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In 2016, the Nobel Prize in Literature was controversially awarded to Bob Dylan for:
- His memoir 'Chronicles'
- Creating new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition
- His screenplay for 'Masked and Anonymous'
- His novel 'Tarantula'
Answer: Creating new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition
The Swedish Academy recognized Dylan's songwriting as a form of poetry, sparking debate about the boundaries of literature.
Bram Stoker's 'Dracula' is an example of an ________ novel, as it is written entirely through diary entries, letters, and newspaper clippings.
- Autobiographical
- Epistolary
- Picaresque
- Allegorical
Answer: Epistolary
The epistolary format allows Stoker to present the horror through multiple subjective perspectives and 'found' documents.
F. Scott Fitzgerald's 'Tender Is the Night' is largely autobiographical, reflecting his struggles with his wife Zelda's mental illness.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Published in 1934, the novel's portrayal of a psychiatrist and his wealthy, troubled patient mirrors the Fitzgeralds' real-life challenges.
In John Steinbeck's 'Of Mice and Men', the two main characters, George and Lennie, are:
- Bank robbers
- Migrant ranch workers
- Soldiers
- Fishermen
Answer: Migrant ranch workers
The novella depicts the tragic friendship between the clever George and the mentally disabled but physically strong Lennie during the Great Depression.
Ernest Hemingway's 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' is set during the ________.
- World War I
- Spanish Civil War
- World War II
- American Civil War
Answer: Spanish Civil War
Published in 1940, it follows Robert Jordan, an American volunteer fighting for the Republicans in Spain.
Kalhana's 'Rajatarangini' is written in which language?
- Prakrit
- Pali
- Sanskrit
- Kashmiri
Answer: Sanskrit
Though it is a history of Kashmir, Kalhana composed the 'Rajatarangini' in Sanskrit verse.
Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay created the famous Bengali detective character Byomkesh Bakshi.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Byomkesh Bakshi, who calls himself a 'truth-seeker' (Satyanweshi), is one of the most beloved detectives in Indian literature.
Saadat Hasan Manto's short story 'Khol Do' highlights the brutality of Partition through the character of:
- Toba Tek Singh
- Sakina
- Bishan Singh
- Ismat
Answer: Sakina
The story ends with Sakina's traumatized reaction to the command 'Khol do' (Open it), exposing the sexual violence of Partition.
Hazari Prasad Dwivedi's 'Banbhatta Ki Atmakatha' is a fictional autobiography of the ancient Sanskrit poet ________.
- Kalidasa
- Banabhatta
- Dandin
- Harsha
Answer: Banabhatta
Dwivedi brilliantly reconstructs the life and times of Banabhatta, author of 'Harshacharita' and 'Kadambari'.
Kiran Desai's 'The Inheritance of Loss' is set in the Himalayas and which major global city?
- London
- New York
- Toronto
- Sydney
Answer: New York
The novel alternates between Kalimpong in India and the struggles of an undocumented immigrant in New York City.
George Saunders won the 2017 Booker Prize for 'Lincoln in the Bardo', his first full-length novel.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Saunders, previously known for short stories, won the Booker for this experimental novel set in a graveyard.
A society characterized by human misery, such as squalor, oppression, disease, and overcrowding, is depicted in ________ fiction.
- Utopian
- Dystopian
- Pastoral
- Picaresque
Answer: Dystopian
Dystopian fiction presents a nightmarish society, contrasting with Utopian fiction which presents an ideal one.
Walt Whitman's groundbreaking poetry collection 'Leaves of Grass' includes which famous elegy for Abraham Lincoln?
- O Captain! My Captain!
- When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd
- Song of Myself
- Crossing Brooklyn Ferry
Answer: O Captain! My Captain!
While 'When Lilacs Last...' is also an elegy for Lincoln, 'O Captain! My Captain!' is the most famous and widely taught.
Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'The Scarlet Letter' is set in which historical context?
- The American Civil War
- 17th-century Puritan Massachusetts
- The Salem Witch Trials of 1692
- The California Gold Rush
Answer: 17th-century Puritan Massachusetts
Published in 1850, it explores sin, legalism, and guilt in a strict Puritan society.
In Herman Melville's 'Moby-Dick', the narrator who survives to tell the tale is named ________.
- Ahab
- Starbuck
- Ishmael
- Queequeg
Answer: Ishmael
The novel famously opens with the line, 'Call me Ishmael.'
Ashapoorna Devi's 'Pratham Pratisruti' is the first part of a trilogy focusing on women's struggle for education and equality.
- True
- False
Answer: True
The trilogy includes 'Pratham Pratisruti', 'Subarnalata', and 'Bakul Katha', tracing three generations of women.
Mir Taqi Mir is often referred to as the ________ of Urdu poetry.
- Shakespeare
- Khuda-e-Sukhan (God of Poetry)
- Bulbul-e-Hind
- Sultan-ul-Shoara
Answer: Khuda-e-Sukhan (God of Poetry)
Mir Taqi Mir, an 18th-century poet, is highly revered and often called the 'God of Poetry' in the Urdu tradition.
Phanishwar Nath Renu's 'Maila Anchal' is set in a village in the ________ region of Bihar.
- Mithila
- Bhojpur
- Purnia
- Magadh
Answer: Purnia
'Maila Anchal' vividly depicts the rural life and socio-political changes in the Purnia district of Bihar.
Amitav Ghosh's 'The Glass Palace' primarily revolves around the fall of which monarchy?
- The Mughal Empire
- The Burmese Konbaung Dynasty
- The Kingdom of Nepal
- The Vijayanagara Empire
Answer: The Burmese Konbaung Dynasty
The novel traces the history of Burma, India, and Malaya, starting with the exile of King Thebaw of Burma.
The Sahitya Akademi Award does not recognize works written in the English language.
- True
- False
Answer: False
The Sahitya Akademi recognizes 24 languages, including English, Rajasthani, Bhojpuri, and the 22 scheduled languages.