APSET Paper 2 Mock Test - 10 (English) - AP TET MCQ

The correct answer is 'A Dictionary of the English Language'.

Key Points

• "A Dictionary of the English Language," published by Samuel Johnson in 1755, was a monumental work in the field of lexicography and a significant contribution to non-fiction literature.
• It was not the first English dictionary, but it was the most comprehensive and scholarly of its time. Johnson's dictionary provided not just definitions but also quotations from a broad range of sources, demonstrating the usage of words.
• The dictionary played a crucial role in standardizing English spelling and usage, and it remained an authoritative reference for over a century.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 3.

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

Key Points

• Judith Butler is renowned for the concept of Gender Performativity, which argues that gender is not innate but performed based on societal norms.
• Simone de Beauvoir authored The Second Sex, a foundational text in feminist philosophy, which posits that "one is not born, but rather becomes, a woman," underscoring the constructed nature of gender roles.
• Bell Hooks wrote Ain't I a Woman, a critical examination of the impact of sexism and racism on black women, though the concept of Intersectionality is primarily associated with Crenshaw.
• Kimberlé Crenshaw introduced the concept of Intersectionality to highlight the overlapping or intersecting social identities and related systems of oppression, domination, or discrimination.

Therefore, the correct answer is 'Option 1'.

Additional Information

• Options 2, 3, and 4 incorrectly associate theorists with concepts they are not primarily known for, confusing the contributions of seminal feminist theorists

The correct answer is 'Intense language contact in multilingual trade environments.'

Key Points

• Multilingual Settings: Creole languages often emerge in contexts where speakers of different languages are brought together, such as in colonial, trading, or plantation settings, necessitating communication.
• Pidgin to Creole: Initially, a pidgin language – a simplified form of speech used for communication between speakers of different languages – can develop. When pidgins become fully developed languages with native speakers, they are termed creoles.
• Cultural and Social Fusion: Besides linguistic elements, creole formation involves the blending of cultures and societies, contributing to the distinct identity of the creole language and its speakers.
• Linguistic Innovation: The creation of creoles involves significant linguistic innovation, with elements from multiple languages combining to form a new, stable linguistic system.
• Nativity and Complexity: A key feature of creole languages is that they develop into fully complex languages used natively by a community, often within a single generation.

Therefore, the correct answer is 'Option 3'.

Additional Information

• Option 1: While the translation of religious texts has played a role in language development and standardization, it is not directly related to the emergence of creole languages.
• Option 2: The emergence of creole languages is more directly a result of intense language contact, not merely a natural progression of complexity.
• Option 4: Creole languages emerge from multilingual interactions rather than the formal standardization of a dialect.

The correct answer is 'Social isolation and existential angst'.

Key Points

• The poem delves deeply into the psyche of its narrator, Prufrock, who is paralyzed by insecurity and indecision, reflecting broader themes of social isolation and existential angst.
• Prufrock's internal monologue reveals his acute self-consciousness and fear of judgment, which prevent him from acting upon his desires or engaging meaningfully with the world around him.
• The fragmented, stream-of-consciousness narrative style and the use of literary and cultural references convey the complexity of Prufrock's inner world and the existential questions he grapples with.
• Eliot's depiction of the modern city and its impersonal, alienating environment enhances the theme of isolation and the challenge of finding meaning and connection in the modern world.
• The repeated question, "Do I dare?" encapsulates Prufrock's existential dread and his struggle with the potential meaninglessness of life and actions.

It is usually assumed that all Gothic novels are much the same, and that the form is defined by the presence of some stock devices. ... As a historical form the Gothic novel flourished between 1764 and 1820; Walpole's The Castle of Otranto and Maturin's Melmoth the Wanderer are its limits of demarcation

• Robert Burns was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of the Scotland. He was the son of a farmer and followed the tradition of his father by becoming a tenant farmer himself. He wrote poems for several years and his first book of poems titled, Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect, was printed in 1786.
• The collection was an immediate success and Burns was celebrated throughout England and Scotland as a great “peasant-poet. ” As a poet, he recorded and celebrated aspects of farm life, regional experience, traditional culture, class culture of farmers. Hence he is best known and praised as a “Ploughman Poet”.

The correct word is One Word More.

Important Points

Robert Browning preferred to keep the details of his private life out of his poetry. However, Browning’s poem, “One Word More,” stands out from his dramatic monologues.

• It is often considered “the one indisputable instance of Browning’s disclosure of his private self,” yet one can argue that he actually keeps his innermost feelings concealed by deflecting the attention away from himself and toward his wife (89 Martens).
• Nonetheless, he specifically dedicates it to Elizabeth Barret Browning and signs his name at the end R.B. – something he usually does not do in his poetry.
• Despite the fact that he dedicates the poem to his beloved wife, it is not the usual love poem.
• He explains that some of the greatest artists should resort to alternative mediums of creativity to express intimate feelings.
• Browning wants E.B.B. to respect the fact that he wishes to keep his most intimate feelings for her between the two of them.
• He did not their worldwide fame to dictate their relationship.
• Browning considers it an honour and a blessing to be familiar with this highly esteemed poetess’s private self.
• Once again, Browning manages to conceal his intimate feelings.
• In “One Word More,” he speaks of the concept of love without mentioning specifics.

Thus, it is clear that "One Word More" by Browning is an exquisite tribute to his dead wife.

Additional Information

• My Star: It is a short and simple poem published as part of Men and Women in 1855.
  • It is impressive in its concise contemplation of love's singularity.
  • It puts forth the idea that love is an intensely subjective experience that is appreciated differently by each person.
• Prospice: It is a dramatic monologue and highly optimistic in style.
  • In this poem, the poet looks forward to meeting his loving wife after death.
  • Because this poem is composed after the death of his wife.
  • He composes this poem in the memory of his beloved wife.
• Meeting at Night aims to capture the vitality and excitement of romantic love, especially when that love is in its early stages. (Worth noting is that Robert Browning wrote it while courting his eventual wife, Elizabeth Barrett, and that Barrett's father did not approve of the match!)

The correct answer is 'Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets'.

Key Points

• In this collection of biographical and critical studies, Johnson wrote about 52 of the most significant English poets of the previous century. These accounts provide not just a historical overview but also a personal assessment of their works.
• Johnson's critical evaluations in "Lives of the Poets" significantly influenced literary criticism. He provided an unbiased, judicious appraisal of each poet's works, breaking away from the tradition of uncritical praise common in many biographies of the time.
• This work showcased Johnson's exceptional understanding of literature and his insightful critical acumen. He assessed the merits and faults of each poet with judicious balance, a practice that became a standard for subsequent literary criticism.
• His detailed attention to each poet's style, his consideration of the historical and biographical context, and his keen observations on their influence and significance make this work a valuable resource for understanding English poetry.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 2.

• Walt Whitman, a great American poet of 19th century and contemporary of Emily Dickinson, often called the father of free verse. He is known for constructing smooth, flowing free verse as his poems contains no rhymes and does not have a set meter
• Anne Bradsheet is the first puritan American woman to publish a book of poems, Her style of writing influenced by Puritanism’s so-called “plain style” (marked by didactic intent, artful simplicity), and of classicism.
• Robert Lowell was a modern American poet active in writing from 1940s to until his death, in 1977. The poet was lauded for his precise formal poems, heavily metrical lines but competent in writing both formal as well as free verse;
• Sylvia Plath was an American poetess and novelist. She must be studied as an expert and compelling poet, known for versatility of form, use of rhyme and its variations and word choice.

• A memory play, also known as a flashback play, is a type of drama that relies heavily on the use of flashbacks to tell the story.
• The three plays mentioned in options 1, 2, and 3, namely "A Streetcar Named Desire", "Summer and Smoke", and "The Glass Menagerie," are all examples of memory plays.
• "Murder in the Cathedral," on the other hand, is a historical drama that does not employ flashbacks as a significant storytelling device.

Therefore, the correct answer is 'Option 4'.

• Option 1: "A Streetcar Named Desire" is a memory play written by Tennessee Williams and set in New Orleans. [1]
• Option 2: "Summer and Smoke" is a memory play also written by Tennessee Williams and set in Mississippi. [2]
• Option 3: "The Glass Menagerie" is a memory play written by Tennessee Williams and set in St. Louis, Missouri. [3]

I-(b), II-(a), III-(d), IV-(c)

The correct answer is ‘Terence Rattigan’.

Key Points 

• The Browning Version is a play by Terence Rattigan, performed for the first time on 8 September 1948 at Phoenix Theatre, London.
• The events in the play take place in a boy’s public school.
• The play was originally composed of two short plays, titled Playbill and Harlequinade.
• The main characters in the play are Taplow, Frank, Andrew Crocker-Harris and Mrs Crocker-Harris.

Therefore, the correct answer is option 2.

Important Points 

• Terence Rattigan (1911-1977) was a twentieth-century English playwright.
• Some of his best known plays are The Winslow Boy (1946), The Browning Version (1948), The Deep Blue Sea (1952), In Praise of Love (1973).

Additional Information 

• John Osborne (1929-1994) was an English playwright, best known for his 1956 play Look Back In Anger.
• Harold Pinter (1930-2008) was an influential English playwright, awarded the 2005 Nobel Prize in Literature.
• Caryl Churchill (1938-present) is a British playwright who is known for her plays on feminist themes like Top Girls (1982), Serious Money (1987), and Far Away (2000).

The correct answer is 'Don Quixote' by Miguel de Cervantes.

Key Points

• In his work, Mikhail Bakhtin uses "Don Quixote" as a key text to illustrate his theory of dialogism and the carnivalesque.
• Bakhtin's theory of dialogism argues that meaning in a text is not fixed but constructed through the interaction and conflict of different voices.
• His concept of the carnivalesque is a subversion and liberation of the dominant style or atmosphere through humor and chaos. "Don Quixote" with its interplay of high and low characters, serious and comic scenarios, embodies this idea.
• Bakhtin's theories offer a different way of reading and interpreting texts, emphasizing the importance of context, plurality, and heteroglossia.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 4.

The correct answer is 'Modernism'.

Key Points

• Ezra Pound was a driving force behind the Modernist movement, which sought to break away from traditional forms of art, poetry, and literature, advocating for innovation and a departure from conventional norms.
• His slogan "Make it new" encapsulated the essence of Modernism, urging artists and writers to experiment with form, style, and subject matter, to reflect the complexities of the 20th century.
• Pound's own literary work, along with his mentorship of other writers such as T.S. Eliot and James Joyce, significantly shaped Modernist literature's direction.
• He was instrumental in promoting the use of free verse, tight language, and imagery that directly influences one's perceptions without over-explanation - elements that became cornerstones of Modernist poetry.
• Pound's contributions weren't just literary. He was also an active advocate for the Modernist movement, through his critical essays and support of emerging writers, which further embedded "Make it new" into the Modernist ethos.

Therefore, the correct answer is 'Option 2'.

Additional Information

• Option 1: Symbolism is a precursor to Modernism and was more focused on suggesting ideas through symbols rather than outright stating them.
• Option 3: Romanticism emphasized emotion and individualism, which contrasts with Modernism's embrace of disillusionment and fragmented narratives.
• Option 4: Victorianism's moral standards and structured designs contrast sharply with Modernism's experimental and avant-garde tendencies.

The correct answer is 'Romanticism'.

