Indian prose writing in English encompasses a rich tradition of social reform tracts, political treatises, philosophical discourses, and narrative fiction that has evolved from colonial resistance to postcolonial identity articulation. Seminal figures like Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, and R.K. Narayan, alongside contemporary essayists and novelists like Arundhati Roy and Amitav Ghosh, have shaped a distinct literary landscape. Mastering this domain requires an understanding of diverse prose styles, historical contexts, and ideological shifts. These multiple-choice questions are designed to test academic recall, stylistic analysis, and critical engagement with major Indian prose authors.
1. Which fictional town serves as the setting for most of R.K. Narayan's novels?
Correct Answer: a) Malgudi
Explanation:
Malgudi is a fictional town in South India created by R.K. Narayan, introduced in his first novel, 'Swami and Friends'.
2. What is the title of R.K. Narayan's debut novel?
Correct Answer: b) Swami and Friends
Explanation:
'Swami and Friends' (1935) was R.K. Narayan's first novel, featuring the young boy Swami and his adventures in Malgudi.
3. Who is the protagonist of R.K. Narayan's Sahitya Akademi Award-winning novel 'The Guide'?
Correct Answer: c) Raju
Explanation:
Raju, a corrupt tour guide who ultimately becomes a spiritual guide, is the protagonist of 'The Guide'.
4. Who wrote the preface to Mulk Raj Anand's debut novel 'Untouchable'?
Correct Answer: d) E.M. Forster
Explanation:
E.M. Forster wrote the preface to 'Untouchable' (1935), helping the novel gain international recognition.
5. What is the name of the protagonist in Mulk Raj Anand's novel 'Untouchable'?
Correct Answer: a) Bakha
Explanation:
Bakha, a young sweeper, is the protagonist of 'Untouchable'. The novel chronicles one poignant day in his life.
6. Which of the following is the protagonist of Mulk Raj Anand's novel 'Coolie'?
Correct Answer: b) Munoo
Explanation:
Munoo, a young orphan boy from the Kangra hills who traverses through various jobs and exploitation, is the protagonist of 'Coolie'.
7. Which novel is part of Mulk Raj Anand's autobiographical project, originally planned as a seven-volume series?
Correct Answer: b) Seven Summers
Explanation:
'Seven Summers' (1951) is a semi-autobiographical novel by Mulk Raj Anand, detailing his early childhood.
8. Which of the following is Raja Rao's debut novel, highlighting the impact of Gandhi's teachings on a South Indian village?
Correct Answer: c) Kanthapura
Explanation:
'Kanthapura' (1938) tells the story of a village mobilized by Gandhian ideals during the Indian independence movement.
9. Who serves as the narrator in Raja Rao's novel 'Kanthapura'?
Correct Answer: b) Achakka
Explanation:
Achakka, an elderly woman of the village, narrates 'Kanthapura' in a style reminiscent of the traditional Indian sthala-puranas (local histories).
10. Who is the protagonist of Raja Rao's philosophical novel 'The Serpent and the Rope'?
Correct Answer: b) Ramaswamy
Explanation:
Ramaswamy, a young South Indian intellectual who marries a French woman named Madeleine, is the protagonist of 'The Serpent and the Rope'.
11. What is the title of Mahatma Gandhi's famous autobiography?
Correct Answer: b) My Experiments with Truth
Explanation:
Gandhi's autobiography is titled 'The Story of My Experiments with Truth', originally written in Gujarati and later translated into English.
12. Which foundational text did Mahatma Gandhi write in 1909 while traveling on a ship from London to South Africa?
Correct Answer: c) Hind Swaraj
Explanation:
'Hind Swaraj' or 'Indian Home Rule' expresses Gandhi's views on Swaraj, modern civilization, and mechanization.
13. Which book did Jawaharlal Nehru write during his imprisonment at Ahmednagar Fort between 1942 and 1945?
Correct Answer: d) The Discovery of India
Explanation:
'The Discovery of India' is a sweeping historical and philosophical account of India's past, written by Nehru while imprisoned.
