logo
Courses Login
UGC NET English June 2025: Comprehensive Study Guide

UGC NET English June 2025

14 Comprehensive Solved Questions

Question 1: Canadian Literature - Authors and Works

Match List-I with List-II:

List I (Author)

  • A. Lois Reynolds Kerr
  • B. Dorothy Livesay
  • C. Gwen Pharis Ringwood
  • D. Carol Bolt

List II (Work)

  • I. Dark Harvest
  • II. Guest of Honour
  • III. Red Emma
  • IV. Joe Derry

Options:

  1. A-II, B-IV, C-I, D-III
  2. A-I, B-II, C-III, D-IV
  3. A-III, B-I, C-IV, D-II
  4. A-IV, B-II, C-III, D-I

✓ Correct Answer:

Option 1: A-II, B-IV, C-I, D-III

Detailed Explanations:

A. Lois Reynolds Kerr → II. Guest of Honour

Guest of Honour is a notable work by Lois Reynolds Kerr, a Canadian playwright active in the early 20th century. It is one of the earliest examples of Canadian drama reflecting social concerns.

B. Dorothy Livesay → IV. Joe Derry

Dorothy Livesay, primarily known as a poet, also wrote Joe Derry, a documentary-style radio drama that reflected her socialist and working-class sympathies.

C. Gwen Pharis Ringwood → I. Dark Harvest

Gwen Pharis Ringwood is a key figure in Canadian theatre, and Dark Harvest is one of her well-known plays, exploring rural and social themes.

D. Carol Bolt → III. Red Emma

Carol Bolt is known for Red Emma, a feminist play based on the life of anarchist Emma Goldman, reflecting themes of political activism and social justice.

Question 2: Poetry - Famous Lines and Authors

Match List-I with List-II:

List I (Lines)

  • A. "One day I wrote her name upon the strand/ But came the waves and washed it away"
  • B. "Under the greenwood tree/ Who loves to lie with me,/ And turn his merry note/ Unto the sweet bird's note"
  • C. "The curfew tolls the knell of parting day,/ The lowing herd wind slowly o'er the lea"
  • D. "Remember how we picked the daffodils?/ Nobody else remembers, but I remember."

List II (Author)

  • I. Thomas Gray
  • II. William Shakespeare
  • III. Ted Hughes
  • IV. Edmund Spenser

Options:

  1. A-II, B-IV, C-I, D-III
  2. A-IV, B-II, C-I, D-III
  3. A-III, B-I, C-IV, D-II
  4. A-IV, B-III, C-II, D-I

✓ Correct Answer:

Option 2: A-IV, B-II, C-I, D-III

Detailed Explanations:

A. "One day I wrote her name upon the strand..." → IV. Edmund Spenser

From Amoretti Sonnet 75 (1595) – Spenser writes of immortalizing love through verse.

B. "Under the greenwood tree..." → II. William Shakespeare

From As You Like It (1599) – A pastoral song celebrating simple forest life.

C. "The curfew tolls the knell of parting day..." → I. Thomas Gray

From Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard (1751) – Mournful reflection on mortality.

D. "Remember how we picked the daffodils?..." → III. Ted Hughes

From Daffodils (1998) – Evokes memory, grief, and lost love.

Question 3: Modern Poetry - Poet Features and Characteristics

Match List-I with List-II:

List I (Features)

  • A. He turned his back on the 'two decades of hypocrisy'.
  • B. The Welsh traditions of the power of spoken word are present in his poetry.
  • C. He is identified as a representative middle-brow voice of the present, adjusting to the past.
  • D. His poetry plays with and against Romantic tradition in poetry.

List II (Poets)

  • I. Dylan Thomas
  • II. John Betjeman
  • III. Philip Larkin
  • IV. W. H. Auden

Options:

  1. A-I, B-III, C-II, D-IV
  2. A-II, B-IV, C-I, D-III
  3. A-IV, B-I, C-II, D-III
  4. A-III, B-I, C-IV, D-II

✓ Correct Answer:

Option 3: A-IV, B-I, C-II, D-III

Detailed Explanations:

A. He turned his back on the 'two decades of hypocrisy' → IV. W. H. Auden

Refers to Auden's disillusionment with interwar British society.

B. The Welsh traditions of the power of spoken word are present in his poetry → I. Dylan Thomas

Thomas's lyrical voice reflects Welsh oral traditions and musicality.

C. He is identified as a representative middle-brow voice of the present, adjusting to the past → II. John Betjeman

Betjeman's nostalgic yet accessible verse appealed to common readers.

D. His poetry plays with and against Romantic tradition in poetry → III. Philip Larkin

Larkin reworks Romantic themes with post-war realism and irony.

