LOYOLA COLLEGE (AUTONOMOUS), CHENNAI – 600 034
B.A. DEGREE EXAMINATION – ENGLISH LITERATURE
FIRST SEMESTER – APRIL 2008
EL 1500 - INDIAN LITERATURE IN ENGLISH
Date : 03/05/2008
Time : 9:00 - 12:00
Dept. No.
I. Answer the following in about 50 words each.
DM 1
Max. : 100 Marks
(10x2=20)
1. I am suddenly feeling tired. and sleepy. For Five years sleep has avoided me and
now suddenly its coming back. Before you go- prey for us.
What is the mental state of tughlaq when he says these words?
2. I bitterly wept and wished that I had had the heart to give thee my all.
Comment on the moral embedded in these lines.
3. Like the plumes of a peacock, purple and green,
We weave the marriage- veils of a queen.
Bring out the significance of these lines.
4. As the mammoth shakes no more the plains of Asia;
What does the poet mean by “mammoth”?
5. “A woman in a man’s world may be considered as being progressive, But a man in
woman’s world is pathetic .”
Identify the speaker. What is the context in which he says these words?
6. I will go away, mother. Don’t speak so harshly. You were so good to me all
these days.
Explain the reason for the change in attitude on the part of mother.
7. Man is more than the sum of his appearances.
Throw light on the idea given by Dr. Radhakrishnan.
8. If by avoiding food I should help the trees bloom and the grass grow, why
not do it thoroughly?
Why does the speaker want to avoid food thoroughly?
9. Even the cow, the favoured animal, though looked upto and almost
worshiped by many Hindus and often the cause of riots, is not treated
kindly.
Bring out the significance of these lines.
10. She sulks in a room all day. I do not know what to do. It is possible that
she is possessed.
Who is ‘she’? Why does the speaker feel so?
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II. Answer any FIVE of the following in about 150 words each. Choosing not more
than THREE from each part.
(5 x 8=40)
PART-A
11. How does Mahesh Dattani explore the pathos of human predicament in the play “Dance
Like A Man”?
12. What made Muhammad Tughlaq think of shifting his capital from Delhi to Daulatabad?
What were the consequences of this project?
13. Describe Rabindranath Tagore’s mysticism with special reference to “Gitanjali.”
14. Write a note on our ancient Literature.
PART – B
15. Describe Jawaharlal Nehru’s experience with animals in prison.
16. What were the expectations that Tyagu had built up around his life
partner and did Ganga live up to them?
17. How does Dr. Radhakrishnan explain the doctrine ‘The eternal is in
one’s self’?
18. Analyze briefly the character of Rosie in the light of Indian
womanhood.
III. Write TWO essays in about 300 words each.
(2x20=40)
19. How does A K Ramunajan describe the apathy and inaction of the people
in the face of a crisis in the poem “A River”?
OR
Do you consider muhammad tughlaq a genius or a ‘mad king’? Give your opinion on the
basis of Girish Karnad’s play Tughlaq
20. a) Critically analyze how circumstances helped Raju to grow in stature
as Swamiji in the eyes of Velan and the Villagers.
(OR)
b) Discuss the themes of rebellion and independence as treated by
V.S. Naipaul in A House for Mr. Biswas.
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