Create a custom practice set
Pick category, difficulty, number of questions, and time limit. Start instantly with your own quiz.
Generate QuizLiterature – MCQ – GK Questions
Free practice for SSC, UPSC, Banking & Railway exams. No login required.
The 'Bijak' is the most sacred scripture of the Kabir Panth, containing the verses and teachings of Kabir. It is primarily written in which dialect?
- Awadhi
- Braj Bhasha
- Sadukkari / Western Hindi dialects
- Maithili
Answer: Sadukkari / Western Hindi dialects
Kabir used a mixed vernacular often called 'Sadukkari' or 'Panchmel Khichdi', blending elements of Awadhi, Braj, Bhojpuri, and Punjabi to reach a wide, unlettered audience.
Mikhail Bulgakov's satirical masterpiece 'The Master and Margarita', featuring a visit by the Devil to Soviet Moscow, was:
- Published immediately to great state acclaim
- Burned by the author and published posthumously decades later
- Written in French and translated to Russian
- Banned only in the West
Answer: Burned by the author and published posthumously decades later
Fearing arrest, Bulgakov burned an early draft. He rewrote it in secret, and it was finally published in a censored form in 1966, 26 years after his death.
The 'Dastan-e-Amir Hamza' is a monumental work of which literary genre in Urdu and Persian traditions?
- Ghazal
- Marsia
- Dastan (Epic Romance/Adventure)
- Tazkira (Biographical Dictionary)
Answer: Dastan (Epic Romance/Adventure)
The Dastan is a genre of oral and written epic storytelling filled with magic, adventure, and heroic deeds. The Hamzanama is the most famous and voluminous of these.
Ruskin Bond's novella 'A Flight of Pigeons' is set during which historical event?
- The Partition of India (1947)
- The Indian Rebellion of 1857
- The Bengal Famine of 1943
- The Jallianwala Bagh Massacre
Answer: The Indian Rebellion of 1857
'A Flight of Pigeons' (1978) is based on a true story of a British family seeking refuge with Indian neighbors during the chaotic 1857 uprising. It was adapted into the film 'Junoon'.
Who was the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (in 1921) for her novel 'The Age of Innocence'?
- Willa Cather
- Edith Wharton
- Pearl S. Buck
- Harper Lee
Answer: Edith Wharton
Edith Wharton won the 1921 Pulitzer for 'The Age of Innocence', a brilliant critique of the rigid social codes of New York's Gilded Age aristocracy.
The 2019 Nobel Prize in Literature was controversially awarded to Peter Handke, a novelist and playwright from which country?
- Germany
- Austria
- Switzerland
- Poland
Answer: Austria
Austrian author Peter Handke won the 2019 Nobel (delayed from 2018). The award sparked debate due to his controversial political stances regarding the Yugoslav Wars.
Georgi Gospodinov won the 2023 International Booker Prize for 'Time Shelter', a novel that explores the weaponization of nostalgia. He writes in which language?
- Romanian
- Hungarian
- Bulgarian
- Polish
Answer: Bulgarian
Georgi Gospodinov is a prominent Bulgarian writer. 'Time Shelter' is the first Bulgarian novel to win the International Booker Prize.
Who was awarded the 58th Jnanpith Award (for the year 2022) for his outstanding contribution to Konkani literature?
- Nilmani Phookan
- Damodar Mauzo
- Raghuveer Chaudhari
- Shankha Ghosh
Answer: Damodar Mauzo
Damodar Mauzo, a renowned Goan short story writer, novelist, and critic, became the first Konkani writer to win the Jnanpith Award in 2022 (announced in 2023).
Who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2023 for his 'innovative plays and prose which give voice to the unsayable'?
- Abdulrazak Gurnah
- Annie Ernaux
- Jon Fosse
- Louise Glück
Answer: Jon Fosse
Norwegian author and dramatist Jon Fosse won the 2023 Nobel Prize. His minimalist, repetitive style is often compared to the slow, rhythmic movement of waves.
The 'Kiratarjuniya', one of the six great Sanskrit epics (Mahakavyas), narrates the combat between Arjuna and Shiva disguised as a Kirata (mountain dweller). Who is its author?
