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

The correct answer is He only wrote his prose in English.

Key Points

•  Francis Bacon(1561-1626) was the greatest of the Elizabethan prose writers.
• He wrote both in Latin and English, and of the two he considered his Latin works to be more important.
• Bacon's work is impersonal, objective, and orderly in thought and reflects a cool scientific detachment.
• His antithetical sentences have qualities of proverbial expressions.
• He is known for his Aphoristic style of writing.
• His best best-knowns are: Of Studies, Of Revenge, Of Death and others.

Therefore, the correct option is option 4.

Additional Information

• Francis Bacon was appointed Lord Chancellor in 1618 and created Baron Verulam.
• In 1621 he became Viscount St Albans.

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.

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

Key Points

• The play The Elder Statesman is a verse play by Eliot. The play was written by him in 1958. 
• The Doctor's Dilemma was written by G.B Shaw, looking into the question of medical ethics. 
• A Doll's House is a famous play written by Norwegian writer Henrik Ibsen. The play deal with the life of a married woman Nora Helmer.
• A Woman of No Importance is a four-act play by Oscar Wilde. The play is a satire on upper English society. 

Therefore, Option 3 is the correct answer. 

Additional Information

• Though the play A Doll's House projects a feminist theme, the writer Ibsen had no intention of writing a feminist play. 
• A Woman of No Importance is one of the least famous plays by Wilde.
• The play The Elder Statesman deals with Lord Claverton, who is a retired banker and a cabinet minister. He confronts his past in the play. 

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 '(a) - (i), (b) - (ii), (c) - (iii), (d) - (iv)'.

Key Points

• Beloved is a powerful novel by Toni Morrison that explores the psychological and cultural legacy of slavery in America, told through the story of a former slave haunted by the past.
• Frankenstein, authored by Mary Shelley, is a foundational text of science fiction and horror genres, discussing themes of creation, responsibility, and the monstrous.
• To the Lighthouse is a seminal work by Virginia Woolf, known for its innovative narrative structures and exploration of human consciousness and the passage of time.
• Don Quixote, written by Miguel de Cervantes, is considered one of the greatest works of fiction ever published and explores the adventures of a nobleman who becomes a knight-errant.
• This matching exercise highlights significant contributions to the literary canon and its diverse thematic concerns and narrative strategies.

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'.

Roman clef, novel that has the extraliterary interest of portraying well-known real people more or less thinly disguised as fictional characters.

The tradition goes back to 17th-century France, when fashionable members of the aristocratic literary coteries, such as Mlle de Scudéry, enlivened their historical romances by including in them fictional representations of well-known figures in the court of Louis XIV. In the 20th century,

• 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 '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).

The correct answer is 'A second language learner uses familiar vocabulary to form sentences mentally before speaking'. 

Key Points

• Second language acquisition is when an individual learns any other language besides the mother tongue. 
• Krashen gave the second language acquisition theory. 
• The significant factors that influence Second language acquisition are: 
  • Motivation
  • Prior linguistic knowledge 
  • learning environment 
  • Teaching strategies
  • Age of the learner

Therefore the correct answer is option 2. 

Additional Information

• Krashen gave the second language acquisition theory.
• He has 5 main hypotheses:
  • ​the Acquisition-learning hypothesis
  • the monitor hypothesis
  • the input hypothesis
  • the affective filter hypothesis
  • the natural order hypothesis

The correct answer is 'Country side'.

Key Points

• The play Waiting for Godot takes place on a country road next to a tree commencing in the evening of one day and concluding in the evening of the following.
• Waiting for Godot is a play written by Irish writer Samuel Beckett originally in French language.
• In this play there are two characters, Vladimir (Didi) and Estragon (Gogo), who engage in various debates and interactions while waiting for the titular Godot, who never appears.
• This play belongs to the absurdist theater.

Therefore, the correct option is 'Option 4'.

Additional Information

• Samuel Barclay Beckett was a novelist, dramatist, short story writer, playwright, poet, and literary translator from Ireland.
• He is regarded as one of the last modernist writers, as well as a crucial role in what Martin Esslin referred to as the Theatre of the Absurd.
• Murphy (1938), Molloy (1951), Malone Dies (1951), The Unnamable (1953), Waiting for Godot (1953), Watt (1953), Endgame (1957), Krapp's Last Tape (1958), How It Is (1960), Happy Days (play) (1960) are among Samuel Beckett's major works.

