Unit I
Poetry
Very Short Answer Questions (1 Mark Each) :
Q1. What was Prafulla’s greatest ambition in the story ‘Audition’? [GU 2023]
Answer: To become an approved, regular broadcast singer on All India Radio.
Q2. Name the narrator’s uncle in the story, ‘The Ring’. [GU 2023]
Answer: Uncle Con.
Q3. What does W.B. Yeats build on the island in ‘The Lake Isle of Innisfree’? [GU Model]
Answer: A small cabin made of clay and wattles.
Q4. Name the ancient tree mentioned in Sujata Bhatt’s poem prescribed for your study. [GU 2023]
Answer: The Oak tree (in So Many Oaks).
Q5. In Jacinta Kerketta’s poetry, what does the ‘Bazaar’ represent? [GU Model]
Answer: Ruthless commercial exploitation and the erasure of indigenous tribal ecology.
Q6. The palanquin bearers sing gaily. (True / False) [GU 2023]
Answer: True.
Q7. What physical defect did Tara and Chandan share from birth in Mahesh Dattani’s play? [GU Model]
Answer: They were conjoined twins sharing three legs between them.
Q8. In which verse collection is the poem ‘This Is a Photograph of Me’ included? [GU 2024]
Answer: The Circle Game (1966).
Q9. What does the figure of the witch symbolize in the poem, ‘So Many Oaks’? [GU 2024]
Answer: Intuitive, ancient feminine wisdom and deep ecocritical harmony with nature.
Q10. What was the Hindi song that Prafulla intended to sing in ‘Audition’? [GU 2024]
Answer: “Tasveer Banata Hoon, Tasveer Nahin Banti” (from the film Baradari).
Q11. Which language does Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o advocate for African literature in Decolonising the Mind? [GU Model]
Answer: Native African indigenous languages, particularly Gikuyu, rather than colonial English.
Q12. Where did the scorpion hide to escape the rain in Ezekiel’s ‘Night of the Scorpion’? [GU Model]
Answer: Beneath a sack of rice.
Q13. Name the person referred to as ‘her’ in Yeats’ poem, ‘No Second Troy’. [GU 2023]
Answer: Maud Gonne.
Q14. According to Margaret Atwood’s ‘The Moment’, who actually owns the trees and the earth? [GU Model]
Answer: No human does; nature itself reclaims total autonomy and ownership.
Q15. What is the central ritualistic site depicted in Jayanta Mahapatra’s ‘Dawn at Puri’? [GU Model]
Answer: The cremation ground on the holy Puri sea beach, facing the Jagannath Temple.
Short Conceptual Questions (2 Marks ) :
Q1. Where is the speaker in the poem ‘This Is a Photograph of Me’? [GU 2023]
Answer: The speaker is located beneath the surface of the lake, in the middle of the photograph. Her presence is hidden by the water and its reflections.
Q2. Explain: “With beauty like a tightened bow” (‘No Second Troy’). [GU 2023]
Answer: Yeats compares Maud Gonne’s beauty to a tightly drawn bow. The image suggests her powerful, intense and determined personality, as well as her revolutionary spirit.
Q3. What is the significance of the title of Yeats’ poem, ‘No Second Troy’? [GU 2023]
Answer: The title refers to the ancient city of Troy and its destruction. Yeats compares Maud Gonne with Helen of Troy and suggests that Gonne possessed a similarly powerful and potentially destructive beauty and character.
Q4. Mention any two comparisons used to describe the palanquin in Naidu’s ‘The Palanquin Bearers’. [GU 2023]
Answer: The palanquin is compared to a flower moving in the wind and to a bird gliding over the foam of a stream. These comparisons emphasize its soft, light and graceful movement.
Q5. What was Prafulla’s ‘Bhishma Pratigya’ in the story ‘Audition’? [GU 2023]
Answer: Prafulla vowed that he would never sing again. He made this firm decision after feeling deeply disappointed and humiliated by his experience at the radio audition.
Q6. What were the two things that reminded the narrator of his grandmother in the story ‘The Ring’? [GU 2023]
Answer: The smell of lavender associated with his grandmother’s linen and her old silver mesh purse reminded the narrator of her. These objects brought back his memories of his grandmother.
Q7. What is the effect of water on the light in ‘This Is a Photograph of Me’? [GU 2024]
Answer: The water changes and distorts the light, making the objects beneath it appear unclear. It also helps conceal the speaker’s presence beneath the surface of the lake.
