first year selections examination 2018 english …a) comment on shakespeare’s depiction of the two...

FIRST YEAR

SELECTIONS EXAMINATION 2018

ENGLISH HONOURS

FIRST PAPER

Full Marks: Paper 100 Time: 4 hours

HISTORY OF ENGLISH LITERATURE

GROUP – A

(Old English Period -1750)

Three questions will have to be answered (one question of 16 marks and two questions of 7 marks each) taking

only one from each section. Examinees are not allowed to answer twice from the same section.

Section-1

1. Discuss the contribution of Chaucer with special reference to his three literary periods. (16)

2. a) King Alfred (7)

b) Cynewulf (7)

Section-2

3. Write an essay on the principal Elizabethan sonneteers. (16)

4. a) The Shepheard’s Calendar (7)

b) 250 words (7 marks)

Section-3

5. Attempt a short essay on 18th century prose with special reference to any two major prose writers. (16)

6. a) The Dunciad (7 marks)

b) Samuel Pepys (7 marks)

GROUP – B

(1750-2000)

Three questions will have to be answered (one question of 16 marks and two questions of 7 marks each)

taking only one from each section. Examinees are not allowed to answer twice from the same section.

Section-1

7. (16 marks)

8. a) 250 words (7 marks)

b) 250 words (7 marks)

Section-2

9 a) How is the response to industrialism reflected in the mid-Victorian novel in England? Answer with

suitable illustrations.(16 marks)

10 a) Write a short note on Oliver Twist within 250 words. (7 marks)

b)Write a short note on Bulwar Lytton within 250 words. (7 marks)

Section-3

11. Write a brief article on the history of development of the modern novel, with reference to two major

novelists of the 20th Century. (16)

12 a) Imagism (7)

b) Mrs. Dalloway (7)

Philology (MGC)

Group – A

13. Answer any one of the following: (450 words: 12 marks)

a) The Scandinavian Influence on the English Language is described as being democratic. Substantiate this statement

with close reference to the range and nature of the Scandinavian loans in English.

Or

b) Would you agree with the statement that the Latin Influence on the English Language is something between ‘a

hindrance and a help’? Give examples to support your answer.

Group – B

14. Write word notes on any four: (2x4 marks : 35 words approx per note)

Transpire, verdict, mint, bloom, dress, action, earl, marriage

Group – C

15. Answer any one of the following (450 words: 12 marks)

a) Comment on the influence of Shakespeare on the English Language.

b) Examine the reasons behind the identity of form in nouns and verbs in the English Language.

Group – D

16 Answer any one of the following (300 words: 8 marks)

a) What are the exceptions to Grimm’s Law?

b) Comment on the evolution of agent nouns in the English Language.

FIRST YEAR


ENGLISH HONOURS

PAPER II

Full Marks: Paper 100 Time: 4 hours

Please submit answers in separate lots according to the teachers from whose portions you have attempted the

questions.

Group - A

1. Answer any two questions of the following: 16x2

a) Write a critical note on Blake’s use of symbols in ‘The Tyger’.

b)Coleridge

c) Write a critical appreciation of the poem “To A Skylark”.

2. Explain either of the following with reference to the context in 300 words: 8x1

a) He became a little child:

I a child and thou a lamb,

We are called by his name.

b) Thou who didst waken from his summer dreams

The blue Mediterranean, where he lay,

Lulled by the coil of his crystalline streams,…

Group – B

3. Find out five figures of speech from either of the following passages: 10x1

a) ‘Hope is the thing with feathers—

That perches in the soul ---

And sings the tune without the words –

And never stops -- at all—

And sweetest – in the Gale—is heard

And sore must be the storm –

That could abash the little Bird

That kept so many warm –

I’ve heard it in the chilliest land –

And on the strangest sea

Yet, never in, Extremity,

It asked a crumb – of Me.

b) Bear witness, Erin! when thine injured isle

Sees summer on its verdant pastures smile,

Its cornfields waving in the winds that sweep

The billowy surface of thy circling deep!

Thou tree whose shadow o'er the Atlantic gave

Peace, wealth and beauty, to its friendly wave, its blossoms fade,

And blighted are the leaves that cast its shade;

Whilst the cold hand gathers its scanty fruit,

Whose chillness struck a canker to its root.

