GATE model questions and answers in English

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GATE Model Questions and Answers (English)

Here are a few GATE-style model questions and answers for English Literature, covering various aspects of the syllabus. Remember, GATE English questions are designed to test comprehension, analytical skills, and knowledge of literary history, theory, and criticism.

Literary History & Theory:*

Q1: Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of Metaphysical poetry?

(A) Wit and intellectual imagery
( Simple, direct language
(C) Exploration of complex themes like love and death
(D) Use of conceits

Answer: (

Metaphysical poetry is known for its complex and intellectual style, not simplicity.

Q2: The concept of "the intentional fallacy" was put forth by:

(A) T.S. Eliot
( W.K. Wimsatt and Monroe Beardsley
(C) Cleanth Brooks
(D) Northrop Frye

Answer: (

Wimsatt and Beardsley argued against considering the author's intention as essential to understanding a work.

Q3: Which literary movement is associated with "stream of consciousness" narrative technique?

(A) Romanticism
( Victorianism
(C) Modernism
(D) Postmodernism

Answer: (C)

Modernist writers like Virginia Woolf and James Joyce extensively used stream of consciousness.

Literary Criticism & Analysis:*

Q4: In Shakespeare's *Hamlet*, the protagonist's famous soliloquy "To be or not to be..." primarily explores the theme of:

(A) Revenge
( Love
(C) Mortality and the nature of existence
(D) Madness

Answer: (C)

The soliloquy contemplates suicide and the uncertainties of life and death.

Q5: Identify the figure of speech used in the following line: "The wind whispered secrets through the trees."

(A) Metaphor
( Simile
(C) Personification
(D) Hyperbole

Answer: (C)

The wind is given human-like qualities (whispering).

Q6: A critical approach that focuses on the role of ideology and power structures in literature is:

(A) Feminist criticism
( Marxist criticism
(C) Psychoanalytic criticism
(D) New Criticism

Answer: (

Marxist criticism examines how literature reflects and reinforces social and economic hierarchies.

Author & Text Identification:*

Q7: Who wrote *The Waste Land*?

(A) William Butler Yeats
( T.S. Eliot
(C) Ezra Pound
(D) James Joyce

Answer: (*

Linguistics and Phonetics:

Q8: The smallest unit of meaning in a language is called a:

(A) Phoneme
( Morpheme
(C) Syllable
(D) Word

Answer: (

These are just a few examples. For comprehensive preparation, you should study:

Literary History:

Key periods, movements, authors, and texts.

Literary Theory:

Major critical schools and their key concepts.

Literary Criticism:

Analyzing literary texts using various critical approaches.

Linguistics:

Basic concepts of phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics.


Remember to practice with past GATE papers and other resources. Good luck!