English Literature · 2019

CSS 2019 English Literature Paper

7 questions from this paper.

  1. Q1
    Russell in 'The Conquest of Happiness' identifies a number of causes of unhappiness. If we work on these causes, do you think happiness is still possible?
    Past paper Modern Prose 20 marks
  2. Q2
    Both Jim and Della behave impulsively in 'The Gift of the Magi' by sacrificing their greatest treasures without thinking of the consequences and focusing instead on making each other happy. Is the author really successful in creating wise characters in literature?
    Past paper Short Story 20 marks
  3. Q3
    In what ways is the poem 'Ode to a Nightingale' about the co-existence and interdependence of pleasure and pain? Discuss.
    Past paper Romantic Poetry 20 marks
  4. Q4
    Wordsworth does not 'mourn' or 'murmur' for the loss of 'aching joys' of his past. Elaborate by providing suitable textual evidence from 'Tintern Abbey'.
    Past paper Romantic Poetry 20 marks
  5. Q5
    Harold Pinter specializes in the tragicomedy of the breakdown of communication, broadly in the tradition of the Theatre of the Absurd. Discuss it with the reference to 'The Caretaker'.
    Past paper Absurd Drama 20 marks
  6. Q6
    By the end of the novel 'A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man', Joyce renders a portrait of a mind that has achieved emotional, intellectual, and artistic adulthood. Elaborate.
    Past paper Modern Novel 20 marks
  7. Q7
    How does the essence of Structuralism, i.e., 'Things cannot be understood in isolation, they have to be seen in the context of larger structures they are part of' relate to literature?
    Past paper Literary Theory 20 marks

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