Group – C

4. Answer either of the following: 16x1

a)i) Alastair Thomson tersely remarks of "Ulysses" that such a single-voiced poem is in fact

"recognizably the product of internal debate". Justify the comment in your own words.

ii) How does Browning use the dramatic monologue for expressing the psychology of the Duke in My

Last Duchess?

iii) Analyse Arnold’s attitude to Victorian life in Dover Beach.

iv) Attempt a critical appreciation of Hopkins’ Pied Beauty.

b) Tennyson/Browning/Arnold/Hopkins

Group – D

5. Answer either of the following: 16x1

a) How does Owen bring out the pity of war in 'Strange Meeting'?

b) Critically examine Eliot's picture of modern city life in his 'Preludes'.

6. Explain either of the following in 300 words: 8x1

a) How dull it is to pause, to make an end,

To rust unburnish'd, not to shine in use!

i) I gave commands. Then all smiles stopped together.

…we ii) Find also in the sound a thought, Hearing it by this distant northern sea. iii) He fathers-forth whose beauty is past change: Praise Him.

b) A mind Michael Angelo knew

That can pierce the clouds,

Or inspired by frenzy

Shake the dead in their shrouds

Group – E

7. Scan any one of the following passages: 10x1

a) When forty winters shall besiege thy brow,

And dig deep trenches in thy beauty’s field,

Thy youth’s proud livery, so gazed on now,

Will be a tatter’d weed, of small worth held:…

b) When I do count the clock that tells the time,

And see the brave day sunk in hideous night;

When I behold the violet past prime,

And sable curls all silver’d o’er with white;…

SELECTIONS 2018

ENGLISH GENERAL

Third Paper

Full Marks: 100 Time: 3 hours

The figures in the margin indicate full marks

Candidates are required to give their answers in their own words as far as possible

Group-A

1). Answer any one of the following: 20

a) Comment on Shakespeare’s depiction of the two female characters in Julius Caesar.

b) Discuss critically the assassination scene in Julius Caesar.

2) Explain with reference to the context any one of the following: 10

a) The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,

But in ourselves, that we are underlings.

b) The barren, touched in this holy chase,

Shake off their sterile curse.

3) Answer any four of the following: 2x4

a) 'Knew you not Pompey?' Who said this? To whom?

b) "...who glared upon me and went surly by,"--Who is the speaker? Who is he speaking with?

c) "It is the bright day that brings forth the adder". Explain.

d) Why does Caesar not read the letter Artemidorus gives him on the way to the Senate? e)

What appeal did Metellus Cimber make to Caesar?

f) ''He doth bestride the narrow world like a Colossus" Identify Colossus. Who is being

described here?

4) Write notes on any three of the following: 4x3

Aside, Antagonist, Chorus, Comic Relief, Dramatic Irony.

Group-B

5) Answer any one of the following: 20

a) Discuss Shaw's Arms and the Man as an anti-romantic comedy.

b) Compare and contrast the characters Bluntschli and Sergius in Shaw's Arms and the Man

6. Explain with reference to the context any one of the following: 10

a) It is not the weapon of a gentleman!

b) I shall always be dependent on the goodwill of the family.

7) Answer any four of the following: 2x4

a) What did the man tell Raina he carried instead of ammunition?

b) What, according to Sergius , was the cradle and grave of his military reputation?

c) How old was Raina? What age did Bluntschli think she was?

d) How did Nicola make a woman out of Louka?

e) Why does Sergius withdraw his challenge and refuse to fight with Bluntschli?

f) Why did the Swiss give Nicola ten levas?

8. Read the following passage. Now, proof read the version of the passage given below

this, using appropriate symbols. (12 marks) Then detach this sheet, and submit it with

your answer script.

Original passage:

According to Sheila Ryan of Ohio, she has a gift: she can talk with animals, and horses

in particular. Using a combination of metal dowsing, rods and an understanding of

spiritual points on the animal's body, she claims to be able to communicate in quite

some detail. For example, Ryan was called in to help one rider find out why her horse

was misbehaving at a show. After a little chat, she was able to report back that the horse

was offended because its owners had been criticising it.

Passage for proofreading:

According to Sheila Ryan of Ohio, she has a gifts: she can chat with some animals, and

horses in partycular. using the combination of metal Dowsing, rods andan

understanding of spiritual points on the animals body, she claims to be able to

communicate in quite some detail. For example; Ryan was called in to help one rider

After a little chat, she was able to report back that the Horse

was offended because its owners were criticising it.

ENGLISH HONOURS

PART III

SELECTIONS 2018

FIFTH PAPER

Time: 4 hours Marks: 100

Group - A

1. Answer any two questions (each within 600 words) 16x2

a) Comment on the central theme of dilemma and heroism in Tennyson’s Ulysses.

b) Discuss Browning’s My Last Duchess as a poem that explores the darker aspects of the human

psyche.

c) Do you think Dover Beach reflects Arnold’s attitude to Victorian life? Support your answer with

suitable examples.

d) Examine Hopkins’ use of language and imagery in Pied Beauty.

