Past Papers Novel (2004 - 2019) | M.A.

English Part II (PU)

| Eureka Study Aids
1. YEAR 2004

Attempt FOUR questions. All questions carry equal marks.

Summaries and plot analysis of the prescribed texts are not
allowed.

1. What is the importance of Congo itself-country and climate in the

novel: Heart of Darkness?

2. Heart of Darkness has been accused of being racist, anti African. Is

this how you see it?

3. Discuss the use of epiphany in the development of the character of

Stephen Dedalus in Joyce's the portrait of an artiste as a young man.

4. Discuss the importance of Stephen Dedalus's theory of aesthetics in

the context of the novel The Portrait of an Artiste as a Young Man.

5. Is To the Lighthouse principally James Ramsay's story?

6. Does it seem to you a just criticism that in To the Lighthouse the

usual concerns of a novel -- character and plot -- have been
subordinated to symbols and ideas?

7. How would you respond to the criticism that Achebe's narrative in the
novel Things Fall Apart is too simple to be truly tragic?
8. Okonokwo brings about his own downfall. Do you agree with this
statement? Support with close reference to the novel Things Fall
Apart.

9. 'When we finish the book Twilight in Delhi, the centre of the tragic
sense is not only Delhi, but life itself'. Discuss.

10. Why do you think Ahmed Ali gave his novel this title Twilight in
Delhi?

2. YEAR 2005

Attempt FOUR questions. All questions carry equal marks.

Summaries or plot analysis of the TEXT NOT ALLOWED.

1. "Marlow is illuminated in the Heart of Darkness". Discuss with

reference to Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad.

2. Discuss the various conflicts expounded by Achebe in Things Fall

Apart.

3. "To live, to err, to fall, to triumph, to re-create life out of life". Discuss
the portrait of Stephen Dedalus in the light of this statement. (A
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)

4. Virginia Woolf wanted to capture, in words, the nature of human

consciousness what it actually feels like to be alive". Discuss with
reference To the Lighthouse.
5. What are the major themes explored by Ahmed Ali in the novel
"Twilight in Delhi"?

6. Explain the meanings of the trip to the Lighthouse and completion of

Lily Briscoe's picture.

7. What is symbolism? How has Conrad made use of this technique in

Heart of Darkness?

3. YEAR 2006

Attempt FOUR questions. All questions carry equal marks.

1. Conrad's Heart of Darkness "explores man's nature; his capacity for

evil; the necessity for restraint; the effect of physical darkness and
isolation on a civilized soul". Examine Kurtz's character in the light of
this statement.

2. Discuss in detail the title "Things Fall Apart", the novel by Chinua
Achebe.

3. Critically examine the aesthetic theory of Stephen Dedalus as

expounded by James Joyce in his novel "A Portrait of the Artist as a
Young Man".

4. Discuss the character of Lily Brisco as Virginia Woolf's version of art.

5. Explain the significance of the title "Twilight in Delhi", the novel by
Ahmed Ali.

6. Compare and contrast the theme of 'Heart of Darkness' by Joseph

Conrad with that of 'Things Fall Apart' by Chinua Achebe.

7. Discuss the use of symbolism in the modern novels (the novels in

the prescribed course)

4. YEAR 2007

Attempt any FOUR questions. All questions carry equal marks.

1. "Material Interests" corrupt human relations. Discuss the theme of

Hear of Darkness in the light of this statement.

2. Critically examine Stephen's development as an artist. (A Portrait of

the Artist As a Young Man).

3. Write critical analysis of the three parts of To the Lighthouse by

Virginia Woolf.

4. Describe the tragic consequences of the incursion of the white man

and his culture into African Traditional society. (Things Fall Apart)

5. Ahmed Ali in "Twilight in Delhi" brings history alive, depicting most

movingly the decay of a whole way of life and culture. Discuss.

6. Critically evaluate the role of female characters in Things Fall Apart.

7. Modern Novel reflects the complexity of modern life. Discuss. (Refer
to novels prescribed in your course)

5. YEAR 2008

Attempt any FOUR questions. All questions carry equal marks.

1."Displaying masterful technical dexterity, Conrad makes us fully

aware of the deep mystery of truth in his extraordinary exploration of
human savagery and despair". Discuss Heart of Darkness in the light of
this statement.

2. Critically examine the aesthetic theory of Stephen Dedalus as

expounded by James Joyce in his novel A Portrait As A Young Man.

3. Virginia Woolf was attempting a new type of fiction. It was to have

"no plot, no comedy, no tragedy, no love interest or catastrophe in the
accepted style". Discuss To the Lighthouse.

4. "The white man is very clever ... He has put a knife on the things that
held us together and we have fallen apart". Discuss this statement of
Obierika in Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe.

