CSS English Literature Past Paper 2013
Paper-I
PART-II (Subjective) 80 Marks
Attempt ONLY FOUR Questions from PART-II selecting TWO questions from EACH
SECTION. (20×4)
PART-II
SECTION-A
Q.No.2 “Does Wordsworth’s best poetry revolve around himself? Explain your arguments.”
Q.No.3 “According to David Daiches ‘The (Romantic) poet is on his own, drawing nourishment from his solitary readings and imaginings. This means that each poem must create its own world and present it persuasively to the reader’. Analyse Keats’ poems in the light of this remark.”
Q.No.4 “How do Lamb’s essays reflect his being a Londoner?”
SECTION-B
Q.No.5 “Why do you think Mathew Arnold needed to launch a campaign against the materialism and philistinism of his contemporary age?”
Q.No.6 “In Mair and Word’s opinion ‘The Victorian Age added humanity to nature and art as subject matter of literature.’ Is this principle applicable to Browning’s poetry?”
Q.No.7 “Dickens’ fictional works indicate his having a ‘greater sense of life and little sense of form’. Do you agree with this idea? If so or if not, explain your arguments.”
Q.No.8 “Why do you think Thomas Hardy selects the characters for his novels from the English peasantry of his contemporary age? Explain your ideas.”
Paper-II
PART-II (Subjective) 80 Marks
Attempt ONLY FOUR Questions from PART-II selecting TWO questions from EACH
SECTION. (20×4)
PART-II
SECTION-A
Q.2 “Shakespeare includes characters in Hamlet who are obvious foils for Hamlet, including, most obviously, Horatio, Fortinbras, Claudius, and Laertes. Compare and contrast Hamlet with each of these characters. How does each respond to the crises with which he is faced?”
Q.3 “Gulliver’s Travels could in fact be described as one of the first novels of modern alienation, focusing on an individual’s repeated failures to integrate into societies to which he does not belong. Present your viewpoint backed by supporting arguments.”
Q.4 “Though Jane Austen satirizes snobs in her novels; some critics have accused her of being a snob herself. Giving special consideration to Mrs. Bennet and Mr. Collins in Pride and Prejudice, argue and defend one side of this issue.”
Q.5 “Because of its stunning, violent imagery and terrifying ritualistic language, The Second Coming is one of Yeats’ most famous and most anthologized poems; it is also one of the most thematically obscure and difficult poems to understand. Elaborate with relevant textual evidence.”
SECTION-B
Q.6 “The Waste Land is full of sounds, onomatopoeia: from ‘jug jug jug’ to ‘drip drop’ to ‘twit twit’ to ‘co co rico.’ What is the significance of this technique for the poem as a whole? Analyze each of the moments in which such language appears.”
Q.7 “Both Santiago and the Marlin display qualities of pride, honor, and bravery, and both are subject to the same eternal law: they must kill or be killed. How does Ernest Hemingway present this battle in Old Man and the Sea?”
Q.8 “Though it seems as if nothing happens in the play, actions actually play a very important role in Waiting for Godot. The stage directions of the play constitute nearly half of the text, suggesting that the actions, expressions, and emotions of the actors are as important as the dialogue. Examine the significance of the stage directions given by Samuel Beckett.”