Unit 2
Short Fiction
1-Mark Objective & Direct Questions :
Question: What was Prafulla’s greatest ambition in the story Audition? [GU 2023-24]
Answer: To perform as an approved radio singer for All India Radio.
Question: What does the trunk/empty box symbolize in Indira Goswami’s The Empty Box?
Answer: The emotional void, socio-economic destitution, and suppressed grief of the protagonist.
Question: Name the person referred to as ‘her’ in W.B. Yeats’ poem ‘No Second Troy’. [GU 2023-24]
Answer: Maud Gonne.
Question: Who is Mr. Pink in Satyajit Ray’s short story The Maths Teacher, Mr. Pink and Tipu?
Answer: An eccentric, kind-hearted alien who befriends Tipu and possesses fantastical abilities.
Question: Name the ancient tree mentioned in Sujata Bhatt’s poem prescribed for your study. [GU 2023-24]
Answer: The Oak tree (in So Many Oaks).
Question: What is the disease personified as a cold, unseen stranger in O. Henry’s The Last Leaf?
Answer: Pneumonia (“Mr. Pneumonia”).
Question: According to Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o in Decolonising the Mind, what is the primary vehicle through which a culture transmits its values?
Answer: Language.
Question: What does the figure of the witch symbolize in the poem So Many Oaks? [GU 2024]
Answer: Persecuted female wisdom, misunderstood intuition, and the tragic alienation of humanity from nature.
Question: Name the narrator’s uncle in the story ‘The Ring’. [GU 2023-24]
Answer: Uncle Con.
Question: Who is the narrator in Mahesh Dattani’s play Tara?
Answer: Chandan (later known as Dan in London).
Question: State whether true or false: The palanquin bearers sing gaily. [GU 2023-24]
Answer: True.
Question: What was the title of the masterpiece painted by Old Behrman in O. Henry’s The Last Leaf?
Answer: A single ivy leaf painted on the brick wall.
Question: In Jacinta Kerketta’s poetry collection Angor, what does the word ‘Angor’ literally signify?
Answer: An ember or a burning piece of coal (symbolizing Adivasi struggle, identity, and inner fire).
Question: In which verse collection is Margaret Atwood’s poem This Is a Photograph of Me included? [GU 2024]
Answer: The Circle Game (1964/1966).
Question: Who is the open French window supposed to be kept waiting for in Saki’s The Open Window?
Answer: Mrs. Sappleton’s husband and her two young brothers (along with their spaniel).
Short Questions (Approx. 50 Words Each) :
Q. Explain the line: “With beauty like a tightened bow” (No Second Troy). [GU 2023-24]
Answer: Yeats compares Maud Gonne’s beauty to a tightly drawn bow. The image suggests her intense, powerful, disciplined, and potentially forceful personality. Her beauty is therefore presented as both attractive and capable of creating tension.
Q. What does the word ‘gaily’ suggest about the palanquin bearers’ attitude in Sarojini Naidu’s poem? [GU 2024]
Answer: The word ‘gaily’ shows that the palanquin bearers carry the bride with happiness and enthusiasm. It suggests that they perform their duty in a cheerful, rhythmic, and affectionate manner.
Q. Where is the speaker in Margaret Atwood’s poem This Is a Photograph of Me? [GU 2023-24]
Answer: The speaker is beneath the surface of the lake shown in the photograph. Her hidden position suggests her absence from the visible world and represents a voice that remains unnoticed or suppressed.
Q. Why was the lost ring precious to the narrator’s grandmother in The Ring? [GU 2023-24]
Answer: The ring was precious to the grandmother because it had great sentimental and family value. It reminded her of her past, loved ones, and cherished memories, making it much more valuable to her than its material worth.
Q. Why did Prafulla vow never to sing again in the story Audition? [GU 2024]
Answer: Prafulla decided never to sing again because he was deeply hurt and humiliated by his experience at the All India Radio audition. The indifference of the authorities destroyed his confidence and made him give up his musical ambition.
Q. State the reason why human beings are described as blind and deaf in Sujata Bhatt’s So Many Oaks. [GU 2024]
Answer: Human beings are described as blind and deaf because they have lost their close connection with nature. They fail to understand the wisdom, signs, and voices of the natural world because of their modern and materialistic outlook.