The correct answer is 'Poetry should not represent the language spoken by common man'.

Key Points

• The Preface to Lyrical Ballads is an essay written by William Wordsworth for the second edition of the poetry collection Lyrical Ballads.
• It was released in 1800, also known as the manifesto of Romantic age.
• The manifesto includes four principles.
• The ideal subject for poetry is everyday life.
• Poetry should represent the language spoken by common people.
• Feelings are more essential than action or narrative.
• Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings.

Therefore, the correct option is 'Option 4'.

Important Points

• Wordsworth's "Preface" indicates a radical departure from neoclassical poetry of the eighteenth century. Wordsworth advocated that poetry should focus on portraying the ordinary individual in the best positive light possible.
• Wordsworth's "Preface" to Lyrical Ballads is notable for its emphasis on exalting the ordinary man, the use of simple language, a concentration on nature as a manifestation of the divine, and a belief that poetry should be lyrical or passionate.

Additional Information

• ​William Wordsworth was an English Romantic poet who, along with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to inaugurate the Romantic Age in English literature with their joint work Lyrical Ballads (1798).
• William Wordsworth's well-known works include "Resolution and Independence", "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud", "My Heart Leaps Up", "Ode: Intimations of Immortality", "Ode to Duty", and "The Solitary Reaper".

The Great Exhibition, also known as Crystal Palace Exhibition, was one of the first international exhibitions of the world. The exhibition took place in Hyde Park in 1851. It was an exhibition of culture and industry and organized by Henry Cole and Prince Albert (Husband of Queen Victoria) in order to expose British design to foreign competition. The Kohinoor, the world’s largest known diamond originally from India, was one of the most popular attractions of the Exhibition.

The correct answer is "Mary Astell".

Key Points

• Mary Astell's work A Serious Proposal to the Ladies was published in 1694.
• Astell's issue is not that women are materially oppressed or that they lack rights in a patriarchal culture.
• Instead, she claims that their selves have been perverted, that most women lack autonomy - internal independence and self-mastery - and are instead ruled by their emotions.
• The first section of this article argues that wealthy women who do not intend to marry should use their dowries to fund residential women's colleges that give upper- and middle-class women the recommended education.

Therefore, the correct answer is option 1.

Additional Information

• Mary Wollstonecraft was a British writer, philosopher, and feminist activist. Wollstonecraft's life, which included multiple unusual personal connections at the time, gained more attention than her writing until the late twentieth century.
• Mary Shelley was an English novelist best known for her Gothic novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, which is regarded as an early example of science fiction. She also edited and promoted the works of her husband, Percy Bysshe Shelley, a Romantic poet and philosopher.
• The feminist who initiated the second wave of the women's liberation movement was Kate Millett, author of the revolutionary bestseller Sexual Politics. Millett proposed that the personal is political for women. The basis of Sexual Politics (1970) was an analysis of patriarchal power.

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

Key Points 

• Both the Assertion and Reason are true.
• In "The Advancement of Learning," Francis Bacon critiques the traditional scholastic methods of learning prevalent during the Renaissance.
• Bacon advocates for a more empirical and inductive approach to acquiring knowledge, emphasizing observation, experimentation, and systematic inquiry.
• He believes that knowledge should be derived from experience and the careful observation of nature rather than relying solely on deductive reasoning.
• The Reason correctly explains the Assertion by stating that Bacon's work signifies a shift towards empirical methods and a departure from the rigid scholasticism of the time.

Therefore, the correct option is ‘Option 1.’

Additional Information 

• Option 2 is incorrect. The Reason is a correct explanation of the Assertion.
• Option 3 is incorrect. Both the Assertion and Reason are true.
• Option 4 is incorrect. The Assertion is true, and the Reason is true.

The correct answer is ' By obscuring the distinction between reality and simulation'.

