MCQs with answers on the topic “India’s Contribution to World Literature: Ancient to Modern”
- Who is the author of the ancient Indian epic ‘Mahabharata’?
- a) Kalidasa
- b) Vyasa
- c) Valmiki
- d) Bhasa
- Answer: b) Vyasa
- Which Indian text is considered one of the earliest examples of world literature?
- a) Manusmriti
- b) Vedas
- c) Rigveda
- d) Ramayana
- Answer: c) Rigveda
- Who wrote the famous play ‘Shakuntala’?
- a) Kalidasa
- b) Harsha
- c) Bhasa
- d) Bhavabhuti
- Answer: a) Kalidasa
- Which classical work is considered the oldest surviving Indian epic?
- a) Mahabharata
- b) Ramayana
- c) Bhagavad Gita
- d) Puranas
- Answer: b) Ramayana
- In which language did the famous poet Rabindranath Tagore write his works?
- a) Hindi
- b) Bengali
- c) English
- d) Sanskrit
- Answer: b) Bengali
- Which of these was written by Kalidasa?
- a) Meghaduta
- b) Kamasutra
- c) Arthashastra
- d) Dhammapada
- Answer: a) Meghaduta
- Who is the author of the famous Indian literary work, ‘Gitanjali’?
- a) Aurobindo Ghosh
- b) R. K. Narayan
- c) Rabindranath Tagore
- d) Vikram Seth
- Answer: c) Rabindranath Tagore
- Which Indian author won the Booker Prize for the novel “The God of Small Things”?
- a) Arundhati Roy
- b) Vikram Seth
- c) Kamala Das
- d) Chetan Bhagat
- Answer: a) Arundhati Roy
- Which epic poem written by Valmiki is the foundation of many narratives in Indian culture?
- a) Mahabharata
- b) Ramayana
- c) Bhagavad Gita
- d) Puranas
- Answer: b) Ramayana
- Which work is considered one of the greatest contributions of Indian literature to world philosophy?
- a) Rigveda
- b) Arthashastra
- c) Bhagavad Gita
- d) Ramayana
- Answer: c) Bhagavad Gita
- Who wrote the famous ‘Kamasutra’?
- a) Kalidasa
- b) Vishnu Sharma
- c) Vatsyayana
- d) Panini
- Answer: c) Vatsyayana
- Which literary figure is often credited with founding modern Hindi literature?
- a) Premchand
- b) Rabindranath Tagore
- c) Keki N. Daruwalla
- d) Harivansh Rai Bachchan
- Answer: a) Premchand
- Who wrote ‘The Discovery of India’ during the British colonial period?
- a) Jawaharlal Nehru
- b) S. Radhakrishnan
- c) M. K. Gandhi
- d) Rabindranath Tagore
- Answer: a) Jawaharlal Nehru
- Which of these authors is known for contributing to the development of ‘Anglo-Indian literature’?
- a) Mulk Raj Anand
- b) Keki N. Daruwalla
- c) R. K. Narayan
- d) Ismat Chughtai
- Answer: a) Mulk Raj Anand
- Who is the author of the ‘Kitab-i-Dastan-i-Amir Hamza’?
- a) Mirza Ghalib
- b) Qurratulain Hyder
- c) Abul Fazl
- d) Ghulam Mohammad
- Answer: c) Abul Fazl
- Which Indian poet’s works have greatly contributed to the shaping of Urdu literature?
- a) Allama Iqbal
- b) Faiz Ahmed Faiz
- c) Mirza Ghalib
- d) Munir Niazi
- Answer: c) Mirza Ghalib
- Which Indian philosopher and poet wrote ‘The Secret of the Vedas’?
- a) Swami Vivekananda
- b) Aurobindo Ghosh
- c) Rabindranath Tagore
- d) Kavi Pradeep
- Answer: b) Aurobindo Ghosh
- Which work is the most significant contribution of Tulsidas in the realm of literature?
- a) Mahabharata
- b) Ramcharitmanas
- c) Bhagavad Gita
- d) Manusmriti
- Answer: b) Ramcharitmanas
- Which literary form was introduced by Sanskrit scholars during the Gupta period?
- a) Poetic drama
- b) Epic poetry
- c) Lyric poetry
- d) Prose
- Answer: a) Poetic drama
- Which Indian novelist is famous for his works on contemporary issues in rural India?
- a) R. K. Narayan
- b) Shashi Tharoor
- c) Vikram Seth
- d) Chetan Bhagat
- Answer: a) R. K. Narayan
- Which epic is attributed to the legendary poet Valmiki?
- a) Ramayana
- b) Mahabharata
- c) Geeta
- d) Shakuntala
- Answer: a) Ramayana
- Who was the first Indian woman to publish a novel in English?
- a) Kamala Das
- b) Sarojini Naidu
- c) Rashsundari Debi
- d) Ismat Chughtai
- Answer: c) Rashsundari Debi
- Who wrote ‘The White Tiger,’ which won the 2008 Booker Prize?
- a) Vikram Seth
- b) Arvind Adiga
- c) R. K. Narayan
- d) Amitav Ghosh
- Answer: b) Arvind Adiga
- Which period of Indian literature is characterized by the use of regional languages like Hindi, Marathi, and Bengali?
- a) Vedic literature
- b) Medieval literature
- c) Modern literature
- d) Postmodern literature
- Answer: b) Medieval literature
- Which Indian writer’s works were inspired by social reform movements and the independence struggle?
- a) Rabindranath Tagore
- b) Mulk Raj Anand
- c) Ismat Chughtai
- d) Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay
- Answer: b) Mulk Raj Anand
- Who is known as the father of Hindi literature?
- a) Surdas
- b) Tulsidas
- c) Bhai Veer Singh
- d) Premchand
- Answer: d) Premchand
- Which famous Indian author’s works focus on the experiences and struggles of post-independence India?
- a) R. K. Narayan
- b) Shashi Tharoor
- c) Arun Joshi
- d) Vikram Seth
- Answer: b) Shashi Tharoor
- Which poet was known for his philosophical and metaphysical poetry in the English language?
- a) Rabindranath Tagore
- b) Aurobindo Ghosh
- c) Vikram Seth
- d) Harivansh Rai Bachchan
- Answer: b) Aurobindo Ghosh
- Who wrote the epic work, ‘Ramcharitmanas,’ based on the story of Lord Rama?
- a) Tulsidas
- b) Vyasa
- c) Valmiki
- d) Kalidasa
- Answer: a) Tulsidas
- Which modern Indian poet is known for his work on freedom and national unity, along with his famous ‘Saare Jahan Se Achha’?
- a) Iqbal
- b) Mirza Ghalib
- c) Faiz Ahmed Faiz
- d) Ramdhari Singh Dinkar
- Answer: a) Iqbal
These MCQs cover key figures, texts, and concepts related to India’s contribution to world literature, spanning from ancient times to the modern period. They can serve as a solid study guide for Civil Services Examination aspirants.
