BA I Sem.

Opt ENG DSC2: Indian Literature in English up to 1947 Important question

Academic year:2021-22( NEP) Veerashaiva College Ballari .
Unit I History of Indian English Literature:
One marks questions
1. When was the first book written by an Indian in English published?
2. Who was the author of the first Indian novel in English?
3. Which Indian English writer is considered to be one of the greatest Bengali novelists
of all time?
4. Which Indian English writer is the only one to have won the Nobel Prize in Literature?
5. Which Indian English writer is the author of the Malgudi novels?
6. Which Indian English writer is known for his realistic portrayals of Indian life and his
focus on social justice?
7. Which Indian English writer is known for his use of Indian philosophy and symbolism?
8. Which Indian English writer is known for her psychological insights and her
exploration of the female experience?
Five Marks
1. What are the key events in the history of Indian English literature?
2. What are the major themes in Indian English literature?
3. Who are the most important figures in Indian English literature?
4. How has Indian English literature changed over time?
5. What are the challenges and opportunities facing Indian English literature today?
Ten Marks
1. What role did Indian nationalism play in the development of Indian English
literature?
2. How did the Partition of India affect Indian English literature?
3. How has the rise of globalization affected Indian English literature?
4. What are the future prospects for Indian English literature?
Unit II Poetry
1. Toru Dutt – Lotus
1. What is the lotus flower a symbol of?
2. What does the lotus flower represent in Hindu mythology?
3. What are the different colors of the lotus flower?
4. What is the significance of the lotus flower’s roots?
5. What is the significance of the lotus flower’s petals?
6. What is the significance of the lotus flower’s seed?
7. What is the significance of the lotus flower’s bloom?
8. What is the significance of the lotus flower’s fragrance?
9. What is the significance of the lotus flower’s beauty?
10. What is the significance of the lotus flower’s purity?
 11. What is the significance of the lotus flower’s resilience?
12. What is the significance of the lotus flower’s symbolism in the poem?

2. Sarojini Naidu – Coromandel Fishers

1. Who are the Coromandel Fishers?
2. Where do the Coromandel Fishers live?
3. What do the Coromandel Fishers do for a living?
4. What are the challenges that the Coromandel Fishers face?
5. What is the Coromandel Fishers’ relationship with the sea?
6. What is the Coromandel Fishers’ relationship with nature?
7. What is the Coromandel Fishers’ relationship with each other?
8. What is the Coromandel Fishers’ relationship with God?
9. What is the significance of the sea in the poem?
10. What is the significance of nature in the poem?
11. What is the significance of community in the poem?
12. What is the significance of faith in the poem?
13. What is the significance of hope in the poem?

3. Henry Derozio – To India – My Native Land

1. What is the speaker’s relationship with India?
2. What is the speaker’s attitude towards India’s past?
3. What is the speaker’s attitude towards India’s present?
4. What is the speaker’s hope for India’s future?
5. What is the significance of the speaker’s use of imagery in the poem?
6. What is the significance of the speaker’s use of metaphor in the poem?
7. What is the significance of the speaker’s use of simile in the poem?
8. What is the significance of the speaker’s use of personification in the poem?
9. What is the significance of the speaker’s use of allusion in the poem?
10. What is the significance of the speaker’s use of symbolism in the poem?
11. What is the significance of the speaker’s use of rhyme in the poem?
12. What is the significance of the speaker’s use of meter in the poem?

4. Sri Aurobindo – Bride of the Fire

1. Who is the bride of the fire?
2. What is the bride of the fire’s relationship with the fire?
3. What is the bride of the fire’s relationship with the world?
4. What is the bride of the fire’s relationship with herself?
5. What is the bride of the fire’s journey?
6. What is the significance of the fire in the poem?
 7. What is the significance of the world in the poem?
8. What is the significance of the self in the poem?
9. What is the significance of the journey in the poem?
10. What is the significance of the bride of the fire’s transformation?
11. What is the significance of the poem’s message?
Unit IV Essay:
B. R. Ambedkar – A Childhood Journey to Koregaon

1. What is the name of the essay by B.R. Ambedkar that you discussed?
2. What is the main theme of the essay?
3. What happened to Ambedkar and his siblings when they arrived at the railway
station in Koregaon?
4. Why were Ambedkar and his siblings treated with suspicion and contempt by the
other passengers on the train?
5. What did Ambedkar and his siblings do after their father failed to meet them?
6. What are some other examples of discrimination and prejudice that people face
around the world?
7. How can we work to create a more just and equitable world for all people?
8. What role can education play in addressing discrimination and prejudice?
9. What role can individual action play in addressing discrimination and prejudice?
10. How does the essay contribute to our understanding of the experiences of Dalits in
India?
11. What are some of the challenges that Dalits face in India today?
12. What can be done to address the discrimination and prejudice that Dalits face?
13. What are the implications of Ambedkar’s experience for our understanding of human
rights?
Unit V: Fiction
Kanthapura by Raja Rao
1. Who is the narrator of Kanthapura?
2. What is the significance of the name Kanthapura?
3. What is the role of Goddess Kenchamma in the novel?
4. What are the different castes in Kanthapura?
5. How does Moorthy introduce the idea of the freedom struggle to the villagers?
6. What are the different ways in which the villagers resist the British?
7. What is the significance of the Dandi March?
8. What is the significance of the toddy shop picketing?
9. What is the significance of the auction of the villagers’ land?
10. What is the role of women in the freedom struggle?
11. What is the significance of the novel’s ending?
12. What are the different themes of Kanthapura?
13. What is the literary style of Kanthapura?
14. What are the strengths and weaknesses of Kanthapura?
15. What is your overall assessment of Kanthapura?