Q. How does Vera fabricate the tragedy of the open window in Saki’s The Open Window?
Answer: Vera invents a tragic story about her aunt’s husband and two brothers. She tells Mr. Nuttel that they disappeared while hunting and that her aunt still keeps the French window open, expecting them to return. This false story frightens him when the men actually appear.
Q. What role does Johnsy’s psychological state play in her illness in O. Henry’s The Last Leaf?
Answer: Johnsy’s negative state of mind makes her illness worse. She becomes convinced that she will die when the last ivy leaf falls. When she realizes that the leaf remains despite the storm, she regains hope and begins to recover.
Q. How is gender bias manifested in the surgical separation of the twins in Mahesh Dattani’s Tara?
Answer: Gender bias is shown when the family and surgeon choose Chandan over Tara for the shared third leg. Although Tara had a better chance of benefiting from it, patriarchal preference favours the male child, resulting in Tara’s physical suffering.
Q. What is the central theme of Indira Goswami’s short story The Empty Box?
Answer: The central theme of the story is loneliness, emotional deprivation, and social marginalization. The empty box becomes a symbol of the protagonist’s unfulfilled desires, suffering, and emotional emptiness.
Q. Explain the significance of the alien Mr. Pink in Satyajit Ray’s story.
Answer: Mr. Pink represents imagination, kindness, and freedom from conventional limitations. His presence in Tipu’s life contrasts with rigid traditional education and encourages a sense of curiosity, wonder, and imaginative thinking.
Q. What does Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o mean by the “cultural bomb” in Decolonising the Mind?
Answer: The “cultural bomb” refers to the colonial process of destroying people’s confidence in their own language, culture, history, and identity. It makes them regard their native culture as inferior and accept the culture of the colonizers as superior.
Q. How does Jacinta Kerketta portray nature and displacement in Angor? [GU Syllabus]
Answer: Kerketta presents nature as an essential part of Adivasi life, identity, and culture. She shows that deforestation, industrialization, and commercial exploitation displace indigenous communities from their ancestral lands and threaten their cultural identity.
Q. How do the palanquin bearers convey a sense of light movement through their rhythm in Naidu’s poem?
Answer: The rhythmic movement of the poem reflects the gentle steps of the palanquin bearers. Through musical rhythm and graceful comparisons with flowers, birds, and other light forms, Naidu creates an impression of smooth, delicate, and effortless movement.
Q. Discuss the symbolic meaning of Behrman’s sacrifice in The Last Leaf.
Answer: Behrman’s sacrifice symbolizes selfless love, courage, and the life-saving power of art. By painting the leaf during the storm, he gives Johnsy hope and saves her from despair. His final painting becomes the masterpiece of his life because it helps restore her will to live.
Analytical Long Questions (Approx. 200 Words Each) :
Q. Discuss W.B. Yeats’ conflicted feelings of admiration and frustration in ‘No Second Troy’. [GU 2024]
Answer: In No Second Troy, Yeats expresses mixed feelings of love, admiration, disappointment, and frustration towards Maud Gonne. He feels that she has caused him personal pain and emotional suffering, yet he cannot ignore her extraordinary beauty, courage, and strong personality. Her revolutionary activities also make him question whether she should be blamed for the unrest and violence associated with her political ideals.
Yeats gradually moves from personal criticism to admiration. He describes her as possessing a noble, independent, and stern mind, comparing her beauty to a tightly drawn bow. Her powerful personality reminds him of Helen of Troy, whose beauty was connected with the destruction of Troy. Yeats suggests that Maud Gonne’s revolutionary nature was a natural result of her aristocratic character and the age in which she lived. The final question about another Troy suggests that ordinary Dublin could not provide a suitable stage for her greatness. Thus, the poem combines personal frustration with deep admiration and presents Maud Gonne as a tragic and heroic figure.
Q. Critically evaluate Sarojini Naidu’s ‘The Palanquin Bearers’ with focus on its figurative language and rhythm. [GU 2023-24]
Answer: Sarojini Naidu’s The Palanquin Bearers is a musical and graceful poem that presents the traditional Indian custom of carrying a bride in a palanquin. The poem transforms the bearers’ physical work into a joyful and almost ceremonial activity. Its rhythm closely follows the gentle movement of the palanquin as it is carried along.
