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
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Gagan Harkara
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Mahmudullah
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Rabindranath Tagore
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Ashfaqullah Khan
C
Correct answer
Explanation
Rabindranath Tagore wrote 'Amar Sonar Bangla' which became Bangladesh's national anthem. Tagore also wrote India's national anthem 'Jana Gana Mana', making him the only person to compose national anthems for two nations. Gagan Harkara was a folk singer, Mahmudullah is a cricketer, Ashfaqullah Khan was a revolutionary.
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Spike Milligan
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Deepak Chopra
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Indira Gandhi
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Rudyard Kipling
D
Correct answer
Explanation
Rudyard Kipling, the famous British author known for works like 'The Jungle Book' and 'Kim', was born in Mumbai (then Bombay) in 1865. His father was an artist and teacher at the Sir J.J. School of Art in Bombay. Kipling spent his early childhood years in India before being sent to England for education.
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Eric Guggenheim
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Ashutosh Gowariker
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Chris Chow
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Rod Serling
B
Correct answer
Explanation
Ashutosh Gowariker wrote and directed Lagaan. The other options are not associated with this film. Eric Guggenheim, Chris Chow, and Rod Serling have no connection to Lagaan.
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Chandra Shekhar Azaad
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Ram Prasad Bismil
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Muhmmad Iqbal
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Bahadur Shah Zafar
B
Correct answer
Explanation
Ram Prasad Bismil was indeed known as 'Bismil Azimabadi' - he was a revolutionary poet who wrote famous poems like 'Sarfaroshi ki tamanna'. Chandra Shekhar Azad was a fellow revolutionary but not known by this name. Muhammad Iqbal was the poet who wrote 'Saare jahan se achha' and Bahadur Shah Zafar was the last Mughal emperor.
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Jayshankar Prasad
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Mahadevi Varma
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Banabhatta
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Harivanshrai Bachhan
D
Correct answer
Explanation
Madhushala is a famous poetic work by Harivanshrai Bachchan. Published in 1935, it consists of 135 rubaiyat (quatrains) and explores philosophical themes through the metaphor of wine and intoxication.
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Marriage anniversary of all
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Death Centenary of all
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Birth Centenary of all
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None of the above
C
Correct answer
Explanation
All four figures - J.R.D. Tata (1904), K.L. Saigal (1904), Lal Bahadur Shastri (1904), Salvador Dali (1904), and Pablo Neruda (1904) - were born in 1904, making 2004 their birth centenary year. This is a factual historical coincidence.
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Amartya Sen
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Meera Nair
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V S Naipaul
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Salman Rushdie
D
Correct answer
Explanation
Midnight's Children (1981) is Salman Rushdie's most famous novel about India's independence and partition. It won the Booker Prize and the Booker of Bookers.
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G Shankar Kurup
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Munshi Premchand
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Slaman Rushdie
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V V Shirwadkar
A
Correct answer
Explanation
G. Shankara Kurup (often spelled G. Sankara Kurup) was the first recipient of the Jnanpith Award in 1965, India's highest literary award. The question contains a typo in the award name (Gyaan Peeth instead of Jnanpith), but the answer is correct. He was a renowned Malayalam poet.
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The temple that was attacked 17 times
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The monstone
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The moon god
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The tale of the Moon god
B
Correct answer
Explanation
The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins is a novel that revolves around a sacred diamond, the Moonstone, stolen from an Indian temple and brought to England. While the question references the Somnath temple in Gujarat, the novel's central plot concerns a diamond taken from a Indian shrine during colonial rule. The Moonstone is often considered the first detective novel in English literature and features Sergeant Cuff as the investigator. The novel explores themes of colonialism, theft, and the consequences of taking sacred objects.
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The dog of small things
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God's own country
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The God of small things
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The God of small dogs
C
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is C (The God of Small Things). Arundhati Roy won the Booker Prize in 1997 for her debut novel 'The God of Small Things.' Option A incorrectly substitutes 'dog' for 'God,' while Option B is a different phrase (God's Own Country refers to Kerala). Option D is a humorous distractor mixing 'small things' with 'small dogs.'
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Bankim Chandra Bose
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Amartya Sen
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Sir V.S Naipaul
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Rabindranath Tagore
C
Correct answer
Explanation
Sir V.S. Naipaul was born in Chaguanas, Trinidad and Tobago on August 17, 1932 to Indian descent parents. He won the Booker Prize in 1971 for his novel In a Free State and authored acclaimed works including A House for Mr Biswas. The other options are incorrect: Bankim Chandra Bose was a Bengali novelist who died in 1894, Amartya Sen is an economist, and Rabindranath Tagore was a poet who died in 1941.
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S. Sindhuja
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Yusuf
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Santanu
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Bishwajit
B
Correct answer
Explanation
This question refers to a Class Representative (CR) specifically for library matters within an academic institution. Yusuf held this particular responsibility for library coordination and representation. The role typically involves managing library-related issues and communication between students and library administration.
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Rabindra Nath Thakur
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Kaji Nazrul Islam
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Sriharicharan Das
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Jibanananda Das
D
Correct answer
Explanation
Jibanananda Das (1899-1954) wrote the famous Bengali poem 'Bonolota Sen' in 1942. It's considered one of the most celebrated poems in Bengali literature, depicting an eternal feminine figure. Rabindranath Tagore and Kazi Nazrul Islam were other major Bengali poets, but not the authors of this specific poem.
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Bankim Chandra Chottopadhay
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Sattyajeet Ray
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Sukumar Ray
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Annada Shankar Ray
C
Correct answer
Explanation
Sukumar Ray is indeed the author of Kumro Potash (The Pumpkin and the Potato), a beloved collection of Bengali nonsense verse and rhymes published in 1923. He was the father of filmmaker Satyajit Ray. Bankim Chandra wrote serious novels like Anandamath, Satyajit Ray was primarily a filmmaker though he also wrote, and Annada Shankar Ray was a different poet-writer.
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V S Naipaul
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Amartya Sen
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Arundhati Roy
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Shobha De
A
Correct answer
Explanation
V.S. Naipaul, the Trinidadian-born British writer of Indian descent, wrote 'A House for Mr. Biswas' (1961), considered his masterpiece. The novel explores themes of identity, cultural displacement, and colonial legacy. Amartya Sen is an economist, Arundhati Roy wrote 'The God of Small Things', and Shobha De is known for her social novels.