2. Explain with reference to the context (any one) in 300 words. 8x1

a) Sophocles long ago

Heard it on the Ægean, and it brought

Into his mind the turbid ebb and flow

Of human misery;

b) I love thee to the level of every day's

Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.

Group –B

3. Answer any two questions (each within 600 words) 16x2

a) Critically comment on the title of An Acre of Grass.

b) Assess the place of violence in either Spring Offensive or Hawk Roosting.

c) "Allusiveness is a distinctive mark of modern poetry". Discuss the relevance of this statement

with particular reference to Prufrock.

d) Consider In My Craft or Sullen Art as Dylan Thomas's poetic manifesto.

4. Explain with reference to the context (any one) in 300 words. 8x1

a) For the one path of my flight is direct

Through the bones of the living.

b) Oh larger shone that smile against the sun---

Mightier than his whose bounty these have spurned.

Group –C

5. Scan anyone of the following extracts, mentioning their prosodic name and pointing out

variations, if any. 10x1

a) The clouds had made a crimson crown

Above the mountains high.

The stormy sun was going down

In a stormy sky.

Why did you let your eyes so rest on me,

And hold your breath between?

In all the ages this can never be

As if it had not been.

b) Wild nights - Wild nights!

Were I with thee

Wild nights should be

Our luxury!

Futile - the winds -

To a Heart in port -

Done with the Compass -

Done with the Chart!

Rowing in Eden -

Ah - the Sea!

Might I but moor - tonight -

In thee!

Group –D

6. Identify and explain the figures of speech (any five) from any one of the following passages: 10x1

a) Oh, weep for Adonais—he is dead!

Wake, melancholy Mother, wake and weep!

Yet wherefore? Quench within their burning bed

Thy fiery tears, and let thy loud heart keep

Like his, a mute and uncomplaining sleep;

For he is gone, where all things wise and fair

Descend—oh, dream not that the amorous Deep

Will yet restore him to the vital air;

Death feeds on his mute voice, and laughs at our despair.

b) One have I marked, the happiest

guest

In all this covert of the blest:

Hail to Thee, far above the rest

In joy of voice and pinion!

Thou, Linnet! in thy green array,

Presiding Spirit here to-day,

Dost lead the revels of the May;

And this is thy dominion.

ENGLISH HONOURS

PART III

SELECTIONS 2018

SIXTH PAPER


Group – A

1. Answer any one question in 800 words: 20x1

a) Discuss the role of Joe Gargery or Miss Havisham in Great Expectations.

b) Write a note on the representation of women characters in Great Expectations.

c) Discuss the significance of the opening chapter in Hardy’s The Mayor of Casterbridge.

d) How does Hardy express his moral vision of the world in The Mayor of Casterbridge.

Group – B


a) Write a review of a social documentary film that you have recently watched.

b) Write a dialogue between two teachers on the efficacy of examinations.

Group – C

3. Write an essay on any one of the following topics: 40x1

a) Mystery and Magic in Literature.

b) The Anti-hero in English Literature.

c) The Uses and Misuses of Social Media.

d) Changing Fashion in World Music since the beginning of 20th Century.

e) Science and Poetry

Group – D

4. Give the substance of any one of the following and add a short critical note: 12+8

a) Yes, I do feel like a visitor,

a tourist in this world

that I once made.

I rarely talk,

except to ask the way,

distrusting my interpreters,

tired out by the babble

of what they do not say.

I walk around through battered streets,

distinctly lost,

looking for landmarks

from another, promised past.

Here, in this strange place,

in a disjointed time,

I am nothing but a space

that sometimes has to fill.

Images invade me.

Picture postcards overlap my empty face

demanding to be stamped and sent.

‘Dear . . . ’

Who am I speaking to?

I think I may have misplaced the address,

but still, I feel the need

to write to you;

not so much for your sake

as for mine,

to raise these barricades

against my fear:

Postcards from god.

Proof that I was here.

b) In Norse, at any rate, the gods are within Time, doomed with their allies to death. Their battle is

with the monsters and the outer darkness. They gather heroes for the last defence. Already before

euhemerism saved them by embalming them, and they dwindled in antiquarian fancy to the mighty

ancestors of northern kings (English and Scandinavian), they had become in their very being the

enlarged shadows of great men and warriors upon the ways of the world. When Baldr is slain and

goes to Hel he cannot escape thence any more than mortal man.