14. Which book by Jawaharlal Nehru is a collection of letters written to his daughter Indira Gandhi?
Correct Answer: c) Glimpses of World History
Explanation:
'Glimpses of World History' (1934) was compiled from letters Nehru wrote to young Indira, teaching her world history from prison.
15. Which seminal work by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was originally prepared as a speech for the Jat-Pat Todak Mandal in 1936?
Correct Answer: b) Annihilation of Caste
Explanation:
'Annihilation of Caste' is an undelivered speech written by Ambedkar, offering a fierce critique of the Hindu caste system.
16. Who wrote the introduction to the English prose translation of Rabindranath Tagore's 'Gitanjali'?
Correct Answer: c) W.B. Yeats
Explanation:
The Irish poet W.B. Yeats wrote a highly appreciative introduction to 'Gitanjali', which won Tagore the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913.
17. Which novel by Rabindranath Tagore is set against the backdrop of the 1905 Swadeshi movement in Bengal?
Correct Answer: c) The Home and the World
Explanation:
'The Home and the World' (Ghare Baire) explores the conflict between moderate and radical politics through its characters Bimala, Nikhilesh, and Sandip.
18. What is the title of Sri Aurobindo's magnum opus in philosophical prose?
Correct Answer: b) The Life Divine
Explanation:
'The Life Divine' explores spiritual evolution and Sri Aurobindo's philosophy of Integral Yoga.
19. What is the title of A.P.J. Abdul Kalam's widely read autobiography?
Correct Answer: c) Wings of Fire
Explanation:
'Wings of Fire', co-authored with Arun Tiwari, chronicles the life and journey of India's 'Missile Man' and former President.
20. Which Nobel laureate economist wrote the collection of essays titled 'The Argumentative Indian'?
Correct Answer: b) Amartya Sen
Explanation:
'The Argumentative Indian' explores India's long history of public debate, intellectual pluralism, and heterodoxy.
21. Who is the author of 'The Autobiography of an Unknown Indian'?
Correct Answer: c) Nirad C. Chaudhuri
Explanation:
Nirad C. Chaudhuri published this masterpiece in 1951, recording his life from his birth in Kishoreganj to his years in Calcutta.
22. Which biography by Nirad C. Chaudhuri won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1975?
Correct Answer: c) Scholar Extraordinary
Explanation:
'Scholar Extraordinary' is a highly acclaimed biography of the German indologist Max Muller.
23. Which famous novel by Khushwant Singh recounts the horrors of the 1947 Partition of India?
Correct Answer: b) Train to Pakistan
Explanation:
'Train to Pakistan' (1956) is a poignant novel that brings the human tragedy of the partition to life.
24. In Khushwant Singh's 'Train to Pakistan', what is the name of the fictional village on the India-Pakistan border?
Correct Answer: b) Mano Majra
Explanation:
Mano Majra is the peaceful, diverse village that descends into violence and hatred as partition takes its toll.
25. What is the title of Khushwant Singh's autobiography?
Correct Answer: b) Truth, Love and a Little Malice
Explanation:
'Truth, Love and a Little Malice' is Singh's witty, candid, and highly readable autobiography.
26. Which was Ruskin Bond's first novel, written when he was just seventeen?
Correct Answer: c) The Room on the Roof
Explanation:
Ruskin Bond won the John Llewellyn Rhys Memorial Prize in 1957 for this semi-autobiographical coming-of-age novel.
27. Who is the protagonist of Ruskin Bond's debut novel 'The Room on the Roof'?
Correct Answer: b) Rusty
Explanation:
Rusty, a sixteen-year-old Anglo-Indian boy, escapes his strict guardian and discovers friendship and freedom in Dehradun.
28. What is the title of Kamala Das's controversial and highly celebrated autobiography, written in English?
Correct Answer: a) My Story
Explanation:
'My Story' (originally serialized in Malayalam as Ente Katha) is a frank and provocative autobiographical work by Kamala Das.
29. Which cult classic 1948 novel by G.V. Desani is noted for its idiosyncratic, non-standard English and absurd humor?
Correct Answer: b) All About H. Hatterr
Explanation:
G.V. Desani's 'All About H. Hatterr' is a seminal work of Indian English literature, heavily praised by T.S. Eliot and Salman Rushdie.
30. What is the title of R.K. Narayan's memoir published in 1974?
Correct Answer: a) My Days
Explanation:
'My Days' is the beautifully written memoir of R.K. Narayan, offering a glimpse into his childhood in Madras and life in Mysore.
31. What is the title of Kamala Markandaya's debut novel, which portrays rural poverty and resilience?
Correct Answer: c) Nectar in a Sieve
Explanation:
Published in 1954, 'Nectar in a Sieve' is a tragic but enduring story of an Indian peasant woman and her family.
32. Who is the narrator and protagonist of Kamala Markandaya's 'Nectar in a Sieve'?
Correct Answer: b) Rukmani
Explanation:
Rukmani, a resilient woman married to a tenant farmer named Nathan, narrates the struggles of her rural life.
33. Which novel by Anita Desai was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1980?
Correct Answer: c) Clear Light of Day
Explanation:
'Clear Light of Day' is a highly autobiographical and psychological novel about the Das family in Old Delhi.
34. Which of Anita Desai's novels was adapted into a film by Merchant Ivory Productions in 1993?
Correct Answer: a) In Custody
Explanation:
'In Custody', a novel about an Urdu poet in decline, was successfully adapted to film starring Shashi Kapoor.
35. What is the title of Anita Desai's debut novel, featuring the neurotic protagonist Maya?
Correct Answer: b) Cry, the Peacock
Explanation:
'Cry, the Peacock' (1963) deals with Maya's obsession with an astrological prediction of disaster and her psychological descent.
36. Nayantara Sahgal, a writer known for blending politics and fiction, won the Sahitya Akademi Award for which novel?
Correct Answer: c) Rich Like Us
Explanation:
'Rich Like Us' (1985), set during the Emergency in India, won Sahgal the Sahitya Akademi Award for English in 1986.
37. Which novel by Shashi Deshpande deals with the emotional and creative block of a writer named Jaya?
Correct Answer: b) That Long Silence
Explanation:
'That Long Silence' (1989) is an introspective novel about marital discord and female identity, earning Deshpande the Sahitya Akademi Award.
38. Ruth Prawer Jhabvala won the Booker Prize in 1975 for which novel?
Correct Answer: d) Heat and Dust
Explanation:
'Heat and Dust' weaves two timelines, following a modern woman discovering the scandalous past of her step-grandmother in colonial India.
39. Which author wrote 'The Palace of Illusions', a retelling of the Mahabharata from Draupadi's perspective?
Correct Answer: b) Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Explanation:
'The Palace of Illusions' (2008) reimagines the ancient Indian epic through the eyes of its fierce and misunderstood heroine, Panchaali.
40. Which Indian author wrote the novel 'Ladies Coupé', focusing on the lives and secrets of women in a train compartment?
Correct Answer: a) Anita Nair
Explanation:
'Ladies Coupé' (2001) follows Akhila, a middle-aged woman seeking independence, who shares stories with five other women on a train.
41. Salman Rushdie won the Booker Prize in 1981 for which seminal novel of magic realism?
Correct Answer: c) Midnight's Children
Explanation:
'Midnight's Children' is a defining work of post-colonial literature linking its protagonist's life directly to the history of modern India.
42. Who is the protagonist and narrator of Salman Rushdie's 'Midnight's Children'?
Correct Answer: b) Saleem Sinai
Explanation:
Saleem Sinai is born at the exact stroke of midnight on August 15, 1947, tying his destiny telepathically to the fate of India.
43. 'Midnight's Children' was awarded the 'Booker of Bookers' to mark the 25th anniversary of the prize in which year?
Correct Answer: a) 1993
Explanation:
Rushdie's masterpiece won the 'Booker of Bookers' in 1993, and later won the 'Best of the Booker' in 2008.
44. Which novel by Salman Rushdie led to a fatwa being issued against him by Ayatollah Khomeini in 1989?
Correct Answer: b) The Satanic Verses
Explanation:
'The Satanic Verses' (1988) caused immense controversy in the Islamic world due to its dream sequences regarding the Prophet Muhammad.
45. Which Rushdie novel chronicles the decline of a wealthy spice-trading family in Cochin?
Correct Answer: c) The Moor's Last Sigh
Explanation:
Narrated by Moraes 'Moor' Zogoiby, this 1995 novel traces his family's history across generations in South India and Bombay.
46. What is the title of Salman Rushdie's collection of essays on post-colonial literature and migration, published in 1991?
Correct Answer: c) Imaginary Homelands
Explanation:
'Imaginary Homelands' is a highly influential collection of essays where Rushdie reflects on memory, migration, and literature.
47. Which Salman Rushdie novel centers on an assassination in a Kashmiri village and explores global terrorism?
Correct Answer: a) Shalimar the Clown
Explanation:
'Shalimar the Clown' (2005) weaves a tragic tale of love and revenge stretching from Kashmir to Los Angeles.
48. Which Rushdie novel reimagines the Orpheus myth in the world of global rock music?
Correct Answer: a) The Ground Beneath Her Feet
Explanation:
Published in 1999, the novel follows two Indian rock stars, Vina Apsara and Ormus Cama, and their epic love story.
49. What is the title of Salman Rushdie's 2012 memoir detailing his years in hiding following the fatwa?
Correct Answer: b) Joseph Anton
Explanation:
Rushdie adopted the alias 'Joseph Anton' (from Conrad and Chekhov) for police protection; he used it as the title for his third-person memoir.
50. What was the title of Salman Rushdie's debut novel, largely ignored upon publication?
Correct Answer: b) Grimus
Explanation:
'Grimus' (1975) is a science-fiction/fantasy novel that was commercially unsuccessful but hinted at his future stylistic flourishes.
51. What is the title of Amitav Ghosh's debut novel, featuring the protagonist Alu?
Correct Answer: b) The Circle of Reason
Explanation:
Published in 1986, 'The Circle of Reason' is a complex, multi-continental novel following Alu, a young weaver.
52. Which novel by Amitav Ghosh explores the meaning of political borders, moving between Calcutta, Dhaka, and London?
Correct Answer: a) The Shadow Lines
Explanation:
'The Shadow Lines' (1988) earned Ghosh the Sahitya Akademi Award for its poignant look at memory, nationalism, and partition violence.
53. What is the first book in Amitav Ghosh's epic 'Ibis Trilogy'?
Correct Answer: c) Sea of Poppies
Explanation:
'Sea of Poppies' (2008) sets the stage for the trilogy on a former slaving ship, the Ibis, bound for Mauritius.
54. Amitav Ghosh's 'Ibis Trilogy' is set against the backdrop of which historical conflict?
Correct Answer: a) The First Opium War
Explanation:
The trilogy meticulously details the trade networks and colonial ambitions leading up to the First Opium War between Britain and China.
55. Which novel by Amitav Ghosh chronicles a family's history across a century, beginning with the British invasion of Burma?
Correct Answer: b) The Glass Palace
Explanation:
'The Glass Palace' (2000) sweeps from the fall of the Konbaung Dynasty in Mandalay through WWII and into modern times.
56. What is the title of Amitav Ghosh's non-fiction book examining climate change and the failure of modern culture to address it?
Correct Answer: a) The Great Derangement
Explanation:
'The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable' (2016) critiques how literature and politics have largely ignored the climate crisis.
57. Which novel by Amitav Ghosh is set in the Sundarbans and focuses on cetologist Piya Roy?
Correct Answer: b) The Hungry Tide
Explanation:
'The Hungry Tide' (2004) intertwines ecology, human-wildlife conflict, and the brutal history of the Morichjhanpi massacre.
58. What is the final book in Amitav Ghosh's 'Ibis Trilogy'?
Correct Answer: c) Flood of Fire
Explanation:
Published in 2015, 'Flood of Fire' concludes the trilogy with the British attack on Canton and the culmination of the characters' journeys.
