General Awareness · 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

Who wrote the famous drama 'Neel Darpan', which depicted the agony of the indigo cultivators and brutality of the planters?

  1. Harish Chandra Mukherjee

  2. Dinabandhu Mitra

  3. Sisir Kumar Ghose

  4. Ram Gopal Ghose
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Dinabandhu Mitra wrote the famous Bengali play 'Neel Darpan' (The Indigo Mirror) in 1860, which exposed the exploitation of indigo farmers by British planters. The play was a powerful critique of the indigo plantation system and played a significant role in building consciousness against colonial oppression in Bengal.

Multiple choice

“The Inheritance of Loss” is a novel by

  1. Raj Kamal Jha

  2. Anita Desai

  3. Kiran Desai

  4. Kiran Bedi
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Kiran Desai won the Man Booker Prize in 2006 for 'The Inheritance of Loss'. Anita Desai is her mother and also a renowned novelist. Raj Kamal Jha and Kiran Bedi are authors but not associated with this novel.

Multiple choice

Who among the following received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2006?

  1. Ban Ki-moon

  2. Margarer Chan

  3. Orhan Pamuk

  4. Kiran Desai
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Orhan Pamuk from Turkey won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2006. Ban Ki-moon is a diplomat (UN Secretary General), Margaret Chan is a physician (WHO Director-General), and Kiran Desai is a novelist but not the 2006 Nobel laureate.

Multiple choice

Who is the author of 'A River Sutra'?

  1. V.S.Naipaul

  2. Nirad C.Choudhuri

  3. Gita Mehta

  4. Vikram Seth
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Gita Mehta is the author of 'A River Sutra,' a novel that explores themes of pilgrimage and spirituality through interconnected stories set around the Narmada River. Published in 1993, the book weaves together Hindu mythology with contemporary narratives, making it a significant work in Indian English literature that bridges ancient and modern storytelling traditions.

Multiple choice

In 2009, who among the following won the the Man Booker Prize?

  1. Kiran Desai

  2. V.S Naipaul

  3. Salman Rushdie

  4. Hilary Mantel
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Hilary Mantel won the 2009 Man Booker Prize for her novel 'Wolf Hall', a historical fiction about Thomas Cromwell in the court of Henry VIII. It was the first book in her acclaimed Cromwell trilogy.

Multiple choice

The book ' Meghdoot' is written by

  1. Ravi Shankar

  2. Kalidas

  3. Munshi Prem Chand

  4. None of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Meghdoot (Meghaduta) is a Sanskrit lyric poem written by the ancient Indian poet Kalidasa around the 4th-5th century CE. It's about a cloud messenger (megh-doot) carrying a message from an exiled yaksha to his wife. Kalidasa is considered one of India's greatest Sanskrit poets, also known for works like 'Abhijnanasakuntalam' and 'Raghuvamsa'.

Multiple choice

Who is the author of 'Ashtadhyai'?

  1. Charak

  2. Aryabhatta

  3. Vishnu Sharma

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

Panini, the ancient Sanskrit grammarian from Gandhara (modern Pakistan/Afghanistan region), wrote Ashtadhyayi around 500 BCE. This work is a comprehensive treatise on Sanskrit grammar and linguistics, consisting of eight chapters. Charak was a physician (Ayurveda), Aryabhatta was an astronomer-mathematician, and Vishnu Sharma wrote Panchatantra.

Multiple choice

The author of “A Town Called Malgudi” is

  1. Mulk Raj Anand

  2. R.K. Narayan

  3. Salman Rushdie

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

R.K. Narayan is the author of 'Malgudi Days' and created the fictional town of Malgudi where many of his stories are set. His works capture everyday life in small-town India. 'A Town Called Malgudi' is one of his famous collections.