life but also ensures comfort and safety, aligning with biblical depictions of God's care for his creations.
• The reference to the lamb's "tender voice" that makes "all the vales rejoice" symbolizes the joy and innocence that God's creations bring to the world.
• The poem's thematic underpinnings point towards a divine creator's loving and nurturing aspects, made evident through the provisioning and creating of life, consistent with God's characterization in Christian theology.

Therefore, the correct answer is 'Option 3'.

Additional Information

• Options 1 ('A shepherd') and 2 ('Nature') could be plausible interpretations but lack direct textual support for the creation and endowment of life.
• Option 4 ('The poet') is incorrect as there is no indication that the poet assumes the role of creator within the poem.

Robert Browning was a Victorian poet and dramatist and can be regarded as the king of Dramatic monologues. Rabbi Ben Ezra is a dramatic monologue by Browning based on the life of a 12th century scholar and poet named Abraham Ibn Ezra.

The scholar is the only character and narrator of the poem as well, moreover the poem has no clear audience or dramatic situation. The Rabbi invites his audience to “grow old along with [him] ” stresses that age is where the best of life is realized, whereas “youth shows but half.

The narrator is an older man who is more content wiser and intelligible now compared to his youth. Hence he advocates old age against youth in the poem.

• 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.

• Antithesis is a rhetorical device in which two opposite ideas are put together in a sentence to achieve a contrasting effect. As in the above line two contrasting ideas “fair” and “cruel” put together in order to draw the attention of the listeners or readers.

• Bathos are the word ever since has been used for an unintentional descent in literature when, straining to be pathetic or passionate or elevated, the writer overshoots the mark and drops into the trivial or the ridiculous Anticlimax”is non-derogatory, and denotes a writer’s deliberate drop from the serious and elevated to the trivial and lowly in order to achieve a comic or satirical effect.

• It sometimes employed as an equivalent of bathos; but in a more useful application. Circumlocution is the use of an unnecessarily large number of words to express an idea. The key to circumlocution is that the statement has to be unnecessarily long and complicated.

• For example: In many religious traditions, practitioners use other names to refer to God. So they come up with circumlocutions such as “Our Father who art in Heaven.

The correct answer is J.M. Synge.

Key Points

• Riders to the Sea is a play/drama written by Irish Literary Renaissance playwright John Millington Synge(J.M. Synge).
• It is a brief, one-act play, and its action is starkly straightforward. Synge's play is short and mysterious, like a fairy tale. It engages the reader with questions of how forces as big as historical change and as intimate as grief affect individuals and families.
• This short play is about the calamities inflicted by the sea on a family of fishermen on an island to the west of Ireland. The scene is laid in the kitchen of a small cottage.

Additional Information

• Let's see the other options given:
  • G.B. Shaw​- Drama: 'Arms & The Man'
  • Francis Bacon​- Literary essay: 'Of Studies'
  • Thomas Hardy​- Novel: 'Mayor of Caster Bridge'

The correct answer is 'Oral Defense.'

Key Points 

• An oral defense is a common requirement for both dissertations and theses in the final stages of completion.
• During the oral defense, the researcher presents and defends their work before a committee of faculty members or experts.
• The committee may ask questions to assess the researcher's understanding of the topic, research methodology, and the significance of the findings.
• An oral defense provides an opportunity for the researcher to demonstrate their knowledge, defend their research decisions, and receive feedback from the committee.

Therefore, the correct option is ‘Option 1.’

Additional Information 

• Option 2 is incorrect. While acknowledgments are common in both dissertations and theses, they are not a requirement for completion.
• Option 3 is incorrect. An abstract is a standard component in both dissertations and theses but is not part of the final defense.
• Option 4 is incorrect. Appendices may be included for additional material but are not a requirement for the final defense.

Utopia is the most famous work of Thomas More and the founding novel of a literary genre called Utopian Novel. The book is divided into two parts, in the second part, Raphael Hythloday describes various features of the island, called utopia. He tells that Utopians works for six hours per day and sleep on average about eight hours a day.

Hence, they left with plenty of free time, which they are free to use as they wish, but not to spend it in festivities or idleness. Most people use their free time to engage in intellectual pursuits and public lecturing. They also involve themselves in music, gardening, and other physical activities. Playing cards and dicing are not a part of their leisure pastimes.

The correct answer is "It decodes the underlying meanings and messages conveyed through themes."

Key Points

• Thematic analysis is a methodological approach within literary research that involves identifying, analyzing, and reporting patterns (themes) within a text.
• This approach helps in uncovering the deeper meanings, beliefs, and values expressed in literary works, going beyond the surface-level interpretation of the narrative or characters.
• By focusing on themes, researchers can explore how literature reflects, confronts, or negotiates societal issues, human emotions, ethical dilemmas, and more.
• Thematic analysis allows for a nuanced understanding of the text by connecting different parts of the work to perceive overarching or recurring motifs.
• It is a flexible approach that can be applied to a wide range of texts and is particularly useful in comparative literature studies, where themes across different cultures, periods, or genres might be explored.
• The process involves careful reading and re-reading of the text, coding textual data, and then categorizing and interpreting patterns to form coherent themes.

Therefore, the correct answer is 'Option 2'.

• Quilp, Daniel An evil dwarf in The Old Curiosity Shop, who lends money to Nell's grandfather (who gambles it away and flees). Quilp attempts to find Nell and her grandfather as they travel through the country. Later Quilp is pursued by the police and, lost in the fog, drowns in the Thames.
• Toodle, Polly (Richards) Little Paul Dombey's nurse, known in the Dombey household as Richards.
• Dodger is a pickpocket, so called for his skill and cunning in that respect. Pumblechook, Mr. is Joe Gargerys uncle, (ìbut Mrs. Joe appropriated him) in Great Expectations. Conceited and utterly materialistic, he is awell-to-do corn- chandler in the nearest town, [with] his own chaise-cart.
• Jack Dawkins, better known as the Artful Dodger, is a character in the Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist.