Hard Level – GK Questions

Bhasa was known only through references by later critics like Kalidasa until 13 palm-leaf manuscripts of his plays were discovered in Kerala in 1912.

The physician Borzuya translated the Panchatantra into Pahlavi, which was later adapted into Arabic as 'Kalila wa Dimna' by Ibn al-Muqaffa, spreading its fables globally.

Abdullah Hussain published 'Udaas Naslein' in 1963. It traces the decline of a feudal family and the broader societal changes leading up to Partition.

Qurratulain Hyder published 'Aag Ka Darya' in 1959. It is widely regarded as one of the greatest novels in the Urdu language.

Dom Moraes won the prestigious Hawthornden Prize in 1958 for his debut poetry collection 'A Beginning', a rare feat for an Indian writing in English at the time.

Raja Rao published 'The Serpent and the Rope' in 1960. It won the Sahitya Akademi Award and is considered a masterpiece of Indian philosophical fiction.

The first section is narrated by Benjy Compson, a 33-year-old man with severe cognitive disabilities, using a stream-of-consciousness style.

Bhasa is an ancient playwright whose works were rediscovered in the early 20th century. 'Svapnavasavadattam' is one of his masterpieces.

Sriharsha composed 'Naishadha Charita' in the 12th century. It is renowned for its complex poetic style.

Giuseppe Ungaretti, a major figure of Italian Hermeticism, was the inaugural winner of the Neustadt Prize.

Magha wrote 'Shishupala Vadha' in the 8th century. It is known for its complex linguistic acrobatics.

Bhavabhuti, an 8th-century scholar, wrote 'Uttararamacarita', which covers the later life of Rama and the tragic separation from Sita.

Nirmal Verma, a pioneer of the 'Nayi Kahani' movement, wrote 'Parinde', highlighting the loneliness of modern urban life.

Emperor Harshavardhana is credited with writing three Sanskrit plays: Ratnavali, Priyadarsika, and Nagananda.

Margaret Atwood won the Booker Prize in 2000 and shared it in 2019. Hilary Mantel, J.M. Coetzee, and Peter Carey have also won it twice.

Dandin, a 7th-century Sanskrit scholar, wrote 'Dashakumaracharita', which narrates the adventures of ten princes.

A MacGuffin is a term popularized by Alfred Hitchcock. It is an object, goal, or motivator that the characters care about, but the audience doesn't need to know the specifics of.

Fakir Mohan Senapati wrote 'Chha Maana Atha Guntha' in the late 19th century. It is a pioneering work of Indian realism and critiques feudal exploitation.

Émile Zola was the leading figure of the Naturalist movement, believing that literature should observe and record reality objectively, much like a scientific experiment.

Ashvaghosha was an Indian philosopher and poet who wrote the Buddhacharita in the early 2nd century CE. It is one of the earliest examples of Sanskrit epic poetry (Kavya).