Key Points

• Romanticism was a literary and artistic movement that spanned the late 18th to the mid-19th century, placing a strong emphasis on emotional depth, the beauty and mystery of nature, and the significance of individual experience and expression.
• Emotional intensity is a hallmark of Romantic literature and art, with creatives striving to evoke strong feelings and conjure vivid imagery to connect deeply with audiences on an emotional level.
• Nature, in Romanticism, is not just a backdrop for stories but a central character. It is revered and depicted as a source of solace, inspiration, and wisdom, often contrasted with the industrialized, urban world.
• The focus on Individualism and personal subjectivity during the Romantic period marked a departure from the Enlightenment's emphasis on reason and collective societal progress. Romantics valued personal freedom, the exploration of the self, and the expression of one's innermost thoughts and desires.
• The movement was also characterized by a fascination with the unconventional, the supernatural, and the sublime—elements that were often woven into the exploration of nature and the self.

Therefore, the correct answer is 'Option 3'.

Additional Information:

• Imagism (Option 1) is a movement that came later, focusing on clarity, precision, and economy of language. It is characterized by vivid imagery and clear, sharp language.
• Symbolism (Option 2) was prevalent at the end of the 19th century and emphasized the use of symbols to represent ideas and emotions, often in a mysterious or abstract manner.
• Aestheticism (Option 4) arose in the late 19th century with the motto "Art for art's sake," focusing on the pursuit of beauty and the creation of art free from moral, political, or utilitarian considerations.

Russian Formalism is a literary theory developed in Moscow (Russia) in the year 1915 and finished in 1930. Practitioners and followers of the theory were called ‘Formalist’, a derogatory term to imply limitations. It includes the work of a number of highly influential Russian and Soviet scholars such as Viktor Shkolovsky, Yuri Tynianov, Vladimir Propp, Boris Eichenbaum, Roman Jacobson who revolutionized literary criticism between 1914 and the 1930s by establishing the specificity and autonomy of poetic language and literature.

It was finished by 1930 because of Stalinist and Socialist-Marxist pressures on the individuals involved. The approach is known for its objective and literal examination of a poem or fiction. It refuses to focus on historical, biological, and cultural circumstances of a text, but highlighted its structure.

Georges Poulet was a Belgian literary critic associated with the Geneva School. Best known for his four-volume work Studies in Human Time, Poulet rejected formalist approaches to literary criticism and advanced the theory that criticism requires the reader to open his or her mind to the consciousness of the author. Poulet was influenced by the ideas of Gaston Bachelard, who explored the relationship of existentialism and psychology to literature.

Irish was not a dialect of Old English. There are four dialects of old English: Mercian, Northumbrian, Kentish, and West Saxon. Thus, “Irish” is the odd one out. Irish (Gaeilge) is a Goidelic (Gaelic) language that originated in Ireland and has been historically spoken by the Irish people.

The correct answer is 'Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man" by Marshall McLuhan'.

Key Points

• "Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man" by Marshall McLuhan, first published in 1964, is seminal in Cultural Studies for its exploration of the effects of media on individuals and society.
• McLuhan introduced the concept of the medium being the message, suggesting that the medium through which content is conveyed affects society more profoundly than the content itself.
• He famously classified media as either "hot" or "cool" based on the level of participation required from the audience, influencing how media studies approached audience engagement.
• McLuhan's work predicted the global village concept, foreseeing the world connected through an electronic nervous system, prefiguring the internet and its implications on global communication.
• McLuhan's ideas were ahead of their time, providing the foundational language and framework for discussing how media technology shapes perception, society, and culture.

Therefore, the correct answer is 'Option 1'.

Additional Information

• "Culture and Society" by Raymond Williams and "Mythologies" by Roland Barthes are also significant in Cultural Studies but focus more on cultural forms and semiotics, respectively, than on the media's societal impacts as McLuhan's work does.
• "The Society of the Spectacle" by Guy Debord deals with the concept of the spectacle in society but does not specifically address the media's role in shaping public consciousness as McLuhan's work does.

Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. On 1 May 1876, she adopted the additional title of Empress of India.

Victoria was the daughter of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, the fourth son of King George III. Both the Duke and the King died in 1820, and Victoria was raised under close supervision by her mother, Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. She inherited the throne at the age of 18, after her father's three elder brothers had all died, leaving no surviving legitimate children. The United Kingdom was already an established constitutional monarchy, in which the sovereign held relatively little direct political power. Privately, Victoria attempted to influence government policy and ministerial appointments; publicly, she became a national icon who was identified with strict standards of personal morality.

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

Key Points

• Fitzgerald's work, particularly "The Great Gatsby," is symbolic of the Jazz Age, reflecting its opulence, moral ambiguity, and societal disillusionment.
• His fascinating depiction of the 1920s America provides deep insights into the cultural and societal dynamics of the time.
• Through his characters and narrative, Fitzgerald explores themes of ambition, love, and the pursuit of the American Dream against a backdrop of jazz music, illegal Prohibition liquor, and lavish parties.
• "The Great Gatsby" is critically acclaimed for its portrayal of the Jazz Age's complexities, making Fitzgerald emblematic of this era in American literature.
• Fitzgerald himself was an active participant in the Jazz Age culture, which adds authenticity and personal insight into his depictions.

Therefore, the correct answer is 'Option 1'.

The correct answer is 'One Hundred Years of Solitude'.

Key Points

• Defining Magical Realism: "One Hundred Years of Solitude" is widely recognized as a quintessential example of magical realism, a literary style where magical elements are a natural part of an otherwise mundane, realistic environment.
• Epic Tale of the Buendía Family: The novel tells the multi-generational story of the Buendía family, whose patriarch, José Arcadio Buendía, founds the fictional town of Macondo. The narrative weaves between the personal and the historical, exploring themes of love, solitude, destiny, and decay.
• Literary Accomplishments: This work significantly contributed to Gabriel García Márquez winning the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1982, cementing his reputation as one of the greatest writers of the 20th century.
• Global Influence: The book has been translated into dozens of languages, capturing the imagination of readers worldwide and making a profound impact on the global literary landscape.
• Cultural and Political Commentary: Through its blend of the magical and the real, the novel comments on the turbulent history and politics of Latin America, offering a critical yet whimsical examination of human nature and society.

Therefore, the correct answer is 'Option 3'.

Additional Information

• Option 1: Love in the Time of Cholera is another acclaimed novel by Márquez, focusing on an enduring love story.
• Option 2: Chronicle of a Death Foretold is a novella blending non-linear storytelling and magical realism to explore the nature of collective guilt.
• Option 4: The Autumn of the Patriarch delves into the life of a perpetual dictator, representing a critique on tyranny.

Patrick Victor Martindale White was an English-born Australian writer who is widely regarded as one of the most important English-language novelists of the 20th century.

Nadine Gordimer was a South African writer, political activist and recipient of the 1991 Nobel Prize in Literature.

Margaret Eleanor Atwood is a Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, and environmental activist.

Keri Hulme is a New Zealand writer. Her only novel, The Bone People, won the Booker Prize in 1985.

The Transcendence of the Ego is an essay on philosophy by Jean Paul Sartre, published in 1936. This important essay marked a turning point in Sartre’s philosophical development as it demonstrates his transition from phenomenology to the existentialist doctrines of himself.

Jacques Derrida was a French philosopher, best known for his theory of Deconstruction. Of Grammatology is the elemental text of deconstructive criticism. The book debate on theories of famous philosophers and theorists such as Claude Levi-Strauss, Ferdinand De Saussure Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Martin Heidegger, Edmund Husserl, Roman Jakobson and many more.

The work of Mourning as its name suggests, a series of 14 texts memorialize some of his deceased friend. The work is interspersed with philosophical insights regarding the interrelationships among friendship, fidelity, human finitude, and mourning.