5. "My purpose in writing the novel was to depict a phase of our

national life and the decay of a whole culture, a particular mode of
thought and living". Write critical analysis of Twilight in Delhi according
to this statement by its author.
6. Compare and contrast the theme of Heart of Darkness to that of
Things Fall Apart.

7. What are the salient features of modern English novel?

6. YEAR 2009

Attempt any FOUR questions. All questions carry equal marks.

1. "A man's confrontation with the dark self is both dangerous and
enlightening".

2. "Stephen is a rebel". Do you agree on not? Give reasons.

3. How does Virginia Woolf portray "life: in her novel "To the
Lighthouse"?

4."In Things Fall Apart, Achebe opens a casement on Umuofia,

revealing to us the compelling tragedy of Okonkwo, a hero, we cannot
claim to like, but do not fail to admire". Discuss.

5. "Ahmed Ali's characters have a symbolic pattern in Twilight in Delhi".

Discuss.

6. Write a comprehensive note on the structure of To the Lighthouse.

7. Discuss various trends in modern English novel.

7. YEAR 2010

Attempt any FOUR questions. All questions carry equal marks.

1. Write a critical note on the role and character of Marlow in HEART

OF DARKNESS.

2. Discuss the use of epiphany in the development of Stephen Dedalus

in The Portrait of the Artist As a Young Man.

3. "In TO THE LIGHTHOUSE, Virginia Woolf found a subject that

enabled her to do full justice to her technique". Discuss.

4. Discuss THINGS FALL APART as a post-colonial novel.

5. "Ahmed Ali's characters are caught in a restless, changing world that

has lost its values." Discuss.

6. "In HEART OF DARKNESS, Conrad portrays the evils of 19th

century colonialism in Africa with extraordinary vividness". Discuss.

7. What are the salient features of modern novel?

8. YEAR 2011

Attempt any FOUR questions. All questions carry equal marks.

Summaries and plot analysis of the prescribed texts no allowed.
1. Discuss the symbolic representation of Evil in the HEART OF
DARKNESS.

2. Write a note on Conrad's imagery in the HEART OF DARKNESS.

3. What purpose does the use of myth serve in PORTRAIT OF AN

ARTIST?

4. Does the concept of Epiphany - the sudden spiritual manifestation,

help us understand "The Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man" better?

5. "To the Lighthouse" is a novel that focuses on human relationships

and their dynamics rather than the concept of slavery. Discuss this
observation.

6. What do you think are the main themes in "Things Fall Apart"?

7. How convincingly does Ahmad Ali portray the feudal middle class of
U.P. in the novel "Twilight in Delhi"?

9. YEAR 2012

Attempt any FOUR questions. All questions carry equal marks.

Summaries and plot analysis should be avoided.

1. HEART OF DARKNESS is a "modern blend of comic absurdity,

tragedy, and satire". Comment. (Heart of Darkness: J. Conrad)
2. What means does Conrad employ to develop the relationship
between the title:"The Heart" and its theme?

3. What are the distinctive qualities of Virginia Woolf as a novelist? Do

not confine your answer to "To the Lighthouse" only. (To the
Lighthouse)

4. What is Stephen Dedalus's theory of aesthetics? What is its

importance in the development of the novel? (Portrait of an Artist as a
Young Man: J. Joyce)

5. Would you consider Achebe's method of narration too simple to be

tragic? (Things Fall Apart: Chinua Achebe)

6. "Okonkwo brings about his own downfall". Discuss. (Things Fall

Apart)

7. What major themes are treated in Ahmad Ali's novel, "Twilight in

Delhi"?

10. YEAR 2013

Attempt any FOUR questions. All questions carry equal marks.

Summaries and plot analysis of the prescribed texts not allowed.

1. What happens to Marlow after Kurtz's death? (Heart of Darkness).

2. Consider HEART OF DARKNESS as a political allegory.

3. Why does Virginia Woolf use stream of consciousness in this novel?
How effective is it? What sort of "feel" do you get from the characters?
The novelist?

4. Why do you think Stephen means when he says he will "forge ... the
uncreated conscience of my race?" (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young
Man)

5. Why does Achebe choose to bring in the European colonial

presence only in the last third of the novel? (Things Fall Apart)

6. Is Okonkwo destined for tragedy or die his choices lead him to his
tragic end? (Things Fall Apart)

7. The novel TWILIGHT IN DELHI does not remain the story of Delhi
alone, but is simultaneously the story of the life of mankind. Comment.

11. YEAR 2014

Attempt any FOUR questions. All questions carry equal marks.

1. Is Chiny Achebe right? --- is Heart of Darkness racist? Does the book
present a simple and degrading view of the native Africans?