Question 4: Victorian Novels - Titles and Subtitles

Match List-I with List-II:

List I (Novels)

  • A. Silas Marner
  • B. Sybil
  • C. Frankenstein
  • D. Oliver Twist

List II (Subtitles)

  • I. The Modern Prometheus
  • II. The Parish Boy's Progress
  • III. The Two Nations
  • IV. The Weaver of Raveloe

Options:

  1. A-II, B-I, C-IV, D-III
  2. A-I, B-IV, C-II, D-III
  3. A-III, B-II, C-IV, D-I
  4. A-IV, B-III, C-I, D-II

✓ Correct Answer:

Option 4: A-IV, B-III, C-I, D-II

Detailed Explanations:

A. Silas Marner (1861) → IV. The Weaver of Raveloe

A moral tale about redemption through love and community.

B. Sybil (1845) → III. The Two Nations

Explores class divide between the rich and the poor.

C. Frankenstein (1818) → I. The Modern Prometheus

A cautionary tale about ambition, creation, and responsibility.

D. Oliver Twist (1837–39) → II. The Parish Boy's Progress

A social novel critiquing child labor and poverty in Victorian England.

Question 5: D.H. Lawrence - Characters and Novels

Match List-I with List-II:

List I (Characters)

  • A. Ursula - Skrebensky
  • B. Gudrun - Gerald
  • C. Connie - Mellors
  • D. Miriam - Paul

List II (Novel)

  • I. Women in Love
  • II. Lady Chatterley's Lover
  • III. Sons and Lovers
  • IV. The Rainbow

Options:

  1. A-III, B-II, C-IV, D-I
  2. A-II, B-IV, C-I, D-III
  3. A-IV, B-I, C-II, D-III
  4. A-III, B-IV, C-II, D-I

✓ Correct Answer:

Option 3: A-IV, B-I, C-II, D-III

Detailed Explanations:

A. Ursula – Skrebensky → IV. The Rainbow (1915)

Explores Ursula's emotional and intellectual development.

B. Gudrun – Gerald → I. Women in Love (1920)

Centers on intense psychological and erotic tensions.

C. Connie – Mellors → II. Lady Chatterley's Lover (1928)

A tale of love across class lines and bodily freedom.

D. Miriam – Paul → III. Sons and Lovers (1913)

Depicts Paul's struggle between maternal attachment and romantic desire.

Question 6: Classical Essays - Authors and Works

Match List-I with List-II:

List I (Work)

  • A. "Liberty of the Press"
  • B. "The Vision of Mirza: An Oriental Allegory"
  • C. "On the Knocking at the Gate in Macbeth"
  • D. "Mental Slavery of Modern Workmen"

List II (Author)

  • I. Thomas de Quincey
  • II. John Ruskin
  • III. John Milton
  • IV. Joseph Addison

Options:

  1. A-II, B-III, C-IV, D-I
  2. A-III, B-I, C-II, D-IV
  3. A-IV, B-II, C-III, D-I
  4. A-III, B-IV, C-I, D-II

✓ Correct Answer:

Option 4: A-III, B-IV, C-I, D-II

Detailed Explanations:

A. "Liberty of the Press" → III. John Milton

From Areopagitica, advocates for freedom of speech and expression.

B. "The Vision of Mirza: An Oriental Allegory" → IV. Joseph Addison

An allegorical tale published in The Spectator, blending Eastern imagery with moral reflection.

C. "On the Knocking at the Gate in Macbeth" → I. Thomas de Quincey

A psychological essay analyzing a haunting moment in Shakespeare's Macbeth.

D. "Mental Slavery of Modern Workmen" → II. John Ruskin

A critique of industrial dehumanization and labor conditions.

Question 7: Essay Collections - Authors and Works

Match List-I with List-II:

List I (Author)

  • A. John Gross
  • B. Wendy Martin
  • C. George Saintsbury
  • D. Richard A Lanham

List II (Work)

  • I. A History of English Prose Rhythm
  • II. The Oxford Book of Essays
  • III. Essays by Contemporary American Women
  • IV. Analyzing Prose

Options:

  1. A-II, B-III, C-I, D-IV
  2. A-I, B-II, C-III, D-IV
  3. A-IV, B-III, C-I, D-II
  4. A-IV, B-II, C-II, D-III

✓ Correct Answer:

Option 1: A-II, B-III, C-I, D-IV

Detailed Explanations:

A. John Gross → II. The Oxford Book of Essays

A curated anthology of significant English essays from various periods.

B. Wendy Martin → III. Essays by Contemporary American Women

Focuses on feminist and cultural insights from American women writers.

C. George Saintsbury → I. A History of English Prose Rhythm

A pioneering study of English prose style and rhythm through the ages.

D. Richard A. Lanham → IV. Analyzing Prose

A rhetorical guide for analyzing and understanding prose structure and style.

