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The autobiography 'Long Walk to Freedom' was written by:
- Kwame Nkrumah
- Nelson Mandela
- Martin Luther King Jr.
- Desmond Tutu
Answer: Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela published 'Long Walk to Freedom' in 1994. It profiles his early life, his years in prison, and his role in ending apartheid in South Africa.
Which Japanese author, known for 'Norwegian Wood' and 'Kafka on the Shore', is frequently cited as a contender for the Nobel Prize in Literature?
- Yasunari Kawabata
- Kenzaburō Ōe
- Haruki Murakami
- Yukio Mishima
Answer: Haruki Murakami
Haruki Murakami is a globally renowned contemporary Japanese writer. Kawabata and Ōe have already won the Nobel Prize.
Who wrote the English novel 'Nectar in a Sieve', which portrays the struggles of a rural Indian woman named Rukmani?
- Anita Desai
- Kamala Markandaya
- Nayantara Sahgal
- Ruth Prawer Jhabvala
Answer: Kamala Markandaya
Kamala Markandaya published 'Nectar in a Sieve' in 1954. It became a bestseller and is a classic post-colonial text detailing the impact of industrialization on rural India.
Which narrative technique, famously used by James Joyce and Virginia Woolf, attempts to depict the multitudinous thoughts and feelings which pass through the mind?
- Magical Realism
- Stream of Consciousness
- Epistolary
- Unreliable Narrator
Answer: Stream of Consciousness
Stream of consciousness is a narrative mode that attempts to capture the natural flow of a character's extended thought process, prominent in modernist literature.
The literary movement characterized by an emphasis on emotion, individualism, and the glorification of nature and the past is:
- Realism
- Romanticism
- Naturalism
- Modernism
Answer: Romanticism
Romanticism originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century. Key figures include William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and Lord Byron.
Premchand, one of the most celebrated writers of Hindustani literature, was born as:
- Suryakant Tripathi
- Dhanpat Rai Srivastava
- Sachchidananda Vatsyayan
- Ramtapan Chatterjee
Answer: Dhanpat Rai Srivastava
Munshi Premchand was born Dhanpat Rai Srivastava. He began writing under the pen name 'Nawab Rai' but later changed it to Premchand.
Which famous English novelist wrote under the pen name 'George Eliot'?
- Charlotte Brontë
- Mary Ann Evans
- Louisa May Alcott
- Virginia Woolf
Answer: Mary Ann Evans
Mary Ann Evans used the male pen name George Eliot to ensure her works would be taken seriously in the Victorian era, as female authors were often stereotyped as writing only romances.
Who was the first recipient of the Jnanpith Award?
- Tarashankar Bandopadhyay
- G. Sankara Kurup
- Kuvempu
- Ashapoorna Devi
Answer: G. Sankara Kurup
G. Sankara Kurup won the first Jnanpith Award in 1965 for his Malayalam poetry collection 'Odakkuzhal' (The Flute).
Who was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature?
- Pearl S. Buck
- Gabriela Mistral
- Selma Lagerlöf
- Grazia Deledda
Answer: Selma Lagerlöf
Swedish author Selma Lagerlöf, famous for 'The Wonderful Adventures of Nils', was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1909.
Which Russian author wrote the novel 'Fathers and Sons', introducing the concept of nihilism to literature?
- Leo Tolstoy
- Fyodor Dostoevsky
- Ivan Turgenev
- Anton Chekhov
Answer: Ivan Turgenev
Ivan Turgenev published 'Fathers and Sons' in 1862. The character Bazarov is a famous literary representation of the nihilist movement in 19th-century Russia.
The French neoclassical playwright known for comedies like 'Tartuffe' and 'The Misanthrope' is:
- Jean Racine
- Pierre Corneille
- Molière
- Voltaire
Answer: Molière
Molière (Jean-Baptiste Poquelin) is considered one of the greatest writers in the French language and world literature, famous for his satirical comedies.
Geoffrey Chaucer's 'The Canterbury Tales' is written in which language?
- Old English
- Middle English
- Early Modern English
- Latin
Answer: Middle English
Geoffrey Chaucer wrote 'The Canterbury Tales' in Middle English in the late 14th century. It was crucial in legitimizing the literary use of Middle English.
The 'Aeneid', a Latin epic poem that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, was written by:
- Ovid
- Horace
- Virgil
- Cicero
Answer: Virgil
Virgil composed the Aeneid between 29 and 19 BCE. It is considered Rome's national epic and has heavily influenced Western literature.
Which Hindi novel by Phanishwar Nath 'Renu' is credited with pioneering the 'Aanchalik' (regional) novel genre?
- Gunahon Ka Devta
- Maila Anchal
- Tamas
- Godaan
Answer: Maila Anchal
Phanishwar Nath 'Renu' wrote 'Maila Anchal' (The Soiled Border) in 1954. It vividly depicts rural life in Bihar and established the 'Aanchalik' genre in Hindi literature.
The Hindi epic poem 'Kamayani', based on the Vedic story of the great flood, was written by:
- Ramdhari Singh Dinkar
- Jaishankar Prasad
- Suryakant Tripathi Nirala
- Mahadevi Varma
Answer: Jaishankar Prasad
Jaishankar Prasad, a prominent figure of the Chhayavad movement in Hindi literature, wrote the epic poem 'Kamayani' in 1936.
Vikram Seth's novel 'A Suitable Boy' is notable for which of the following reasons?
- It is the longest novel ever published in a single volume in English.
- It won the Nobel Prize in Literature.
- It was banned in India upon release.
- It was written entirely in verse.
Answer: It is the longest novel ever published in a single volume in English.
Published in 1993, 'A Suitable Boy' is one of the longest novels in the English language, spanning over 1,300 pages and exploring post-independence Indian society.
Who is the author of the novel 'Untouchable' (1935), which depicts a day in the life of a sweeper named Bakha?
- Raja Rao
- Mulk Raj Anand
- Premchand
- Khushwant Singh
Answer: Mulk Raj Anand
Mulk Raj Anand wrote 'Untouchable' to highlight the social stigma and discrimination faced by the Dalit community in India. E.M. Forster wrote its preface.
Which book by Mahatma Gandhi outlines his vision of an ideal, self-reliant Indian society?
- My Experiments with Truth
- Hind Swaraj
- Constructive Programme
- Key to Health
Answer: Hind Swaraj
Written in 1909, 'Hind Swaraj' (Indian Home Rule) expresses Gandhi's thoughts on civilization, machinery, and the nature of true independence (Swaraj).
The collection of poems 'The Golden Threshold' was authored by:
- Sarojini Naidu
- Toru Dutt
- Kamini Roy
- Cornelia Sorabji
Answer: Sarojini Naidu
Sarojini Naidu, known as the Nightingale of India, published her first collection of poems, 'The Golden Threshold', in 1905.
Who wrote the play 'Neel Darpan' which highlighted the plight of indigo cultivators?
- Bankim Chandra Chatterjee
- Dinabandhu Mitra
- Rabindranath Tagore
- Girish Chandra Ghosh
Answer: Dinabandhu Mitra
Dinabandhu Mitra wrote 'Neel Darpan' (The Indigo Mirror) in 1860. It exposed the brutal exploitation of indigo farmers by British planters, sparking public outrage.