59. Which 2021 non-fiction book by Amitav Ghosh connects climate change directly to the history of Western colonialism and exploitation of resources?
Correct Answer: b) The Nutmeg's Curse
Explanation:
'The Nutmeg's Curse' traces the planetary crisis back to the violent Dutch conquest of the Banda Islands for nutmeg.
60. Which of Ghosh's books blends autobiography, anthropology, and history to reconstruct the life of a 12th-century Indian slave in Egypt?
Correct Answer: b) In an Antique Land
Explanation:
'In an Antique Land' (1992) defies categorization, oscillating between Ghosh's fieldwork in Egypt and medieval historical records.
61. Arundhati Roy won the Booker Prize in 1997 for which debut novel?
Correct Answer: b) The God of Small Things
Explanation:
'The God of Small Things' was an international sensation, celebrated for its poetic prose and devastating emotional impact.
62. What are the names of the dizygotic (fraternal) twins in 'The God of Small Things'?
Correct Answer: b) Estha and Rahel
Explanation:
Esthappen (Estha) and Rahel are the central characters whose childhood tragedy in Ayemenem dictates the novel's non-linear plot.
63. Published in 2017, twenty years after her debut, what is the title of Arundhati Roy's second novel?
Correct Answer: a) The Ministry of Utmost Happiness
Explanation:
This sprawling novel intertwines the lives of Anjum, a hijra in Delhi, and Tilo, an architect involved in the Kashmir conflict.
64. Which famous 1999 essay by Arundhati Roy heavily critiqued the Sardar Sarovar Dam project on the Narmada River?
Correct Answer: b) The Greater Common Good
Explanation:
In this powerful essay, Roy condemned the displacement of millions of tribal people for large-scale dam projects.
65. Kiran Desai won the 2006 Man Booker Prize for which novel?
Correct Answer: b) The Inheritance of Loss
Explanation:
The novel explores themes of colonialism, identity, and migration, set against the backdrop of the Gorkhaland movement in Kalimpong.
66. What is the title of Kiran Desai's debut novel, praised by Salman Rushdie for its comic brilliance?
Correct Answer: b) Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard
Explanation:
Published in 1998, this comic novel follows Sampath Chawla, who climbs a guava tree to escape his life and is mistaken for a holy man.
67. Aravind Adiga won the 2008 Man Booker Prize for his debut novel. What is its title?
Correct Answer: c) The White Tiger
Explanation:
'The White Tiger' provides a darkly humorous, epistolary perspective on India's class struggle in a globalized world.
68. Who is the protagonist and narrator of Aravind Adiga's 'The White Tiger'?
Correct Answer: b) Balram Halwai
Explanation:
Balram Halwai narrates his rise from a sweet-maker in a poor village to a successful, albeit murderous, entrepreneur in Bangalore.
69. Which novel by Aravind Adiga focuses on two brothers pushed by their obsessive father to become cricket stars?
Correct Answer: b) Selection Day
Explanation:
'Selection Day' (2016) is a poignant look at sports, ambition, and the crushing weight of expectations in Mumbai.
70. Which collection of linked short stories by Aravind Adiga maps the social fabric of the fictional town of Kittur?
Correct Answer: c) Between the Assassinations
Explanation:
Set between the assassinations of Indira Gandhi (1984) and Rajiv Gandhi (1991), it explores the lives of Kittur's diverse residents.
71. Which 1993 novel by Vikram Seth is one of the longest single-volume novels ever published in English?
Correct Answer: b) A Suitable Boy
Explanation:
At nearly 1,400 pages, 'A Suitable Boy' is a panoramic saga of four families in newly independent, post-partition India.
72. Who is the main protagonist of Vikram Seth's 'A Suitable Boy', whose mother is determined to find her a husband?
Correct Answer: b) Lata
Explanation:
The central plot revolves around Mrs. Rupa Mehra's efforts to arrange a marriage for her independent-minded daughter, Lata.
73. What is the title of Vikram Seth's acclaimed travelogue detailing his hitchhiking journey through Sinkiang and Tibet to India?
