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

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.

The correct answer is 'Through the use of multiple languages and literary references'.

Key Points

• "The Waste Land" epitomizes the theme of fragmentation through its structure and content, notably via the eclectic use of several languages (English, German, French, Italian, Sanskrit, and more) and a multitude of references drawn from various literatures, cultures, and historical periods.
• This literary collage reflects the fragmented nature of modern existence and consciousness, illustrating the breakdown of social, cultural, and psychological coherence in the post-World War I era.
• The poem's allusions range from classical to contemporary sources, including but not limited to Greek mythology, Christian scripture, Eastern religions, and the works of Dante, Shakespeare, and Baudelaire. This mix of references serves to both enrich the text and underscore the theme of disconnection from a unified cultural heritage.
• The abrupt shifts between different speakers, locations, and time periods further reinforce the sense of fragmentation and dislocation, challenging readers to piece together meaning from the disparate elements.
• Eliot’s use of fragmentation not only reflects the chaotic state of modern society but also suggests the potential for reconnection and understanding through the active engagement of the reader in navigating the poem’s complexities.
• The formal construction of "The Waste Land" itself, divided into five distinct but interrelated sections, mirrors the fragmentation it depicts, suggesting both the disintegration and the possibility of synthesis or reconciliation.

Therefore, the correct answer is ‘Option 3.’

Additional Information

• A linear and cohesive narrative structure and focusing solely on modern urban life are contrary to the poem's exploration of fragmentation.
• Employing a single cultural reference point would simplify the poem’s complexity and depth, which is contrary to Eliot’s method of integrating diverse references to emphasize fragmentation

The correct answer is ‘Candida.’

 Key Points

• Candida is a play by G.B. Shaw, that explores the conflict between idealism and realism through the story of a young woman named Candida who is torn between her love for her husband, the idealistic poet Eugene Marchbanks, and her attraction to the pragmatic clergyman, Reverend James Morell.
• Candida is a strong and independent woman who is not afraid to challenge social conventions.
• She ultimately chooses to stay with her husband, but she also makes it clear that she will not give up her own independence.
• Candida is a complex and challenging play that explores the nature of love, marriage, and the role of women in society.

Therefore, the correct answer is ‘Option 1.’

 Additional Information

• The Philanderer: This play explores the themes of love, marriage, and the role of women in society.
• Mrs. Warren's Profession: This play explores the themes of prostitution, morality, and the double standards that society applies to men and women.
• You Never Can Tell: This play is a comedy that explores the themes of love, marriage, and the importance of family.

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

Key Points

• New Historicism is a literary theory that emphasizes the interconnectedness of literature and historical context.
• Scholars of New Historicism, like Stephen Greenblatt, argue that literary works cannot be isolated from the cultural and historical circumstances of their creation and reception. Literature is seen as both shaped by and shaping historical and cultural forces.
• Both the assertion and reason align with the principles of New Historicism.
• New Historicism emphasizes the inseparable relationship between literature and its historical context.
• Literary texts are seen as embedded within the larger cultural and historical framework, and they, in turn, contribute to shaping that context.
• Therefore, the reason provides a valid explanation for the assertion.

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 Historicism does emphasize the interconnectedness of literature and history.

The correct answer is 'Joyful resilience and defiance.'

Key Points

• The speaker laughs, eats well, and grows strong despite being sent to the kitchen. 
• This shows resilience, defiance, and a refusal to be defeated by discriminatory treatment.

Therefore, the correct option is ‘Option 2.’

Additional Information 

• Option 1 is incorrect. The speaker's response is not resignation but active resilience. 
• Option 3 is incorrect. The speaker's actions and tone do not reflect indifference or apathy.
• Option 4 is incorrect. The speaker's response is not characterized by confusion or frustration.

The correct answer is 'Nobody will dare ask them to eat in the kitchen.'

Key Points

• The speaker predicts a future where they will be at the table, and nobody will dare to ask them to eat in the kitchen. 
• This reflects the speaker's anticipation of a time when they will be treated with equality and respect.

Therefore, the correct option is ‘Option 3.’

Additional Information 

• Option 1 is incorrect. The speaker's prediction is about being at the table, not demanding to be served in the kitchen.
• Option 2 is incorrect. The speaker's anticipation is not confrontational but anticipatory of positive change.
• Option 4 is incorrect. The prediction is not about preferring solitude but about being treated equally at the table

Ngugi wa Thiong’o is a well known writer from Kenya. The bundle of his creations includes novels, plays, short stories, and essays, which ranges from literary and social criticism to children’s literature. He used to write in English previously, but He renounced English Language and also Christianity, as a sign of the colonialist.

He changed his name from James Ngugi to Ngugi wa Thiong’o, and began to write in his native language Gikuyu and Swahili. He is also the founder and editor of the Gikuyu-language journal Mutiiri. 