Key Points

• Jean Baudrillard argued that the media plays a crucial role in creating a society where the distinction between reality and simulation becomes increasingly obscured, leading to hyperreality.
• He believed that media saturation contributes to the production and consumption of symbols and signs that represent things more than the things themselves, thus distorting our perception of reality.
• Baudrillard posited that in this environment, people are inundated with simulacra, or copies of things that no longer have a direct link to any reality, making it difficult to discern the authentic from the imitation.
• This impact of the media contributes to a societal condition where individuals are less grounded in the physical, immediate reality and more engaged with representations that may not accurately reflect the real world.
• He viewed this as leading to a disconnection from traditional markers of identity and reality, as media-driven simulations dominate our understanding and interaction with our environment.
• Baudrillard’s critique emphasizes the transformative power of media in shaping not just culture and communication, but the very fabric of reality itself.

The correct answer is "To establish the scope of the study by identifying gaps in the existing literature."

Key Points

• Literature reviews are fundamental components of literary research methodology. Their primary purpose is not just to summarize existing works but to critically analyze them to identify what has been done and what remains to be explored.
• By identifying gaps in the existing literature, researchers can pinpoint where further study is needed or how a new perspective could contribute meaningfully to the field. This helps in shaping the research questions or hypotheses.
• Literature reviews also help in situating the current research within the broader scholarly conversation, showing how it relates to and builds upon previous studies.
• This process involves categorizing, comparing, and contrasting different approaches, outcomes, and methodologies witnessed in the existing body of work.
• A well-conducted literature review enables a research to avoid redundancy, ensuring that their work contributes new knowledge or insights.
• Beyond summarizing sources, literature reviews synthesize them in a way that provides a coherent overview of what is known and not known about a particular topic or question.

Therefore, the correct answer is 'Option 3'.

Additional Information

• Summarizing personal opinions is subjective and does not generally contribute to academic research.
• Biographical information can be relevant but is not the primary focus of a literature review unless directly related to the research topic.
• Arguing the superiority of one genre over others is not the objective of scholarly research and lacks academic neutrality.

Mythos is the Greek word for “story” or “plot.” Frye divides stories into four categories or parts of the Cycle of Mythoi: comedy, romance , tragedy , and irony/satire (the mythos of winter).

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 'Radhakrishnan Commission'.

Key Points

• The Radhakrishnan Commission, formally known as the University Education Commission, was set up in 1948, shortly after India gained independence.
• It was named after its chairman, Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, who later became the second President of India.
• The commission was tasked with re-evaluating the country's education system and suggesting improvements to promote national development.
• It emphasized the importance of higher education in national development and advocated for educational reforms that included the universalization of education, improvement in the quality of education, and stressing the role of education in instilling a sense of democracy and social welfare.
• The commission recommended a greater emphasis on the study of humanities and social sciences to encourage a broader cultural outlook among students.
• It also underscored the need for academic freedom, the importance of teacher welfare, and the role of universities as centers of research and higher learning.

Therefore, the correct answer is 'Option 3'.

Additional Information

• The Kothari Commission, set up in 1964, focused on formulating a coherent policy for the Indian education system.
• The Mudaliar Commission, established in 1952, emphasized secondary education and suggested reforms to improve its quality and accessibility.
• The Hunter Commission, formed in 1882 during the British colonial period, was focused on elementary and secondary education, far earlier than the post-independence era.

Nuruddin Farah (1945-) is a Somalian novelist. He is considered as one of the greatest contemporary writers of the world. His trilogy "Blood in the Sun" (1986–99) is one of his major works. The novels included in ‘Blood In the Sun Trilogy’ are ‘Maps’, ‘Gifts’ and ‘Secrets’. "Maps" takes place during the 1977 Ogadan border war with Ethiopia; "Secrets" takes place on the eve of civil war in the early '90s. "Gifts" reveals the motives behind the "gift" of aid to the Third World.

“Knots” (2006) is a separate novel by Farah, which accounts the story of a woman who returns to her roots and discovers much more than herself.

Because the ground swells naturally and makes gaps in the wall.

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.

Epiphany, James Joyce  

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 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 'French Revolution'.

Key Points

• "A Tale of Two Cities" is set against the backdrop of the French Revolution.
• The novel explores the themes of resurrection and sacrifice during this tumultuous historical period.
• Characters like Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton are deeply affected by the events of the French Revolution.

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.

Tono-Bungay is a realist semiautobiographical novel written by H. G. Wells ... His nephew engineers his uncle's escape from England in an experimental aircraft he has built, but the ruined .... These novels are very personal as well, treating aspects of Wells's own life, matters which would come under attack ...

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'.