Q8. State the reason why human beings are called blind and deaf in ‘So Many Oaks’. [GU 2024]
Answer: Human beings are called blind and deaf because they have become disconnected from nature. They are unable to notice or understand the sounds, signs and wisdom of the natural world.
Q9. How did the grandmother feel after finding her ring in ‘The Ring’? [GU 2024]
Answer: The grandmother felt greatly relieved and happy after recovering her ring. The lost ring had a deep emotional value for her, so finding it brought her comfort and satisfaction.
Q10. Explain the contrast between the mother and the peasants in ‘Night of the Scorpion’.
Answer: The peasants respond to the scorpion sting through superstition, prayers and traditional beliefs, whereas the mother silently bears her suffering. Her final thought is concerned only with the safety of her children.
Q11. Analyze the symbolic importance of the ‘widows’ in Mahapatra’s ‘Dawn at Puri’.
Answer: The widows represent loneliness, poverty, suffering and social neglect. Their presence in the holy city of Puri reveals the contrast between religious surroundings and the difficult realities faced by helpless people.
Q12. What ecocritical conflict does Jacinta Kerketta highlight in ‘The River, The Mountain, and The Bazaar’?
Answer: Kerketta presents a conflict between the indigenous relationship with nature and commercial exploitation. The river and mountain symbolize the natural and cultural heritage of tribal people, while the Bazaar represents profit-oriented exploitation.
Q13. How does Margaret Atwood demystify human ownership in ‘The Moment’?
Answer: Atwood questions the idea that human beings can permanently possess nature. She shows that the earth, trees and other elements of nature exist independently and cannot truly be controlled or owned by humans.
Q14. Why was the healthy third leg given to Chandan instead of Tara in Dattani’s play?
Answer: The third leg was given to Chandan because the family favoured the male child. Although Tara had the better medical possibility of benefiting from it, patriarchal preference influenced the decision.
Q15.What constitutes the ‘cultural bomb’ according to Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o?
Answer: The ‘cultural bomb’ is the process through which colonialism destroys people’s confidence in their own language, culture, history and identity. It makes them consider their native culture inferior to the culture of the colonizers.
Analytical Long Answer Questions (5 Marks)
Q1. Discuss the poet’s feelings of admiration and frustration as they appear in ‘No Second Troy’. [GU 2024]
Answer: In ‘No Second Troy’, W. B. Yeats expresses both admiration and frustration towards Maud Gonne. He admires her extraordinary beauty, courage, strong personality and dedication to the Irish nationalist cause. At the same time, he feels personally hurt and frustrated because of her refusal to accept his love.
Yeats compares her beauty and character with the heroic qualities of Helen of Troy. He sees her as a powerful and passionate woman whose revolutionary activities could inspire people to violent action. However, he also feels that the Ireland of his time was not worthy of such a heroic personality. Thus, the poem combines personal disappointment with deep admiration for Gonne’s strength and idealism.
Q2. Comment on the significance of the title in the short story ‘Audition’. [GU 2024]
Answer: The title ‘Audition’ is important because the central event of the story is Prafulla’s attempt to become a singer for All India Radio. The audition represents his long-standing dream of receiving recognition as a singer.
However, the audition becomes more than a simple test of his singing ability. Prafulla experiences disappointment when the judges treat his performance without sympathy or understanding. This experience hurts his pride and finally leads him to take his ‘Bhishma Pratigya’ never to sing again. Thus, the title represents both an actual singing test and the emotional crisis that changes Prafulla’s life.
Q3. Assess the significance of imagery and ecological consciousness in Sujata Bhatt’s ‘So Many Oaks’. [GU 2024]
Answer: In ‘So Many Oaks’, Sujata Bhatt uses vivid images of oak trees and the natural environment to express a deep concern for nature. The oak trees are presented as ancient and wise living beings that preserve memory and communicate with those who are sensitive to nature.
The poet contrasts this natural wisdom with the blindness and deafness of modern human beings. The figure of the witch further connects the poem with ancient feminine wisdom and a close relationship with nature. Through these images, Bhatt criticizes humanity’s alienation from the natural world and emphasizes the need to respect and reconnect with nature.
Q4. Critically evaluate Sarojini Naidu’s ‘Palanquin Bearers’ as an interplay of rhythm, folk tradition, and protective duty. [GU 2023]
Answer: Sarojini Naidu’s ‘Palanquin Bearers’ is a highly musical poem that reflects Indian folk tradition. The rhythmic movement of the poem corresponds to the gentle swaying and movement of the palanquin as the bearers carry the bride.