- Kalidasa
- Bharavi
- Magha
- Sriharsha
Answer: Bharavi
Bharavi composed the 'Kiratarjuniya' in the 6th century. It is renowned for its profound philosophical depth and complex linguistic structures.
The 'Epic of King Gesar', considered one of the longest epic poems in the world, is central to the folklore of which region?
- Mongolia and Tibet
- Japan and Korea
- Polynesia
- Sub-Saharan Africa
Answer: Mongolia and Tibet
The Epic of King Gesar is a living oral tradition in Tibet and Mongolia, recounting the magical and martial exploits of the legendary King Gesar of Ling.
The 'Nibelungenlied' (The Song of the Nibelungs) is a medieval epic poem originating from which linguistic/cultural region?
- Celtic (Ireland)
- Germanic (Germany/Austria)
- Slavic (Russia)
- Norse (Scandinavia)
Answer: Germanic (Germany/Austria)
Written in Middle High German around 1200, the Nibelungenlied blends historical events (the fall of the Burgundians) with Germanic mythology, featuring heroes like Siegfried and Kriemhild.
The 'Enuma Elish' is the creation myth of which ancient civilization?
- Ancient Egypt
- Babylonia (Mesopotamia)
- Ancient Greece
- Indus Valley
Answer: Babylonia (Mesopotamia)
The Enuma Elish is the Babylonian epic of creation, detailing the rise of the god Marduk and his victory over the primordial chaos monster Tiamat.
Srimanta Sankardev, a 15th-16th century saint-scholar, revolutionized Assamese literature and culture through the neo-Vaishnavite movement. His devotional songs are known as:
- Borgeet
- Abhang
- Bhajan
- Kirtan
Answer: Borgeet
Sankardev composed 'Borgeet' (Great Songs) in Brajavali, a literary language he developed. These songs remain central to the Sattriya culture and Assamese devotion.
Narsi Mehta (Narsinh Mehta) is universally recognized as the 'Adi Kavi' (First Poet) of which language?
- Marathi
- Hindi
- Gujarati
- Rajasthani
Answer: Gujarati
Narsi Mehta, a 15th-century mystic and devotee of Krishna, is considered the first major poet of Gujarati literature. His bhajans, including 'Vaishnava Jana To', are world-renowned.
Akkamahadevi, a 12th-century saint-poetess, was a prominent figure of which Kannada literary and spiritual movement?
- Vachana Sahitya
- Haridasa Sahitya
- Champakmala
- Ashtachhap
Answer: Vachana Sahitya
The Vachana movement, spearheaded by Basavanna and Allama Prabhu, rejected caste and ritualism. Akkamahadevi's passionate Vachanas are dedicated to her divine lover, Chennamallikarjuna (Shiva).
Sarala Das, a 15th-century poet, is revered as the first major poet of the Odia language. His most famous work is an adaptation of which epic?
- Ramayana
- Mahabharata
- Bhagavata Purana
- Harivamsa
Answer: Mahabharata
Sarala Das wrote the 'Sarala Mahabharata', adapting the Sanskrit epic into Odia but infusing it with local folklore, Odia culture, and regional deities.
Habba Khatoon, a 16th-century Kashmiri poetess known for her poignant lyrics of love and separation, is often referred to as:
- The Nightingale of Kashmir
- The Rani of Jhansi
- The Saint of the Valley
- The Mother of Kashmiri Prose
Answer: The Nightingale of Kashmir
Habba Khatoon (born Zoon) was the wife of Yusuf Shah Chak, the last independent ruler of Kashmir. Her poetry expresses the deep sorrow of her separation from him.
The Nobel laureate Pablo Neruda adopted his pen name in honor of which Czech writer?
- Franz Kafka
- Jan Neruda
- Milan Kundera
- Karel Čapek
Answer: Jan Neruda
Born Ricardo Eliécer Neftalí Reyes Basoalto, the Chilean poet chose 'Pablo Neruda' to honor the Czech poet Jan Neruda and to hide his poetry from his strict father.
Charlotte Brontë published her masterpiece 'Jane Eyre' under which male pseudonym?
- Acton Bell
- Ellis Bell
- Currer Bell
- George Eliot
Answer: Currer Bell
To bypass the prejudice against female authors, the Brontë sisters published under the Bell brothers pseudonyms: Charlotte (Currer), Emily (Ellis), and Anne (Acton).