General Awareness ยท English Language

Indian Literature and Authors

9,907 Questions

Indian Literature and Authors is a crucial topic for competitive exams, focusing on famous writers, notable books, and literary awards. Questions cover various regional, postcolonial, and historical texts. This collection helps test takers prepare effectively for general awareness sections.

Famous Indian authorsNotable Indian novelsPostcolonial literatureLiterary award winnersRegional Indian literature

Indian Literature and Authors Questions

Multiple choice

Which Chinese writer is known for her novels that explore the lives and struggles of women in Chinese society, often drawing upon traditional mythology and folklore?

  1. Mo Yan

  2. Ha Jin

  3. Yu Hua

  4. Wang Anyi
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Wang Anyi's novels often delve into the lives and struggles of women in Chinese society, exploring themes of love, loss, and identity, sometimes drawing inspiration from traditional mythology and folklore.

Multiple choice

Which novel by R.K. Narayan explores the life of a young boy growing up in a small town in South India?

  1. The Guide

  2. Swami and Friends

  3. The English Teacher

  4. The Financial Expert
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Swami and Friends is a coming-of-age novel that follows the adventures of Swami, a young boy growing up in the fictional town of Malgudi.

Multiple choice

Who is the protagonist of Arundhati Roy's Booker Prize-winning novel, 'The God of Small Things'?

  1. Estha

  2. Rahel

  3. Ammu

  4. Velutha
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
Correct answer
Explanation

The novel's narrative is told through the perspectives of fraternal twins, Estha and Rahel, who witness the tragic events that unfold in their family.

Multiple choice

Which novel by Salman Rushdie blends magical realism with historical fiction to explore the partition of India in 1947?

  1. Midnight's Children

  2. Shame

  3. The Satanic Verses

  4. Haroun and the Sea of Stories
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Midnight's Children is a multi-generational saga that follows the lives of children born at the stroke of midnight on the day of India's independence.

Multiple choice

In Anita Desai's novel, 'Clear Light of Day', the protagonist, Bim, struggles with her identity and sense of belonging in post-colonial India. What is her profession?

  1. Teacher

  2. Journalist

  3. Doctor

  4. Artist
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Bim is a teacher who grapples with the changing social and political landscape of India while navigating her own personal struggles.

Multiple choice

Which novel by Vikram Seth is a verse novel that tells the story of a group of young people living in Delhi during the 1980s?

  1. A Suitable Boy

  2. The Golden Gate

  3. An Equal Music

  4. Two Lives
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

A Suitable Boy is a sprawling epic that follows the lives of four families in post-independence India as they search for a suitable boy to marry Lata, the protagonist.

Multiple choice

In Jhumpa Lahiri's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, 'Interpreter of Maladies', what is the profession of the protagonist, Mr. Kapasi?

  1. Doctor

  2. Interpreter

  3. Teacher

  4. Engineer
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Mr. Kapasi is an interpreter who works at a doctor's office, where he encounters various patients and their stories.

Multiple choice

Which novel by Amitav Ghosh explores the themes of displacement and migration through the story of a family forced to leave their home in East Bengal during the partition of India?

  1. The Glass Palace

  2. The Hungry Tide

  3. Sea of Poppies

  4. River of Smoke
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The Glass Palace is a multi-generational saga that follows the lives of a family as they navigate the tumultuous events of the 20th century.

Multiple choice

In Rohinton Mistry's novel, 'Such a Long Journey', the protagonist, Gustad Noble, faces challenges and hardships as a Parsi living in Bombay during the 1970s. What is his profession?

  1. Banker

  2. Journalist

  3. Teacher

  4. Engineer
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Gustad Noble is a banker who struggles to maintain his integrity and values in a corrupt and changing society.

Multiple choice

Which novel by Kiran Desai won the Man Booker Prize in 2006 and tells the story of a young woman's journey from India to the United States?

  1. The Inheritance of Loss

  2. Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard

  3. The Village by the Sea

  4. The Gospel of Yudas
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The Inheritance of Loss follows the life of Sai, a young woman who leaves India to pursue her education in the United States.

Multiple choice

In Aravind Adiga's novel, 'The White Tiger', the protagonist, Balram Halwai, rises from poverty to become a successful entrepreneur. What is his initial occupation?

  1. Driver

  2. Cook

  3. Teacher

  4. Farmer
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Balram Halwai starts out as a driver for a wealthy family in Delhi, before eventually becoming a successful entrepreneur.

Multiple choice

Which novel by Chetan Bhagat explores the lives of three engineering students in Mumbai as they navigate their personal and professional relationships?

  1. Five Point Someone

  2. One Night @ the Call Center

  3. The Three Mistakes of My Life

  4. 2 States
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Five Point Someone is a coming-of-age story that follows the lives of three engineering students as they deal with friendship, love, and career aspirations.

Multiple choice

In Thrity Umrigar's novel, 'The Space Between Us', the protagonist, Sera Dubash, struggles with her identity as an Indian-American woman living in the United States. What is her profession?

  1. Doctor

  2. Journalist

  3. Teacher

  4. Engineer
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Sera Dubash is a doctor who faces challenges and prejudices as an Indian-American woman in the medical field.

Multiple choice

Which novel by Vikram Chandra tells the story of a group of friends in Mumbai who are drawn into the world of organized crime?

  1. Red Earth and Pouring Rain

  2. Sacred Games

  3. Love and Longing in Bombay

  4. Mirrored Mind
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Sacred Games is a crime thriller that follows the lives of a police officer, a gangster, and a dancer as they navigate the criminal underworld of Mumbai.

Multiple choice

In Amit Chaudhuri's novel, 'A New World', the protagonist, Bonobashi Chatterjee, returns to India after living in England for many years. What is his profession?

  1. Writer

  2. Musician

  3. Teacher

  4. Engineer
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Bonobashi Chatterjee is a writer who returns to India to explore his roots and reconnect with his family.