Quiz on Indian literature

Indian Literature

A. Mulk Raj Anand.

B. Munshi Premchand.

C. Girish Kanad.

D. Ruskin Bond.

1. Which Indian author wrote the English novel called ‘Untouchable’?

Mulk Raj Anand.

Mulk Raj Anand (12 December 1905 – 28 September

2004) was an Indian writer in English, notable for his

depiction of the lives of the poorer castes in traditional

Indian society. One of the pioneers of Indo-Anglian

fiction, he, together with

R. K. Narayan, Ahmed Ali and Raja Rao, was one of the

first India-based writers in English to gain an

international readership

The answer is …

A. R.K. Narayan.

B. Girish Kanad.

C. Ramdhari Singh Dinkar.

D. Munshi Premchand.

2. Satyajit Ray’s film, ‘Shatranj Ke Khiladi’, is based on a novel by whom ?

Munshi Premchand.

Munshi Premchand मुं��शी� प्रे�मुंचं�द, (July 31, 1880 – October 8,

1936) was an Indian writer famous for his modern

Hindustani literature. He is one of the most celebrated

writers of the Indian subcontinent, and is regarded as

one of the foremost Hindustani writers of the early

twentieth century.

The answer is …

A. R.K. Narayan.

B. Mahashweta Devi.

C. Nirala.

D. Munshi Premchand.

3. The film ‘Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa’ starring Jaya Bachchan and Anupam Kher is based on a novel by which Indian author?

Mahashweta Devi.

Mahasweta Devi was born in 1926 in Dhaka, to literary parents in

a Hindu Brahmin family. Her father Manish Ghatak was a well-

known poet and novelist, her mother Dharitri Devi was also a

writer and a social worker. She is the mother of Nabarun

Bhattacharya, currently one of Bengal's and India's leading

novelist whose works are noted for their intellectual vigour and

philosophical flavour.

Her famous works are - Hajar Churashir Maa, Rudali, Till Death Do

Us Part etc.

The answer is …

A. R.K. Narayan.

B. Mahashweta Devi.

C. Pandit Mange Ram Sangi.

D. Munshi Premchand.

4. The first elected fellow of the Sahitya Akademi was Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. Who was elected fellow in the same year as him?

Pandit Mange Ram Sangi.

Pt. Mange Ram of Panchi Jattan (Sonipat, Haryana) is

known as Kavi Siromani in Haryanvi Raagnis and is the

most ever celebrated guru in this field. Majority of

Swang Raagnis have stamp of his name in poetry itself.

The answer is …

A. Samudra Gupta.

B. Vishnu Sharma.

C. Kalidasa.

D. Tulsi Das.

5. Who wrote the original 'Panchatantra ?

Vishnu Sharma.

Vishnu Sharman (वि�ष्णु� शीमुं��) was an Indian scholar and

author who is believed to have written the Panchatantra

collection of short stories. Vishnu Sharman is one of the

most widely translated non-religious authors in history.

The answer is …

A. Kaliidasa.

B. Sur Das.

C. Shombhit Ray.

D. Tulsi Das.

6. Who wrote ‘Sur Sagar’ ?

Sant Kavi Surdas.

Surdas (Sant Kavi Surdas) was a 15th century blind saint,

poet and musician, known for his devotional songs

dedicated to Lord Krishna. Surdas is said to have written

and composed a hundred thousand songs in 'Sur Sagar'

(Ocean of Melody), out of which only about 8,000 are

extant. He is considered a saint and so also known as Sant

Surdas, a name which literally means the "slave of melody".

The answer is …

A. Lord Ganesha.

B. Tukaram.

C. Tulsidas.

D. Kalidas.

7.Who is best known as the author of the epic Ramcharitmanas?

Tulsidas

Tulsidas (तु�लसी�द�सी) was a Hindu poet-saint, reformer and philosopher

renowned for his devotion to the god Rama. A composer of several

popular works, he is best known as the author of the epic

Ramcharitmanas, a retelling of the Sanskrit Ramayana in the Awadhi.

He is also considered to be the composer of the Hanuman Chalisa.

Tulsidas spent most of his life in the city of Varanasi. The Tulsi Ghat in

Varnasi is named after him. He founded the Sankatmochan Temple

dedicated to Hanuman in Varanasi, believed to stand at the place where

he had the sight of Hanuman.Tulsidas started the Ramlila plays, a folk-

theatre adaption of the Ramayana, also.

The answer is …

A. Sudraka.

B. Kalidas.

C. Vishucharan.

D. Shyam Krishna .

8. Who wrote ten-act Sanskrit drama “Mricchakatika” ?

Pandit.

Mṛcchakaṭika (The Little Clay Cart) by Śūdraka (शी�द्रक), an

ancient playwright generally thought to have lived

sometime between the second century BC and the fifth

century AD. The play is set in the ancient city of Ujjayini

during the reign of the King Pālaka.

The answer is …

A. Sri Adi Kala.

B. Sur Sagar.

C. Raghuvamsa.

D. Rig Veda.

4. Which one of the following is the most celebrated poem by Sanskrit poet Kalidasa?

Raghuvamsa

Raghuvamsa (रघु���शी) is a Sanskrit mahakavya (epic

poem) by the most celebrated Sanskrit poet Kalidasa. It

narrates, the stories related to the Raghu dynasty. The

earliest surviving commentary written on the work is

that of the 10th-century Kashmirian scholar

Vallabhadeva.

The answer is …

A. Shashi Despande.

B. Kamala Markandaya

C. Nayantara Sahgal.

D. Shanti Rai.

9. Who received the Sahitya Akademi Award 1986 for for her English novel, Rich Like Us?

Nayantara Sahgal

Nayantara Sahgal is an Indian writer in English. Her

fiction deals with India's elite responding to the crises

engendered by political change; she was one of the first

female Indian writers in English to receive wide

recognition. She is a member of the Nehru-Gandhi

family, the second of the three daughters born to

Jawaharlal Nehru's sister, Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit.

The answer is …

A. Vikram Seth.

B. Jhumpa Lahiri.

C. Arving Adiga.

D. Chetan Bhagat.

10. The White Tiger is the debut novel by a famous Indian author. It was first published in 2008 and won the 40th Man Booker Prize in the same year. Who is this author?

Aravind Adiga

Aravind Adiga born 23 October 1974 is an Indian writer

and journalist. He is the fourth Indian-born author to win

the prize, after Salman Rushdie, Arundhati Roy and Kiran

Desai. (V. S. Naipaul, another winner, is of Indian origin,

but was not born in India).

The answer is …