Naidu makes extensive use of similes and beautiful natural images. The bride is compared to a flower swaying in the wind, a bird moving over the foam of a stream, and a laugh emerging from a dream. These comparisons create an impression of delicacy, softness, and lightness. The poet also uses images of stars and tears to express the changing emotions associated with the bride’s departure. The repetitive and flowing rhythm gives the poem a song-like quality and reflects the synchronized steps of the bearers. Thus, figurative language and rhythm work together to create a charming picture of Indian tradition, beauty, movement, and emotion.
Q. Analyze the themes of voice, identity, and submerged reality in Margaret Atwood’s ‘This Is a Photograph of Me’. [GU 2024]
Answer: Margaret Atwood’s This Is a Photograph of Me explores the ideas of hidden identity, silence, absence, and the difference between appearance and reality. At first, the poem presents an ordinary photograph of a landscape containing a blurred lake, trees, a slope, and a house. The speaker’s presence is not immediately visible to the observer.
Later, the speaker reveals that she is beneath the surface of the lake. This unexpected revelation changes the meaning of the entire photograph. Her submerged position becomes a symbol of a hidden or suppressed identity that cannot be easily recognized by others. The poem therefore suggests that important truths may remain concealed beneath what appears on the surface. The speaker asks the viewer to look more carefully in order to discover her presence. In this way, Atwood gives a voice to someone who is physically unseen but still present. The poem ultimately challenges superficial observation and emphasizes the need to search for hidden realities and marginalized identities.
Q. Discuss the significance of the title and thematic treatment of disillusionment in the story ‘Audition’. [GU 2024]
Answer: The title Audition refers directly to Prafulla’s attempt to become a recognized singer at All India Radio. However, the title has a deeper significance because the audition becomes a turning point in his life. For Prafulla, it is not merely an examination of his singing ability but an opportunity to prove the value of his long dedication to music.
Unfortunately, his experience at the audition brings disappointment instead of success. The indifferent and insensitive treatment he receives from the selectors deeply hurts his pride and confidence. The audition therefore becomes a symbol of the conflict between sincere artistic aspiration and an uncaring institutional system. Instead of opening the door to a successful musical career, it leads Prafulla towards disillusionment. His painful experience finally makes him take his Bhishma Pratigya, promising never to sing again. Thus, the title is ironic because an event expected to bring recognition ultimately destroys his faith in his artistic dream. The story criticizes bureaucratic indifference and the way institutions can discourage genuine talent.
Q. Examine the depiction of stoicism, memory, and dignity in the character of the grandmother in ‘The Ring’. [GU 2023-24]
Answer: In The Ring, the grandmother is presented as a strong, patient, and dignified woman. She faces difficulties without unnecessary complaint and maintains her emotional strength even when she loses her precious ring. Her calm behaviour reflects her stoic nature and inner resilience.
The ring is important to her not because of its material value but because of the memories and family connections associated with it. It represents her personal history and cherished relationships. Therefore, losing it causes her genuine emotional pain. Nevertheless, she handles the situation with patience and determination. Her behaviour shows that she values memories and family heritage deeply while maintaining her dignity. When the ring is found, her happiness comes from recovering something emotionally precious rather than merely regaining a valuable object. Through the grandmother, the story emphasizes the importance of memory, family heritage, patience, and quiet emotional strength.
Q. Assess the ecocritical themes and symbolic color imagery in Sujata Bhatt’s ‘So Many Oaks’. [GU 2024]
Answer: Sujata Bhatt’s So Many Oaks presents a strong ecological concern and explores the relationship between human beings and nature. The ancient oak trees represent the endurance, wisdom, and living memory of the natural world. In contrast, modern human beings are described as “blind and deaf” because they have lost the ability to understand and appreciate nature.
