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The 'Theatre of the Absurd', featuring playwrights like Samuel Beckett and Eugène Ionesco, was heavily influenced by the existential philosophy of:
- Friedrich Nietzsche
- Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus
- Karl Marx
- Sigmund Freud
Answer: Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus
The Theatre of the Absurd reflects the existential belief that human existence is fundamentally meaningless and communication is often futile.
The narrative technique 'In media res' translates to:
- In the middle of things
- After the fact
- Through the eyes of another
- From the beginning
Answer: In the middle of things
'In media res' is a technique where the story opens in the middle of the action, rather than at the chronological beginning, often using flashbacks to fill in the backstory.
The literary term 'Pathetic Fallacy' refers to:
- A logical error in a character's reasoning
- Attributing human emotion or conduct to nature and inanimate objects
- A tragic flaw that leads to a hero's downfall
- The use of overly sentimental language in poetry
Answer: Attributing human emotion or conduct to nature and inanimate objects
Coined by John Ruskin, the pathetic fallacy occurs when the environment reflects the mood of the characters, such as 'angry clouds' or 'weeping willows'.
The literary movement characterized by a focus on objective reality, the depiction of everyday life, and a rejection of romantic idealism is known as:
- Realism
- Surrealism
- Romanticism
- Symbolism
Answer: Realism
Realism emerged in the mid-19th century, with authors like Gustave Flaubert and Leo Tolstoy aiming to portray life exactly as it was.
J.D. Salinger's novel 'The Catcher in the Rye' features which iconic, disillusioned teenage protagonist?
- Huckleberry Finn
- Holden Caulfield
- Augie March
- Pip
Answer: Holden Caulfield
Holden Caulfield's cynical voice and struggles with alienation and 'phoniness' made him a symbol of teenage rebellion.
'Catch-22', a satirical war novel that coined the term for a paradoxical, no-win situation, was written by:
- Kurt Vonnegut
- Joseph Heller
- Norman Mailer
- Thomas Pynchon
Answer: Joseph Heller
Joseph Heller published 'Catch-22' in 1961. It critiques the bureaucratic absurdity of the military during World War II.
Who wrote the magical realist masterpiece 'One Hundred Years of Solitude', chronicling the Buendía family in the town of Macondo?
- Gabriel García Márquez
- Jorge Luis Borges
- Isabel Allende
- Julio Cortázar
Answer: Gabriel García Márquez
Gabriel García Márquez published 'One Hundred Years of Solitude' in 1967, winning international acclaim and contributing to his 1982 Nobel Prize.
Albert Camus' philosophical essay 'The Myth of Sisyphus' primarily deals with which concept?
- Nihilism
- The Absurd
- Utilitarianism
- Determinism
Answer: The Absurd
Camus uses the myth of Sisyphus, condemned to roll a boulder up a hill for eternity, to illustrate the human condition and the search for meaning in an inherently meaningless universe.
Ernest Hemingway's novel 'The Sun Also Rises' depicts the aimless lives of the 'Lost Generation' primarily in which two European locations?
- London and Berlin
- Paris and Pamplona (Spain)
- Rome and Athens
- Vienna and Prague
Answer: Paris and Pamplona (Spain)
Published in 1926, the novel follows a group of expatriates traveling from Paris to the Festival of San Fermín in Pamplona to watch the running of the bulls.
The philosophical novel 'The Picture of Dorian Gray', which explores themes of aestheticism and moral decay, was written by:
- Oscar Wilde
- George Bernard Shaw
- H.G. Wells
- Rudyard Kipling
Answer: Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde published 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' in 1890. It remains his only full-length novel.
Who wrote 'The Castle of Otranto' (1764), widely considered the first gothic novel in English literature?
- Horace Walpole
- Ann Radcliffe
- Matthew Lewis
- Mary Shelley
Answer: Horace Walpole
Horace Walpole's 'The Castle of Otranto' established the conventions of the gothic genre, including haunted castles, ancient prophecies, and supernatural events.
In Thomas Hardy's 'Tess of the d'Urbervilles', Tess's tragic lover and eventual husband, who rejects her upon learning of her past, is:
- Alec d'Urberville
- Angel Clare
- Gabriel Oak
- Michael Henchard
Answer: Angel Clare
Angel Clare represents the hypocritical morality of Victorian society; despite his progressive views, he cannot accept Tess's loss of virginity.
Which Jane Austen novel revolves around the lives and romantic entanglements of the five Bennet sisters?
- Emma
- Sense and Sensibility
- Pride and Prejudice
- Persuasion
Answer: Pride and Prejudice
'Pride and Prejudice' (1813) follows Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy as they overcome their titular flaws to find love.
In William Shakespeare's 'The Merchant of Venice', who is the Jewish moneylender who demands a 'pound of flesh' as a penalty?
- Shylock
- Iago
- Macbeth
- Malvolio
Answer: Shylock
Shylock is one of Shakespeare's most complex and memorable characters, driven by a desire for revenge against the anti-Semitic Venetian society.
Who is the author of the iconic Punjabi epic poem 'Heer Ranjha', a tragic romance written in 1766?
- Bulleh Shah
- Waris Shah
- Shah Hussain
- Amrita Pritam
Answer: Waris Shah
Waris Shah wrote 'Heer Ranjha' in 1766. It is considered the magnum opus of Punjabi literature and a masterpiece of Sufi allegory.
'Yayati', a novel exploring the themes of lust, duty, and existential angst through a mythological lens, is a classic in which language?
- Hindi
- Marathi
- Bengali
- Gujarati
Answer: Marathi
V.S. Khandekar wrote 'Yayati' in Marathi. It won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1960 and the Jnanpith Award in 1974.
Gopinath Mohanty, a pioneering writer who won the Jnanpith Award for his novel 'Mati Matal', contributed primarily to which language?
- Bengali
- Assamese
- Odia
- Manipuri
Answer: Odia
Gopinath Mohanty won the Jnanpith Award in 1974 for his contribution to Odia literature, particularly for his portrayal of tribal life in Odisha.
Who is the author of the controversial and highly acclaimed Marathi play 'Ghashiram Kotwal'?
- Vijay Tendulkar
- Pu La Deshpande
- Vishnu Sakharam Khandekar
- Girish Karnad
Answer: Vijay Tendulkar
Vijay Tendulkar wrote 'Ghashiram Kotwal' in 1972. It uses traditional Marathi folk theatre forms to explore political violence and hypocrisy in 18th-century Pune.
'Chemmeen' (Shrimp), a tragic romance set among a fishing community, is a masterpiece of which language's literature?
- Tamil
- Malayalam
- Kannada
- Telugu
Answer: Malayalam
Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai wrote 'Chemmeen' in Malayalam in 1956. It won the Sahitya Akademi Award and was adapted into an award-winning film.
The 'Natyashastra', an encyclopedic treatise on the performing arts including theatre, dance, and music, is attributed to:
- Bharata Muni
- Nandikeshvara
- Matanga
- Sharngadeva
Answer: Bharata Muni
Bharata Muni is the legendary author of the 'Natyashastra', which introduces the concept of 'Rasa' theory, fundamental to Indian aesthetics.