2. What are some symbols in Heart of Darkness? How do they relate to

the plot and characters?
3. To the Lighthouse is one of Woolf's most successful and accessible
experiments in the modernist mode, including stream-of-
consciousness. Illustrate citing examples from the text of the novel.

4. What is the important about the title? Is there a reference in the

novel that explains the title? (A Portrait of the Artist As a Young Man by
James Joyce)

5. What is the overall meaning of the theme - what point is the author
trying to make about mankind, society etc. In the Things Fall Apart?

6. What is chi? Explain the importance of chi in shaping Okonkwo's

destiny.

7. About Twilight in Delhi Mohammad Hasan Askari says, "I cannot

recall any novel or short story in Urdu where nature has thus come to
life, or in which nature has played such a role in making the novel so
meaningful."

12. YEAR 2015

Attempt any FOUR questions. All questions carry equal marks.

1. Conrad uses the technique of impressionism in "Heart of Darkness".

Exemplify.

2, "Heart of Darkness" is about the horrors of western civilization.

Comment.
3. What is the nature of relationship between Mrs. Ramsay and Lily
Briscoe in "To the Lighthouse"?

4. "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" is one of the earlier

examples in English literature of a novel that makes extensive use of
stream of consciousness.

5. Why did Achebe choose to take the title of his novel "Things Fall
Apart", from William Butler Yeats' poem "The Second Coming"?

6. What is the role of women in "Things Fall Apart"?

7. The moralizing of the defeated is a powerful emotional sachem in

"Twilight in Delhi". Comment.

13. YEAR 2016

Attempt any FOUR questions. All questions carry equal marks.

1. In "Heart of Darkenss" every time there is a shift between this

narrator and Marlow who narrates most of the story. To what effect
Conrad uses this technique?

2. What adverse effect colonization has on the Eurepean colonizers

depicted in "Heart of Darkness"?

3. How do men and women in the novel respond to the gender roles
that they perceive or that are imposed upon them in "To the
Lighthouse"?
4. Stephen must strike out as an independent spirit, true to the inner
promptings of his artistic instincsts. Comment. (James Joyce)

5. In part, "Things Fall Apart" is a response to a large tradition of

Eureopen literature in which African are depicted as primitive and
mindless savages. Comment.

6. "Things Fall Apart" attempts to repair some of the damage done by

earlier Eurepean depictions of Africans.

7. In "Twilight in Delhi", the author paints a very balanced picture of the

joys and sorrows of the people of Delhi. Elaboreate.

14. YEAR 2017

Attempt any FOUR questions. All questions carry equal marks.

1. "Heart of Darkenss" finally exposes the dark side of Eureopean

Imperialism. Elaborate.

2. Who is the hero of the novel "Heart of Darkenss"? Does the hero
holds out grace?

3. "To the Lighthouse" is a novel about passion of expressing love

without taking heed of social pretension. Give examples.

4. "A Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man" is a novel about rites of

passage. Comment.
5. "Things Fall Apart" is a story of the conflict seperating nature and
civilization.

6. "Things Fall Apart" is a novel about oppression and emancipation of

African women.

7. "Twilight in Delhi" anticipates anxieties of relationship between a

nostalic native and potent invader.

15. YEAR 2018

Attempt any FOUR questions. All questions carry equal marks.

1. Why does Marlow describe Kurtz as a "universal genius"?

2. How do the novels Things Fall Apart and Heart of Darkenss differ in
their portrayal of colonialism?

3. Compare and contrast Mr. and Mrs. Ramsay. How are they alike?
How are they different?

4. Do you, like Stephen, think an artist is essentially separate from

society? (A Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man)

5. Why does Okonkwo hang himself? Is it a cowardly act or brave?

Weak of noble?

6. Why is Things Fall Apart a post-colonial novel?

7. Discuss some of the current symbols in Twilight in Delhi.

16. YEAR 2019

Attempt any FOUR questions. All questions carry equal marks.

1. Discuss the importance of the Congo River in this narrative. Why

does Marlow travel primarily by boat and seldom on land?

2. Marlow constantly uses vague and often redundant phrases like

"unspeakable secrets" and "inconceivable mystery." Why does Marlow
use vague and "inconclusive" language so frequently?

3. How does the narrative style in To the Lighthouse strengthen and

weaken human connections?

4. What is the significance of the title A Partrait of the Artist As a Young

Man? How does it relate to the growth and evolution of Stephen
Dedalus?

5. How does Okonkwo achieve greatness as defined by his culture?

6. What is the place of women in Igbo society?

7. Twilight in Delhi is a novel about colonial arrival in India and its

consequent tensions.