This may make the southern gods more godlike—more lofty, dread, and inscrutable. They are

timeless and do not fear death. Such a mythology may hold the promise of a profounder thought. In

any case it was a virtue of the southern mythology that it could not stop where it was. It must go

forward to philosophy or relapse into anarchy. For in a sense it had shirked the problem precisely by

not having the monsters in the centre—as they are in Beowulf to the astonishment of the critics. But

such horrors cannot be left permanently unexplained, lurking on the outer edges and under suspicion

of being connected with the Government. It is the strength of the northern mythological imagination

that it faced this problem, put the monsters in the centre, gave them victory but no honour, and found

a potent but terrible solution in naked will and courage. ‘As a working theory absolutely

impregnable.’ So potent is it, that while the older southern imagination has faded for ever into

literary ornament, the northern has power, as it were, to revive its spirit even in our own times. It can

work, even as it did work with the goðlauss viking, without gods: martial heroism as its own end.

But we may remember that the poet of Beowulf saw clearly: the wages of heroism is death.

Euhemerism is an approach to the interpretation of mythology in which mythological accounts are presumed to have originated from real

historical events or personages. goðlauss: godless

ENGLISH HONOURS

PART III

SELECTIONS 2018

SEVENTH PAPER


Group – A


a) Comment on Osborne's use of the bear and squirrel game in Look Back in Anger.

b) ''Why, why, why, why do we let these women bleed us to death?'' Critically examine Jimmy's

attitude to women in Look Back in Anger

Group – B

Each answer should be in 800 words. 20x2

2. a) Comment on the roles of Alfred Doolittle and Colonel Pickering in Pygmalion .

or

b) Critically examine the ending in Pygmalion .

3. a) Critically comment on the combination of contemporary and classical elements in Riders to the

Sea

or

b) Analyse the role played by the sea in the play Riders to the Sea

Group – C

4. Answer any two questions in 800 words each: 20x2

a) Is Fate or Character more important in Tragedy? Illustrate your answer with examples from

Greek, Renaissance and Modern tragedies.

b) Discuss the methods of 'telling' and 'showing' in the novel with appropriate illustrations.


ENGLISH HONOURS

Third Year

EIGHTH PAPER


Group – A

(Indian Writing in English)

All answers should be within 800 words

1. Answer any two questions: 20x2

a. Justify the title of R.K.Narayan's novel The Guide.

b. Critically analyse the role of the narrator in The Shadow Lines.

c.Critically examine the author's use of time as a literary device in either The GuideorThe Shadow Lines.

2. Answer any one question: 20x1

a) Comment on the title of Ruskin Bond’s short story The Eyes are Not Here.

b) Essay out the irony inherent in Munshi Premchand’sThe Shroud.

c) Critically analyze the character of Bhikhu in Manik Bandyopadhyay’s Primeval.


a) Critically discuss Toru Dutt' s imagery in "Our Casuarina Tree".

b) Analyse the appropriateness of the title of Kamala Das' s poem "An Introduction ".

c) Write a critical appreciation of Agyeya' s "Hiroshima".


a) Examine Bravely Fought the Queen as a feminist play.

b) Do you consider Bravely Fought the Queen as an appropriately titled play? Answer with textual references.

[Turn over]

(American Literature)

All answers should be within 800 words

1. Answer any two questions: 20x2

a) Attempt a critical estimate of Hemingway's style in 'The Old Man and the Sea'.

b) Write a brief response on the character of Huckleberry Finn.

c) Examine F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby as a social document.


a) Comment critically on O. Henry's economy of method in “The Last Leaf.”

b)What role does Nature play in the short stories of Steinbeck? Answer with suitable illustrations.

c) Comment on the title of Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour”.

d) Discuss Poe's handling of symbols in 'The Fall of the House of Usher'.


a) “There are many other things I have found myself saying about poetry, but the chiefest of these is that it is metaphor, saying one thing and meaning another, saying one thing in terms of another, the pleasure of ulteriority.” Discuss Frost's After Apple Picking in the light of this statement.

b) Is Whitman’s ‘Good-bye My Fancy!’ a farewell poem? Examine the ambiguitiesin the text.

c) Would you view Sylvia Plath’s ‘Daddy’ as an enactment of exorcism? Discuss.


a) Critically analyse the title of Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie.

b) How is the modern man’s frustration and angst voiced through the characters inThe Glass Menagerie? Discuss.

first year selections examination 2018 english …a) comment on shakespeare’s depiction of the two...

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