Ghosts (Danish: Gengangere) is a play by the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It was written in 1881 and first staged in 1882 in Chicago, Illinois, in a production by a Danish company on tour. Like many of Ibsen's plays, Ghosts is a scathing commentary on 19th-century morality. Because of its subject matter, which includes religion, venereal disease, incest, and euthanasia, it immediately generated strong controversy and negative criticism. Since then the play has fared better, and is considered a “great play” that historically holds a position of “immense importance”. Theater critic Maurice Valency wrote in 1963, "From the standpoint of modern tragedy Ghosts strikes off in a new direction. Regular tragedy dealt mainly with the unhappy consequences of breaking the moral code. Ghosts, on the contrary, deals with the consequences of not breaking it."

The correct answer is 'Middle English'.

Key Points

• The Norman Conquest in 1066 marked the beginning of the Middle English period, which lasted until the late 15th century.
• This era saw a substantial influx of Norman French into the English lexicon, significantly impacting the vocabulary, grammar, and syntax of the English language.
• Middle English literature includes Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales," exemplifying the linguistic diversity and evolution of English during this period.
• The dominance of French in the court and among the nobility meant that English was influenced not just lexically but also in its social and cultural contexts, leading to a hierarchy of language that reflected class distinction.
• The Middle English period also witnessed the gradual re-establishment of English as the language of law, administration, and literature after centuries of Norman rule.
• Spelling and pronunciation began to diverge significantly from Old English, as seen in the transition from the Anglo-Saxon runic alphabets to a more French-influenced Latin alphabet.

Therefore, the correct answer is 'Option 2'.

Additional Information

• Option 1 (Old English) refers to the earliest form of the English language, which was spoken and written in parts of what are now England and southern Scotland between the 5th and 11th centuries.
• Option 3 (Early Modern English) is identified with the English Renaissance and the time of William Shakespeare, ranging roughly from the late 15th century to the mid-to-late 17th century.
• Option 4 (Contemporary English) covers the period from the late 20th century to the present, characterized by a significant influence of technology, globalization, and the internet on the language.

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.

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 ‘The Comedy of Errors.’

 Key Points

• The Comedy of Errors is unique among Shakespeare's plays in that it is set entirely in a single room and features only three characters.
• The play is a farce that follows the misadventures of two sets of identical twins who are separated at birth and reunited in adulthood.
• The play is full of mistaken identities, slapstick comedy, and witty wordplay.
• The Comedy of Errors is believed to be one of Shakespeare's earliest plays, and it is often performed as a lighthearted and entertaining comedy.

Therefore, the correct answer is ‘Option 4.’

 Additional Information

• Romeo and Juliet: This play is set in two locations, Verona and Mantua, and features a large cast of characters.
• Macbeth: This play is set in Scotland and England, and it features a large cast of characters.
• Julius Caesar: This play is set in Rome, and it features a large cast of characters.

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.

1 and  3 are correct.

The correct answer is ‘Major Barbara.’

 Key Points

• Major Barbara is a play by G.B. Shaw, that features a character named Andrew Undershaft, a wealthy arms manufacturer who believes that war is a necessary evil.
• Undershaft's daughter, Barbara, is a major in the Salvation Army, and she is horrified by her father's beliefs.
• The play explores the themes of poverty, salvation, and the role of the church in society.
• Barbara eventually comes to understand her father's point of view, but she also remains committed to her own beliefs.
• Major Barbara is a complex and challenging play that explores the nature of good and evil, and the role of individuals in society.

Therefore, the correct option is ‘Option 1.’

 Additional Information

• Heartbreak House: This play explores the themes of love, war, and the decline of the British upper class.
• Back to Methuselah: This play is a philosophical drama that explores the themes of evolution, mortality, and the meaning of life.
• The Apple Cart: This play is a political satire that explores the themes of democracy, monarchy, and the role of the individual in society.

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 'The harm principle'.

Key Points

• John Stuart Mill's philosophy, particularly as outlined in his seminal work "On Liberty," is fundamentally associated with the harm principle. This principle asserts that the only justification for exercising power over any member of a civilized community, against their will, is to prevent harm to others.
• Mill argues for the importance of individuality and freedom of expression, insisting that freedom should only be limited to prevent harm to others, thus promoting societal progress through the free exchange of ideas.
• This concept reflects Mill's utilitarian ethics, aiming at the greatest happiness for the greatest number, by suggesting that protecting individuals' freedom to pursue their own good, in their own way, is essential to maximizing overall happiness.
• The harm principle is crucial for understanding Mill's arguments for free speech and against censorship. He believed that allowing diverse opinions and expressions, even those considered wrong or harmful by the majority, contributes to the pursuit of truth and the betterment of society.
• Through this principle, Mill advocates for minimal interference of government in the lives of individuals, except where directly necessary to prevent harm to others, emphasizing the value of personal autonomy and the dangers of overreaching authority.

