HSA English Rank File Series – 2 Solved Model Question Paper

1. The only epic poem in English Literature is ...................................

• Answer: Paradise Lost by John Milton

• The epic poem Paradise Lost consisted of 10 books in the beginning and later got rearranged to 12 books.
• It was first printed in 1667.
• In Paradise Regained, Milton presented the restoration of man. It is plain and comprehensive.

     2. Where do we read "The paths of glory lead but to the grave."

• Answer: In Thomas Gray's Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard.
• This elegy does not refer to anybody's death directly, but it laments the suppressed condition of the villagers.

     3. Shakespeare wrote ............ sonnets.

• Answer: 154
• The first 126 sonnets are addressed to a young man, who is unknown.
• Sonnets 127-152 has been addressed to a dark lady.
• Shakespeare has also written two long narrative poem - Venus and Adonis (1593) and The Rape of Lucrece (1594).

     4. Lyrical Ballads was published in the year .......................

• Answer:  1798
• Wordsworth and Coleridge brought out the first collection of Romantic poetry ie, Lyrical Ballads in 1798.
• There were 23 poems in the collection in which 4 poems were written by Coleridge. They are

      a) The Rime Ancient Mariner
      b) The Nightingale
      c) The Foster Mother's Tale
      d) The Dungeon

• Later Wordsworth added a preface to the poetic collection in 1800
• Some of Wordsworth's comments were criticized by Coleridge in Biographia Literaria.(1817)

Chicago school/critics (Neo-Aristotelians)

A group of critics associated with the University of Chicago. They brought out an anthology of critical works CRITICS AND CRITICISM. Ancient modern edited by RS Crane (1952). Important members of the group are:-

 R S Crane

Elder Olson

Richard Mckeon

Norman Maclean

Bernard Weinberg

They critiqued some of the features of new criticism and suggested an alternative formalistic method inspired by Aristotle’s POETICS. They advocated that a literary text must be realized on the basis of its textual and generic intension. While new critics focused on literary language, Neo-Aristotelians stressed the “artistic whole” which is the outcome of a well-balanced plot, character and thought. Following Aristotle, they also hinted at the mimetic, didactic, and affective domain of literature. 

University Wits

The university wits were a group of seven young writers who were educated at the universities oxford and Cambridge. They appeared in the last twenty years of 16^th century (1580) and followed classical traditions of drama.

 Important members of the group were

Marlowe

John Lyly

George peel

Thomas Kyd

Thomas Lodge

Robert Greene

Thomas Nash

Four pastoral elegies in English

Four pastoral elegies in English-

Name of the author	Title of the pastoral elegy	The person on whom the elegy laments
John Milton	Lycidas	Edward king
Shelly	Adonais	Keats
Tennyson	In Memoriam	Arthur Hallam
Mr. Arnold	Thyrsis	Arthur Hugh Clough

Phenomenology

Phenomenology – phenomena - things as they appear + logy-knowledge. Phenomenologist focuses on the central role of perceiver in determining meaning. It involves an analysis of underlying nature and essence of a work of literature under scrutiny. It provides an access to the author’s consciousness.

Yale Critics

         Yale critics are a group of literary critics

associated with deconstruction in USA.  All of them are centered on Yale university, Connecticut, later changed their affiliation to university of California at Irvine. Their critical enterprise flourished in the 1970’s. Prominent members of the group are:

Harold Bloom

Paul de Man

Geoffrey Hartman

J. Hillis Miller

Jacques Derrida

They published deconstruction & criticism in 1979, which is described as ‘Yale Manifesto’. They focused on post structuralist dimensions of deconstruction than phenomenological dimensions.

HSA English solved Model Question Paper ctd.

1.              4.    The writer of Holly Sonnets is ………………………………….

               Answer: John Donne.

• Donne is a major Meta physical poet. He shifted the theme of English sonnet from sexual love to a variety of religious themes in 17^th century.
•   The term Metaphysical was first used by John Dryden in his Discourse Concerning Satire (1693) to refer Donne's poetry. Later in 1779, Samuel Johnson extended the term  to refer a group of writers.
•   Major secular Metaphysical poets are

      Cleveland

      Marvell

      Cowley

Religious poets are

      Herbert

      Vaughan

      Crashaw

      Traherne

HSA English Rank File Series – 1 Solved Model Question Paper

1.  The first revenge tragedy in English is……………………

Answer: The Spanish Tragedy by Thomas Kyd (1585-90?).

The first English tragedy is Gorboduc (1561) by Thomas Sackville and Thomas Norton. Though they followed Seneca’ model of revenge theme, critics credit Kyd’s The Spanish Tragedy as the typical revenge drama in English. 

•   Ralph Roister Doister by Nicholas Udall is considered as the first regular comedy in English.

 2.      ………………………..is called as the father of English essay

            Answer: Francis Bacon.

          
          

Bacon followed the French essayist Montaigne’s use of     the word essay and published a collection   titled as Essays. It was discussions on a variety of topics such as “of Truth”, “Of Adversity”, “Of  Marriage     and the Single Life” etc.

•   Father of English Poetry - Chaucer. Chaucer’s Prologue to Canterbury Tales presents a detailed picture of 14^th century English society.

•   Father of English Prose – Alfred, King of Wessex. He attempted to improve the quality of Old English and translated many Latin texts into English. His role is vital in organizing The Anglo Saxon Chronicle.

•   Father of English Criticism – John Dryden. Though Philip Sidney published Apology for Poetry in 1595, the first systematic study of English literature was done by Dryden. Hence he is the father of  English Criticism.

  3.      Gray, Collins and Cowper are called…………………..poets.

              Answer: Transitional poets.

•   Transitional poets follow both romantic and neoclassical elements in their writings. They are romantic in the use of lyricism, description of nature and rustic life, presentation of marginalized and the melancholic tone. In narrative techniques, they made of Neo-classical conventions such as personification of abstract ideas, artistic finish, didactic elements etc…