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Generate QuizLiterature – Medium Level – GK Questions
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The Jnanpith Award is given exclusively for works written in the 22 languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.
- True
- False
Answer: False
While it primarily recognizes the 22 scheduled languages, the Jnanpith Award is also open to works written in English and other recognized Indian languages like Rajasthani and Bhojpuri.
The International Booker Prize (formerly Man Booker International Prize) is awarded annually to:
- An author for their lifetime achievement in fiction
- A single book translated into English and published in the UK or Ireland
- The best debut novel by a Commonwealth citizen
- The best work of non-fiction written in English
Answer: A single book translated into English and published in the UK or Ireland
Since 2016, the prize is awarded to a specific translated work, with the £50,000 prize split equally between the author and the translator.
In Greek tragedy, the term 'Hubris' refers to:
- A moment of sudden realization
- Excessive pride or arrogance that defies the gods
- A reversal of fortune
- The emotional catharsis experienced by the audience
Answer: Excessive pride or arrogance that defies the gods
Hubris is often the 'hamartia' (tragic flaw) that leads to the protagonist's 'nemesis' (downfall) in classical tragedies.
The 'Theatre of the Absurd', featuring playwrights like Samuel Beckett and Eugène Ionesco, was heavily influenced by the existential philosophy of:
- Friedrich Nietzsche
- Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus
- Karl Marx
- Sigmund Freud
Answer: Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus
The Theatre of the Absurd reflects the existential belief that human existence is fundamentally meaningless and communication is often futile.
A 'bildungsroman' is a specific type of novel that focuses on the ________ of the protagonist from youth to adulthood.
- Psychological and moral growth
- Descent into madness
- Revenge against society
- Romantic conquests
Answer: Psychological and moral growth
Also known as a 'coming-of-age' story, Charles Dickens' 'David Copperfield' and J.D. Salinger's 'The Catcher in the Rye' are classic examples.
The narrative technique 'In media res' translates to:
- In the middle of things
- After the fact
- Through the eyes of another
- From the beginning
Answer: In the middle of things
'In media res' is a technique where the story opens in the middle of the action, rather than at the chronological beginning, often using flashbacks to fill in the backstory.
The term 'Deus ex machina' refers to a plot device whereby a seemingly unsolvable problem is suddenly resolved by an unexpected and unlikely external intervention.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Originating in ancient Greek theatre, where a god was lowered onto the stage via a crane (machine) to resolve the plot, it is now used to describe contrived endings.
The literary movement characterized by a focus on objective reality, the depiction of everyday life, and a rejection of romantic idealism is known as:
- Realism
- Surrealism
- Romanticism
- Symbolism
Answer: Realism
Realism emerged in the mid-19th century, with authors like Gustave Flaubert and Leo Tolstoy aiming to portray life exactly as it was.
'Catch-22', a satirical war novel that coined the term for a paradoxical, no-win situation, was written by:
- Kurt Vonnegut
- Joseph Heller
- Norman Mailer
- Thomas Pynchon
Answer: Joseph Heller
Joseph Heller published 'Catch-22' in 1961. It critiques the bureaucratic absurdity of the military during World War II.
In Aldous Huxley's dystopian novel 'Brave New World', the populace is kept docile and happy through the use of a fictional drug called ________.
- Soma
- Lotus
- Nepenthe
- Mescaline
Answer: Soma
'Soma' is a hallucinogenic, mood-altering drug distributed by the state to suppress negative emotions and maintain social stability.
Albert Camus' philosophical essay 'The Myth of Sisyphus' primarily deals with which concept?
- Nihilism
- The Absurd
- Utilitarianism
- Determinism
Answer: The Absurd
Camus uses the myth of Sisyphus, condemned to roll a boulder up a hill for eternity, to illustrate the human condition and the search for meaning in an inherently meaningless universe.
F. Scott Fitzgerald's 'The Great Gatsby' is narrated by the titular character, Jay Gatsby.
- True
- False
Answer: False
The novel is narrated by Nick Carraway, a Yale graduate and World War I veteran from the Midwest who moves to West Egg, Long Island.
Ernest Hemingway's novel 'The Sun Also Rises' depicts the aimless lives of the 'Lost Generation' primarily in which two European locations?
- London and Berlin
- Paris and Pamplona (Spain)
- Rome and Athens
- Vienna and Prague
Answer: Paris and Pamplona (Spain)
Published in 1926, the novel follows a group of expatriates traveling from Paris to the Festival of San Fermín in Pamplona to watch the running of the bulls.
Charles Dickens' novel 'Great Expectations' is narrated in the first person by its protagonist, Pip.
- True
- False
Answer: True
'Great Expectations' is one of Dickens' most personal novels, using a first-person retrospective narrative to explore Pip's psychological growth.
In Thomas Hardy's 'Tess of the d'Urbervilles', Tess's tragic lover and eventual husband, who rejects her upon learning of her past, is:
- Alec d'Urberville
- Angel Clare
- Gabriel Oak
- Michael Henchard
Answer: Angel Clare
Angel Clare represents the hypocritical morality of Victorian society; despite his progressive views, he cannot accept Tess's loss of virginity.
The ancient Tamil epic 'Manimekalai', which has strong Buddhist undertones, is considered a sequel to the epic ________.
- Silappatikaram
- Civaka Cintamani
- Valayapathi
- Kundalakesi
Answer: Silappatikaram
'Manimekalai' by Chithalai Chathanar continues the story of the daughter of Kovalan and Madhavi from Ilango Adigal's 'Silappatikaram'.
'Yayati', a novel exploring the themes of lust, duty, and existential angst through a mythological lens, is a classic in which language?
- Hindi
- Marathi
- Bengali
- Gujarati
Answer: Marathi
V.S. Khandekar wrote 'Yayati' in Marathi. It won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1960 and the Jnanpith Award in 1974.
Indira Goswami, popularly known as Mamoni Raisom Goswami, won the Jnanpith Award for her contribution to Assamese literature.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Indira Goswami won the Jnanpith Award in 2000. Her works often highlight the struggles of the marginalized, including widows and the urban poor.
The monumental Gujarati novel 'Saraswatichandra', spanning four volumes and depicting social reform, was written by ________.
- K.M. Munshi
- Govardhanram Tripathi
- Narsinhrao
- Sundaram
Answer: Govardhanram Tripathi
Govardhanram Tripathi published 'Saraswatichandra' between 1887 and 1901. It is considered the magnum opus of 19th-century Gujarati literature.
Gopinath Mohanty, a pioneering writer who won the Jnanpith Award for his novel 'Mati Matal', contributed primarily to which language?
- Bengali
- Assamese
- Odia
- Manipuri
Answer: Odia
Gopinath Mohanty won the Jnanpith Award in 1974 for his contribution to Odia literature, particularly for his portrayal of tribal life in Odisha.