Therefore, the correct answer is ‘Option 3.’

Additional Information

• The divine right of kings and the categorical imperative are not concepts associated with Mill's philosophy; they belong to monarchical theory and Immanuel Kant's philosophy, respectively.
• While the social contract is a significant concept in political philosophy, it is more closely associated with philosophers like Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Thomas Hobbes than with Mill's work on liberty

1 and  4 

The correct answer is ‘Surfacing.’

 Key Points

• Surfacing is a novel that explores the themes of environmental degradation, climate change, and the interconnectedness of all living beings through the protagonist's journey into the wilderness.
• The novel follows the protagonist, a woman named Margaret, as she retreats to a cabin in the woods to escape the pressures of her urban life.
• Through her experiences in the wilderness, Margaret comes to a deeper understanding of the natural world and the ways in which humans are harming the environment.
• Atwood uses Margaret's journey to raise awareness about the urgent need for environmental action and to highlight the consequences of human disregard for the planet.

Therefore, the correct answer is ‘Option 3.’

 Additional Information

• The Handmaid's Tale: This novel focuses on the themes of female oppression, totalitarian control, and the loss of individual freedom in a dystopian society.
• Oryx and Crake: This novel explores the themes of genetic engineering, cloning, and the ethical implications of scientific advancement.
• Cat's Eye: This novel delves into the themes of female empowerment, self-discovery, and the complexities of human relationships.

The correct answer is "Jhumpa Lahiri".

Key Points

• Unaccustomed Earth is a collection of short stories from American author Jhumpa Lahiri. It is her second collection of stories, following Interpreter of Maladies.
• The characters feel alienated within a world of mixed messages, while also grappling with the duties and responsibilities that are culturally foisted upon them. 
• The main characters include Ruma, the central character in the collection’s title story, a Bengali-American woman in her late 30s. She is married to Adam, who is American and white. Together, they have a son named Akash.

Additional Information

• Stephen Edwin King is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels.
• Louisa May Alcott was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet best known as the author of the novel Little Women and its sequels Little Men and Jo's Boys.

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 "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.

Feminist Criticism, a distinctive and concerted approach to literature, was inaugurated late in the 1960s. It advocates equal rights for women in a political, economic, social, psychological, personal, and aesthetic sense. In second Wave of Feminist Criticism, critics strive to extend the canon, so that it might include works by lesbians, feminists, and women writers in general.

Feminists offer a criticism of the construction of gender and forcefully deny stereotypes related to Gender: that the male is active, dominating, and rational, whereas the female is passive, submissive, and emotional. Feminist Criticism advocates the equality of all genders, in all fields and rejects the essentialising of ‘male’ and ‘female ‘It never justifies traditional canon, but reject them for presenting women as derogatory and as merely the negative object or weaker part of society and to man as the dominating “Subject” who is assumed to represent humanity in general.

As Simone de Beauvoir put it, “One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman…. It is civilization as a whole that produces this creature… which is described as feminine”

The correct answer is ‘The Brothers Karamazov.’

Key Points

• The Brothers Karamazov is a philosophical novel that explores the themes of faith, doubt, and the search for meaning in life.
• The novel follows the story of four brothers, each representing different aspects of human nature and belief.
• Through the interactions of the brothers and their relationships with a mysterious stranger, Dostoevsky delves into the complex questions of morality, free will, and the existence of God.
• The novel is considered one of Dostoevsky's greatest works and is known for its profound insights into human psychology and the nature of good and evil.

Therefore, the correct answer is  ‘Option 3.’ 

 Additional Information

• The Double: This novel explores the theme of the doppelgänger and the duality of human nature.
• Notes from Underground: This novel is a psychological exploration of the inner turmoil and alienation of an unnamed protagonist.
• The Possessed: This novel delves into the themes of nihilism, political extremism, and the dangers of revolutionary ideology.

The correct answer is ‘substitutes one word for another based on contiguity.’

 Key Points

• Jakobson defines metonymy as a figure of speech that substitutes one word for another based on contiguity.
• Metonymic substitutions can be based on a variety of relationships, such as spatial proximity, temporal proximity, or cause-and-effect relationships.
• Metonymy can be used to create vivid images, to emphasize certain aspects of a situation, or to create a sense of intimacy or familiarity.
• Jakobson argues that metonymy is a fundamental cognitive process that allows us to understand and communicate about the world around us.

Therefore, the correct answer is 'Option 2'.

 Additional Information

• Option 1 is incorrect because metaphor is a figure of speech that substitutes one word for another based on similarity, not contiguity.
• Option 3 is incorrect because ellipsis is a figure of speech that omits a word or phrase from a sentence, not substitutes one word for another.
• Option 4 is incorrect because pleonasm is a figure of speech that adds a word or phrase to a sentence, not substitutes one word for another.