The poem also makes effective use of colour imagery. Different colours and shades associated with trees, leaves, and the natural environment suggest vitality, mystery, and spiritual awareness. The figure of the witch is particularly significant because she represents a form of ancient and persecuted wisdom. Unlike ordinary people, she can understand the voices and signs of nature. Through these images, Bhatt suggests that the destruction of ancient trees is not simply an environmental loss but also a loss of cultural and spiritual memory. The poem therefore criticizes humanity’s alienation from nature and calls for a deeper awareness of the natural world.
Q. Analyze the narrative irony and dramatic tension in Saki’s ‘The Open Window’.
Answer: Saki’s The Open Window is a humorous short story built around deception, dramatic irony, and surprise. Vera, a clever young girl, tells Framton Nuttel a completely false story about the open French window. She claims that her aunt’s husband and two brothers disappeared while hunting and that her aunt still waits for their return through the window.
The story creates dramatic tension because Framton believes Vera’s invented tale. When the men actually appear through the open window, he mistakes them for the dead hunters described by Vera and becomes terrified. He immediately leaves the house. The irony lies in the fact that the reader eventually discovers that Vera’s tragic story is completely fabricated. Her final explanation about Framton’s fear is another invention, showing her remarkable ability to create stories at short notice. Through this clever structure, Saki creates humour and suspense while showing how easily appearances and stories can deceive people.
Q. Examine the intertwining of disability, patriarchy, and domestic complicity in Mahesh Dattani’s ‘Tara’.
Answer: Mahesh Dattani’s Tara exposes the harmful effects of patriarchy through the story of the conjoined twins, Tara and Chandan. The central injustice occurs when the doctors and family decide to give the shared third leg to Chandan, even though Tara had a better medical possibility of benefiting from it. This decision reflects the preference given to the male child.
The play shows that patriarchy does not operate only through society but can also exist within the family. Bharati’s decisions are influenced by patriarchal expectations and family pressure, while Patel places greater importance on Chandan’s future. As a result, Tara suffers physically and emotionally. Chandan also carries a deep sense of guilt because he benefits from an unjust decision. Dattani therefore connects disability with gender discrimination and family complicity. Tara demonstrates how patriarchal attitudes can affect medical decisions, family relationships, and the lives of both men and women.
Q. Discuss the politics of language and cultural resistance in Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o’s ‘Decolonising the Mind’.
Answer: In Decolonising the Mind, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o presents language as a powerful instrument of culture and colonial control. According to him, colonialism did not dominate people only through political and economic power; it also attempted to control their minds by imposing the language and culture of the colonizers.
Language connects people with their history, traditions, environment, and collective identity. When indigenous languages are suppressed and foreign languages are treated as superior, colonized people may begin to reject their own cultural heritage. Ngũgĩ calls this psychological destruction the “cultural bomb.” It creates a sense of inferiority and disconnects people from their own past. As a form of cultural resistance, Ngũgĩ therefore emphasizes the importance of preserving and using indigenous African languages. For him, linguistic freedom is closely connected with intellectual independence, cultural pride, and genuine decolonization.
Q. Evaluate the themes of sacrifice, art, and hope in O. Henry’s ‘The Last Leaf’.
Answer: O. Henry’s The Last Leaf explores the powerful relationship between sacrifice, art, friendship, and hope. Johnsy, suffering from pneumonia, loses her desire to recover and believes that her life will end when the last leaf on an ivy vine falls. Her hopelessness makes her illness more serious.
Old Behrman, an unsuccessful painter who has always dreamed of creating a masterpiece, decides to help Johnsy. During a stormy night, he paints an ivy leaf on the wall so that Johnsy will believe that the final leaf has survived. Seeing the leaf still present, Johnsy regains hope and develops the desire to live. Behrman, however, becomes seriously ill after his act of sacrifice and dies. His painted leaf becomes his true masterpiece because it gives Johnsy the hope necessary for her recovery. Thus, O. Henry shows that genuine art is not merely beautiful but can express compassion, courage, and selfless human love.
*****
এই Post টো Update কৰাত সহায় কৰিব বিচাৰে নেকি?
ইয়াত কিবা ভুল, অসম্পূৰ্ণ তথ্য বা নতুন তথ্য থাকিলে আপুনি এটা উন্নত version প্ৰস্তুত কৰিব পাৰে। Live Post তৎক্ষণাৎ সলনি নহ'ব।
Update This Post