Of Spirit: Heidegger and the Question aqueous Derrida’s lecture on Heidegger. It is again a question of Nazismof what remains to be thought through of Nazism in general and of Heidegger’s Nazism in particular. The analysis of Heidegger is brilliant, provocative, elusive.

The correct answer is 'Horrified'.

Key Points

• In the first stanza, the speaker states that they were "horrified" to discover that they had been "ruined" and that they cried "like a child to be killed or sent back to [their] aunt." 
• The speaker's use of words like "horrified" and "ruined" conveys a sense of deep shock, distress, and shame.
• The speaker's desire to be killed or sent away suggests that they feel overwhelmed and unable to cope with the situation.
• The speaker does not express feelings of indifference, anger, or remorse at the beginning of the poem.

Therefore, the correct answer is ‘Option 4.’

The correct answer is 'They symbolize the passage of time and the speaker's inability to move on.'

Key Points

• The speaker describes the sun's print as "occasional" and the worry of wheels as "brisk brief," suggesting that these moments are fleeting and impermanent. 
• The speaker also mentions that the wheels are "along the street outside," which implies that they are moving forward while the speaker is stuck in the past.
• The contrast between the movement of the outside world and the speaker's own stasis highlights the speaker's sense of being trapped and unable to move on from their traumatic experience.
• The speaker does not explicitly express feelings of happiness, guilt, or shame in relation to the sun and wheels.

Therefore, the correct answer is ‘Option 2.

The correct answer is 'Suffering is always unique and personal to each individual.'

Key Points

• The speaker states that "suffering is exact," suggesting that it is unique and specific to each individual. 
• This is supported by the fact that the speaker's own suffering is described in vivid and personal detail.
• The speaker's use of the word "exact" implies that suffering is precise and cannot be generalized or compared to the suffering of others.
• The speaker does not suggest that suffering is always fair, just, predictable, or caused by external factors.

Therefore, the correct answer is ‘Option 3.’

Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also called Edward of Carnarvon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir apparent to the throne following the death of his elder brother Alphonso. Edward had a close and controversial relationship with Piers Gaveston, who had joined his household in 1300. The precise nature of his and Gaveston's relationship is uncertain; they may have been friends, lovers or sworn brothers. Gaveston's arrogance and power as Edward's favourite provoked discontent among both the barons and the French royal family, and Edward was forced to exile him.
Christopher Marlowe's drama Edward II can be identified as a clearly homosexual sensibility. 

Michel Foucault:

French philosopher, social theorist, and literary critic.

His book History of Sexuality published in 1976 originally in French language.

Judith Butler

An American philosopher and gender theorist

Best known for her books Gender Trouble published in 1990

Alan Sinfield

an English theorist in the fields of Shakespeare and sexuality,

His book Cultural Politics Queer Reading published in 1990

Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick

an American academic scholar in the fields of gender studies, queer theory and critical theory.

His book Epistemology of the Closet published 1990.

• In 1794 Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Robert Southey, the well known Romantic poets, devised to establish a perfect society on the Eastern shores of America, with a system of government where all rule equally. Although the plan could never come into fruition as they originally wished to establish such a community on the banks of the Susquehanna River in the United States, but in 1795 Southey proposed of moving the project to Wales.
• The two men were unable to agree on the location, causing the project to collapse. It stands as one of the most intriguing and ambitious undertakings of the Romantic years. The Pantisocracy was subject to ridicule among their contemporaries, but the ideology behind it is indicative of a telling sense of moral and ethical superiority.

Politics and the English Language is an essay by George Orwell that highlight as well as criticize the debase and inaccurate written English of his time and examines the relation between political orthodoxies and the degradation of the language. The rules are as follows:

1. Never use a metaphor, simile or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.
2. Never use a long word where a short one will do.
3. If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.
4. Never use the passive where you can use the active.
5. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.
6. Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.