Correct Answer: a) From Heaven Lake
Explanation:
'From Heaven Lake: Travels Through Sinkiang and Tibet' (1983) won the Thomas Cook Travel Book Award.
74. Which novel by Rohinton Mistry is set during 'The Emergency' in India and follows four characters whose lives intersect in a cramped apartment?
Correct Answer: c) A Fine Balance
Explanation:
Shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1996, 'A Fine Balance' is a devastating critique of the political corruption and cruelty during the Emergency.
75. What is the title of Rohinton Mistry's debut novel, centering on Gustad Noble, a Parsi bank clerk in Bombay?
Correct Answer: b) Such a Long Journey
Explanation:
Published in 1991, 'Such a Long Journey' won the Governor General's Award and established Mistry as a major literary voice.
76. Rohinton Mistry's third novel explores the challenges of caring for Nariman Vakeel, an elderly man with Parkinson's disease. What is its title?
Correct Answer: b) Family Matters
Explanation:
'Family Matters' (2002) is a compassionate exploration of family duty, aging, and the Parsi community in modern Mumbai.
77. Jhumpa Lahiri won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2000 for which debut collection of short stories?
Correct Answer: b) Interpreter of Maladies
Explanation:
This collection masterfully explores the lives of Indians and Indian Americans navigating cultural dislocation and relationships.
78. What is the title of Jhumpa Lahiri's first novel, which was later adapted into a film by Mira Nair?
Correct Answer: c) The Namesake
Explanation:
'The Namesake' (2003) follows the Ganguli family, exploring the immigrant experience and the clash of cultures across generations.
79. Who is the protagonist of Jhumpa Lahiri's 'The Namesake', named after a famous Russian author?
Correct Answer: c) Gogol Ganguli
Explanation:
Ashoke Ganguli names his son Gogol after surviving a train crash while reading the works of Nikolai Gogol.
80. Which novel by Jhumpa Lahiri spans decades and continents, beginning with two brothers involved in the Naxalite movement in 1960s Calcutta?
Correct Answer: b) The Lowland
Explanation:
'The Lowland' (2013) was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize and explores political radicalism and familial duty.
81. Shashi Tharoor's satirical novel that recasts the story of the Indian independence movement as the Mahabharata is called:
Correct Answer: c) The Great Indian Novel
Explanation:
Published in 1989, it cleverly aligns figures like Gandhi and Nehru with characters from the epic like Bhishma and Dhritarashtra.
82. Which non-fiction book by Shashi Tharoor, originating from a viral Oxford Union speech, argues that British rule devastated India's economy?
Correct Answer: b) Inglorious Empire / An Era of Darkness
Explanation:
Published as 'An Era of Darkness' in India and 'Inglorious Empire' in the UK, it won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2019.
83. Which historian wrote the highly acclaimed, comprehensive book 'India After Gandhi: The History of the World's Largest Democracy'?
Correct Answer: d) Ramachandra Guha
Explanation:
'India After Gandhi' (2007) is considered a definitive history of post-independence India.
84. Pankaj Mishra wrote a celebrated book blending autobiography, travelogue, and history to explore the relevance of the Buddha in the modern world. What is it called?
Correct Answer: c) An End to Suffering
Explanation:
'An End to Suffering: The Buddha in the World' (2004) traces Mishra's intellectual and physical journeys exploring Buddhist philosophy.
85. Upamanyu Chatterjee's classic 1988 novel about a civil servant grappling with urban-rural disconnect and existential boredom is called:
Correct Answer: b) English, August
Explanation:
'English, August: An Indian Story' follows Agastya Sen, a young IAS officer posted in a remote provincial town.
86. Which massive 2006 novel by Vikram Chandra delves into the Mumbai underworld and was adapted into India's first Netflix original series?
Correct Answer: b) Sacred Games
Explanation:
'Sacred Games' weaves a complex narrative between police inspector Sartaj Singh and gangster Ganesh Gaitonde.
