Arundhati Roy won the Booker Prize for her novel 'The Ministry of Utmost Happiness'.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Arundhati Roy won the Booker Prize in 1997 for her debut novel 'The God of Small Things', not 'The Ministry of Utmost Happiness'.
Literature – GK Questions
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Who is the author of the Malayalam novel 'Chemmeen'?
- Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai
- O.V. Vijayan
- M.T. Vasudevan Nair
- Vaikom Muhammad Basheer
Answer: Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai
Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai wrote 'Chemmeen' (1956), which won the Jnanpith Award. It deals with the lives of fishermen.
The novel 'To Kill a Mockingbird' was written by ________.
- Harper Lee
- Truman Capote
- William Faulkner
- Flannery O'Connor
Answer: Harper Lee
Harper Lee published 'To Kill a Mockingbird' in 1960. It addresses racial injustice in the American South.
Who wrote the poem 'Sarfaroshi Ki Tamanna'?
- Ramprasad Bismil
- Suryakant Tripathi 'Nirala'
- Maqbool Shah Lakhnavi
- Hasrat Mohani
Answer: Ramprasad Bismil
Ramprasad Bismil, a freedom fighter, wrote this patriotic poem urging Indians to sacrifice their lives for independence.
Who wrote the play 'Waiting for Godot'?
- Samuel Beckett
- Eugene Ionesco
- Harold Pinter
- Jean-Paul Sartre
Answer: Samuel Beckett
Samuel Beckett, an Irish avant-garde novelist and playwright, wrote 'Waiting for Godot', a key work in the Theatre of the Absurd.
The 'Kamasutra' was written by Vatsyayana.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Vatsyayana authored the Kamasutra, an ancient Indian Hindu text on sexuality, eroticism, and emotional fulfillment in life.
The Man Booker International Prize is awarded for:
- Best debut novel
- Lifetime achievement in fiction
- Best poetry collection
- Best non-fiction work
Answer: Lifetime achievement in fiction
The Man Booker International Prize (now International Booker Prize) honors a living author of any nationality for a body of work in fiction.
The novel 'Midnight's Children' was written by ________.
- Salman Rushdie
- V.S. Naipaul
- Amitav Ghosh
- Shashi Tharoor
Answer: Salman Rushdie
Salman Rushdie wrote 'Midnight's Children' in 1981. It won the Booker Prize and the Booker of Bookers.
Who wrote the novel 'Don Quixote'?
- Miguel de Cervantes
- Gabriel Garcia Marquez
- Jorge Amado
- Pablo Neruda
Answer: Miguel de Cervantes
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra wrote 'Don Quixote', published in two parts in 1605 and 1615. It is considered the first modern novel.
Who was the court poet of Akbar and a prominent figure in the Navratnas?
- Tulsidas
- Surdas
- Abdul Rahim Khan-i-Khanan
- Meera Bai
Answer: Abdul Rahim Khan-i-Khanan
Abdul Rahim Khan-i-Khanan was one of the nine jewels (Navratnas) of Akbar's court and a renowned poet in Braj Bhasha and Persian.
Charles Dickens wrote the novel 'Oliver Twist'.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Charles Dickens published 'Oliver Twist' in 1838. It highlights the plight of orphaned children in London.
Who was the first Indian to win the Sahitya Akademi Award?
- R.K. Narayan
- Premchand
- Sri Aurobindo
- It is awarded to multiple authors in the first year (1955)
- None of the above
Answer: It is awarded to multiple authors in the first year (1955)
The Sahitya Akademi Award was first given in 1955 to 24 writers across various Indian languages. There wasn't a single 'first' winner.
The book 'India Wins Freedom' was written by ________.
- Jawaharlal Nehru
- Maulana Abul Kalam Azad
- Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
- R. Ambedkar
Answer: Maulana Abul Kalam Azad
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad wrote 'India Wins Freedom', providing an insider's account of the partition and independence struggle.
Who is the author of 'The Diary of a Young Girl' (Anne Frank's Diary)?
- Anne Frank
- Elie Wiesel
- Primo Levi
- Victor Klemperer
Answer: Anne Frank
Anne Frank wrote the diary while hiding from the Nazis in Amsterdam during World War II. It was published posthumously by her father.
The 'Panchatantra' tales were originally written in which language?
- Pali
- Sanskrit
- Prakrit
- Tamil
Answer: Sanskrit
The Panchatantra, a collection of animal fables, was written in Sanskrit by Vishnu Sharma around 200 BCE.
Ernest Hemingway won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Ernest Hemingway was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954 for his mastery of the art of narrative, demonstrated in 'The Old Man and the Sea'.
Who wrote the novel 'Train to Pakistan'?
- Khushwant Singh
- Amrita Pritam
- Chetan Bhagat
- Vikram Seth
Answer: Khushwant Singh
Khushwant Singh wrote 'Train to Pakistan' in 1956. It depicts the Partition of India through the lens of a border village.
The Pulitzer Prize is primarily associated with achievements in journalism, literature, and musical composition in the ________.
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Canada
- Australia
Answer: United States
The Pulitzer Prize is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition in the United States.
Who wrote the Tamil epic 'Silappatikaram'?
- Ilango Adigal
- Thiruvalluvar
- Kamban
- Subramania Bharati
Answer: Ilango Adigal
Silappatikaram is one of the five great epics of Tamil literature, attributed to Ilango Adigal, a Jain monk and brother of the Chera king Senguttuvan.
Who wrote the epic poem 'Paradise Lost'?
- John Milton
- John Keats
- Lord Byron
- Percy Shelley
Answer: John Milton
John Milton published 'Paradise Lost' in 1667. It is an epic poem in blank verse concerning the biblical story of the Fall of Man.