Naidu uses beautiful comparisons to describe the bride’s movement. She is presented as delicate and light, like a flower, a bird or a dream. The bearers perform their duty with affection and tenderness rather than presenting it merely as physical labour. The poem therefore combines musical rhythm, traditional imagery and a sense of protective responsibility towards the bride.
Q5. Examine the themes of alienation, death, and spectral identity in Margaret Atwood’s ‘This Is a Photograph of Me’. [GU Model]
Answer: Margaret Atwood’s ‘This Is a Photograph of Me’ presents a photograph of a peaceful natural landscape, but gradually reveals a hidden and disturbing reality. At first, the photograph appears to show only trees, a slope and a lake. Later, the speaker reveals that she is beneath the water at the centre of the picture.
The hidden speaker creates a sense of alienation and spectral identity. The water and its distorted light make her presence difficult to recognize. The poem therefore explores how an individual can remain unseen even when physically present. The contrast between the calm landscape and the speaker’s hidden existence gives the poem its powerful emotional effect.
Q6. Discuss Nissim Ezekiel’s ‘Night of the Scorpion’ as a realistic portrait of Indian rural ethos and maternal sacrifice.
Answer: Nissim Ezekiel’s ‘Night of the Scorpion’ gives a realistic picture of rural Indian society through the reactions of the villagers after the speaker’s mother is stung by a scorpion. The villagers gather around the house, pray, chant mantras and explain the incident through traditional beliefs about sin and destiny.
The poem also presents the contrast between superstition and rational thinking through the villagers and the speaker’s father. Despite these different approaches, the mother remains the emotional centre of the poem. After suffering for many hours, her first concern is still her children. Her gratitude that the scorpion attacked her rather than her children reveals the depth of selfless maternal love.
Q7. Analyze Jayanta Mahapatra’s ‘Dawn at Puri’ as an interrogation of Indian spirituality, decay, and mortality. [GU Model]
Answer: In ‘Dawn at Puri’, Jayanta Mahapatra presents a serious and realistic view of spirituality, poverty and death. Although Puri is regarded as a holy religious centre, the poet notices suffering, poverty and death rather than simple spiritual peace.
The images of widows, crows and the cremation ground create a sombre atmosphere. The widows suggest loneliness and social neglect, while the cremation ground reminds us of the inevitability of death. By placing these images beside the sacred surroundings of Puri, Mahapatra questions the idealized picture of religious life and exposes the human suffering existing beneath it.
Q8. Explore the ideological clash between indigenous identity and modern commercialism in Jacinta Kerketta’s poetry. [GU Model]
Answer: Jacinta Kerketta’s poetry strongly reflects the struggle between indigenous tribal identity and modern commercial interests. In ‘The River, The Mountain, and The Bazaar’, the river and mountain represent the natural environment, cultural memory and traditional life of indigenous communities.
In contrast, the ‘Bazaar’ represents commercialism, consumerism and the exploitation of natural resources. The poet shows how economic development can threaten tribal lands, traditions and ways of life. Her poetry therefore calls for respect for indigenous communities and for the protection of their natural and cultural environment.
Q9. Evaluate the theme of gender bias and systemic medical betrayal in Mahesh Dattani’s play ‘Tara’. [GU Model]
Answer: Mahesh Dattani’s ‘Tara’ exposes gender discrimination through the story of the conjoined twins, Tara and Chandan. The most significant injustice occurs when the family decides that the third leg should be given to Chandan rather than Tara because he is the male child.
This decision reflects the deep influence of patriarchal thinking even within an educated family. Tara suffers because her needs are given less importance than those of her brother. The play therefore shows how gender bias can affect family decisions, medical choices and the lives of children. Dattani presents this injustice as a serious criticism of patriarchal society.
Q10. Explain Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o’s central thesis on language and cultural imperialism in Decolonising the Mind. [GU Model]
Answer: In Decolonising the Mind, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o argues that language is closely connected with culture, identity and the way people understand their world. Colonial education often gave greater importance to European languages while making native African languages appear inferior.
According to Ngũgĩ, this linguistic domination can separate people from their own culture, history and traditions. He therefore advocates the revival and use of indigenous African languages, particularly Gikuyu, in African literature. He believes that reclaiming native languages is an important part of freeing the mind from the influence of colonialism and restoring cultural dignity.
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