The correct answer is 'Metaphor.'

Key Points

• Metaphors are pervasive throughout "Astrophel and Stella", with Sidney frequently using them to draw elaborate comparisons between his emotions or Stella’s traits and various abstract or concrete concepts, thereby vividly conveying the intensity and complexity of Astrophel's unrequited love for Stella.
• Sidney employs metaphors to elevate Stella's beauty and virtue, comparing her features and the effects they have on Astrophel to heavenly bodies, natural phenomena, and divine attributes. This not only amplifies her allure but also reflects on the overwhelming impact she has on the speaker.
• Through metaphorical language, Sidney explores the paradoxes of love - such as the coexistence of joy and sorrow, desire and despair, indicating the complex emotional landscape that characterizes unrequited love.
• The use of metaphor allows Sidney to indirectly express the societal and personal obstacles to Astrophel’s love for Stella, exploring themes such as duty, honor, and social expectations without direct confrontation.
• Sidney's innovative use of metaphor in "Astrophel and Stella" has been influential, setting a precedent for metaphysical poetry and demonstrating the power of metaphor in exploring emotional depths and intellectual concepts.

Therefore, the correct answer is 'Option 2'.

Additional Information

• Irony is utilized in the sequence but is not the predominant device; it often emerges in the contrast between Astrophel’s idealization of Stella and the reality of his unrequited love.
• Apostrophe occurs when Astrophel directly addresses Stella, or abstract concepts such as love or virtue, but while present, it is not the central literary device.
• Hyperbole is used to emphasize the extremes of Astrophel’s feelings and the exalted nature of Stella’s beauty, but it serves more as a supportive device to the metaphors rather than the primary method of expression.

The correct answer is "The concept was proposed in the work S/Z.".

Key Points

• French philosopher Jacques Derrida coined the phrase "arche-writing" to reframe the connection between speech and writing.
• Derrida believed that speech has always been given precedence over writing since Plato's time.
• Phonetic writing was viewed in the West as an inferior imitation of the immediate living act of speech and a secondary imitation of speech.
• According to Derrida, writing was given a secondary or parasitic function in later centuries by both linguist Ferdinand de Saussure and philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
• Derrida attempted to challenge this prioritizing in his article "Plato's Pharmacy" by initially confusing the terms "speaking" and "writing."

Therefore, the correct answer is option 4.

Additional Information

• Honoré de Balzac's short story "Sarrasine" was the subject of Roland Barthes' structural analysis in S/Z, which was published in 1970.
• Barthes works carefully through the narrative, indicating the locations and ways in which various meaning-coding systems operate.
• At the nexus of structuralism and post-structuralism, Barthes' study had a significant influence on literary criticism.

Raphael Hythloday: A well-travelled friend of Gilesí, who does not believe in the present system of government, but rather in that of Utopia, which he thinks is the only true commonwealth. He lived in Utopia for five years, and describes every aspect of it to Giles and More. The book is based on this description.

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

Key Points

• "Middlesex" is a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Jeffrey Eugenides. It is a multigenerational saga, tracing the history of a Greek-American family and the complex heritage that influences their identity, particularly that of the intersex protagonist, making (a) matched with (ii) precise.
• "The Blind Assassin" is a novel by Margaret Atwood. It won the Booker Prize and combines elements of historical and speculative fiction, weaving together two related stories to explore themes of memory, identity, and storytelling, correctly pairing (b) with (i).
• "The Goldfinch" is a novel by Donna Tartt that won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. It tells the story of a young boy who survives a terrorist attack at an art museum, which drastically changes the course of his life, making the match (c) with (iii) accurate.
• Salman Rushdie's controversial work, "The Satanic Verses", is correctly paired with option (iv). This novel sparked considerable global debate and led to Rushdie living under a fatwa for many years.

Therefore, the correct answer is ‘Option 1.’

The correct answer is 'The Norman Conquest'.

Key Points

• The Norman Conquest of 1066 marked a pivotal moment in the history of the English language, leading to significant changes in vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation.
• The introduction of Norman French as the language of the ruling class introduced a vast number of French words into the English language, particularly in areas of law, art, literature, and government.
• This bilingual environment for several centuries led to English re-emerging as the dominant language, albeit heavily influenced by French, evidencing the language's ability to evolve and adapt.
• The convergence of Old English and Norman French accelerated the transition from Old to Middle English, laying the foundation for Modern English.
• The Norman Conquest illustrates how political and social changes can have profound and lasting impacts on language evolution.

Therefore, the correct answer is 'Option 3'.

Additional Information

• While the Viking invasions and the invention of the printing press also contributed to the development of the English language, Joseph Williams highlights the Norman Conquest as a key factor.
• The isolation of the British Isles affected early linguistic development but did not contribute as rapidly to the evolution of English as the Norman Conquest.