87. Which novel by Chetan Bhagat inspired the blockbuster Bollywood film '3 Idiots'?
Correct Answer: c) Five Point Someone
Explanation:
Bhagat's debut novel 'Five Point Someone' (2004) satirizes the high-pressure environment of the IITs and was loosely adapted into '3 Idiots'.
88. What is the title of the first book in Amish Tripathi's immensely popular 'Shiva Trilogy'?
Correct Answer: c) The Immortals of Meluha
Explanation:
Published in 2010, the novel reimagines the Hindu deity Shiva as a tribal warrior who becomes a savior.
89. Manu Joseph won the Hindu Literary Prize for his satirical debut novel about a Dalit astronomer seeking revenge against the Brahmin establishment. What is it called?
Correct Answer: b) Serious Men
Explanation:
'Serious Men' (2010) is a darkly comic novel about Ayyan Mani, who passes off his son as a boy genius.
90. Jeet Thayil's debut novel, shortlisted for the 2012 Man Booker Prize, explores the opium dens of 1970s Bombay. What is its title?
Correct Answer: b) Narcopolis
Explanation:
'Narcopolis' is a hallucinatory, poetic novel reflecting Thayil's own past struggles with addiction in Bombay.
91. Who is the protagonist of R.K. Narayan's novel 'The Financial Expert'?
Correct Answer: c) Margayya
Explanation:
Margayya is a complex character who goes from operating under a banyan tree to immense wealth, before losing it all.
92. Which R.K. Narayan novel features the character Raman, who falls in love with an intense family-planning activist named Daisy?
Correct Answer: b) The Painter of Signs
Explanation:
Published in 1976, 'The Painter of Signs' deals with modernization, family planning, and rationalism in Malgudi.
93. Who provided the iconic illustrations for many of R.K. Narayan's books and serialized stories?
Correct Answer: b) R.K. Laxman
Explanation:
R.K. Laxman, Narayan's younger brother and India's most famous cartoonist, regularly illustrated his works.
94. Which influential work of literary criticism by Meenakshi Mukherjee examines the development of the Indian novel in English?
Correct Answer: c) The Twice Born Fiction
Explanation:
Published in 1971, 'The Twice Born Fiction' is a foundational text in studying Indian English literature.
95. A.K. Ramanujan, renowned for his poetry and translations, wrote a famous, controversial essay on the diversity of the Ramayana tradition. What is it called?
Correct Answer: c) Three Hundred Ramayanas
Explanation:
'Three Hundred Ramayanas: Five Examples and Three Thoughts on Translation' highlights the vast, pluralistic tradition of the epic.
96. Which author wrote 'Karma Cola', a sharp non-fiction critique of the Western obsession with Indian spirituality?
Correct Answer: a) Gita Mehta
Explanation:
'Karma Cola' (1979) brilliantly satirizes the marketing of Indian mysticism to Western seekers in the 1960s and 70s.
97. Jerry Pinto won the Sahitya Akademi Award for his sensitive novel about a Goan-Catholic family dealing with a bipolar mother. What is it titled?
Correct Answer: b) Em and the Big Hoom
Explanation:
'Em and the Big Hoom' (2012) is a deeply moving, semi-autobiographical novel exploring mental illness.
98. Which popular author and philanthropist wrote the collection of stories titled 'How I Taught My Grandmother to Read'?
Correct Answer: a) Sudha Murty
Explanation:
Sudha Murty is widely known for her simple, values-driven English prose, often drawing from her own life experiences.
99. Manohar Malgonkar wrote a historical novel telling the story of the 1857 Indian Mutiny from the perspective of Nana Saheb. What is it called?
Correct Answer: c) The Devil's Wind
Explanation:
'The Devil's Wind' (1972) provides a sympathetic fictionalized account of one of the mutiny's most controversial figures.
100. Bharati Mukherjee won the National Book Critics Circle Award for 'The Middleman and Other Stories', but is equally famous for which novel about a young widow fleeing to America?
Correct Answer: a) Jasmine
Explanation:
'Jasmine' (1989) tracks the transformative and often violent journey of an undocumented Indian immigrant reinventing herself in America.