Question 8: Linguistics - Language Terms and Meanings

Match List-I with List-II:

List I (Language Terms)

  • A. Pidgin
  • B. Creole
  • C. Idiolect
  • D. Register

List II (Meaning)

  • I. The language is special to an individual, sometimes described as a 'personal dialect'.
  • II. A language defined according to social use, such as scientific, formal, religious, and journalistic.
  • III. A contact language which draws on elements from two or more languages
  • IV. A term relating to people and languages especially in the erstwhile colonial tropics and subtropics, in the Americas, Africa, the Indian Ocean, and Oceania.

Options:

  1. A-I, B-IV, C-III, D-II
  2. A-II, B-III, C-I, D-IV
  3. A-IV, B-II, C-III, D-I
  4. A-III, B-IV, C-I, D-II

✓ Correct Answer:

Option 4: A-III, B-IV, C-I, D-II

Detailed Explanations:

A. Pidgin → III. A contact language which draws on elements from two or more languages

A simplified language developed for communication between speakers of different native languages, often for trade or colonial purposes.

B. Creole → IV. A term relating to people and languages especially in the erstwhile colonial tropics and subtropics

A stable, natural language developed from a mixture of different languages, often originating from pidgins and spoken natively.

C. Idiolect → I. The language is special to an individual, sometimes described as a 'personal dialect'

The unique language use of an individual, including their choice of words, pronunciation, and grammar.

D. Register → II. A language defined according to social use, such as scientific, formal, religious, and journalistic

A variation of language determined by its use in particular contexts or situations.

Question 9: Linguistics - Technical Terms and Definitions

Match List-I with List-II:

List I (Terms)

  • A. Collocation
  • B. Inflected
  • C. Polarity
  • D. Generative

List II (Definitions)

  • I. A term borrowed in the 1960s from mathematics into linguistics by Noam Chomsky
  • II. A term for the contrast between positive and negative in sentences, clauses, and phrases
  • III. A habitual association between particular words
  • IV. A term in which a word takes various forms to show its grammatical role

Options:

  1. A-I, B-II, C-III, D-IV
  2. A-III, B-IV, C-II, D-I
  3. A-I, B-III, C-IV, D-II
  4. A-IV, B-I, C-II, D-III

✓ Correct Answer:

Option 2: A-III, B-IV, C-II, D-I

Detailed Explanations:

A. Collocation → III. A habitual association between particular words

Example: "make a decision" and "heavy rain." These word pairs tend to occur together in natural usage.

B. Inflected → IV. A term in which a word takes various forms to show its grammatical role

Example: "run," "runs," "ran," and "running" are inflected forms of the verb run.

C. Polarity → II. A term for the contrast between positive and negative in sentences, clauses, and phrases

Example: "He is coming" (positive) vs. "He is not coming" (negative).

D. Generative → I. A term borrowed in the 1960s from mathematics into linguistics by Noam Chomsky

Refers to Generative Grammar, a theory that describes the implicit knowledge humans have about the structure and formation of sentences.

Question 10: Renaissance Drama - Plays and Playwrights

Match List-I with List-II:

List I (Play)

  • A. Cynthia's Revels
  • B. The Maid's Tragedy
  • C. Women Beware Women
  • D. The Shoemakers' Holiday

List II (Playwrights)

  • I. Thomas Middleton
  • II. Ben Jonson
  • III. Thomas Dekker
  • IV. Beaumont and Fletcher

Options:

  1. A-II, B-IV, C-I, D-III
  2. A-IV, B-II, C-I, D-III
  3. A-III, B-I, C-IV, D-II
  4. A-IV, B-II, C-III, D-I

✓ Correct Answer:

Option 1: A-II, B-IV, C-I, D-III

Detailed Explanations:

A. Cynthia's Revels (1600) → II. Ben Jonson

Major Character: Criticus

Satirical court comedy ridiculing vanity and affectation.

B. The Maid's Tragedy (1611) → IV. Beaumont and Fletcher

Major Characters: Amintor, Evadne

Revenge tragedy involving betrayal and moral corruption.

C. Women Beware Women (1621) → I. Thomas Middleton

Major Characters: Bianca, Leantio

Tragedy of lust, manipulation, and fatal desire.

D. The Shoemakers' Holiday (1599) → III. Thomas Dekker

Major Characters: Simon Eyre, Ralph

Festive comedy celebrating working-class life in London.

Question 11: Reader-Response Criticism - Critical Texts and Critics

Match List-I with List-II:

List I (Critical Texts)

  • A. Surprised by Sin: the Reader in "Paradise Lost"
  • B. Five Readers Reading
  • C. The Reader, the Text, the Poem
  • D. With Respect to Readers

List II (Critics)

  • I. Louise Rosenblatt
  • II. Stanley Fish
  • III. Walter J Slatoff
  • IV. Norman Holland

Options:

  1. A-IV, B-I, C-II, D-III
  2. A-II, B-IV, C-I, D-III
  3. A-II, B-I, C-III, D-IV
  4. A-III, B-II, C-I, D-IV

✓ Correct Answer:

Option 2: A-II, B-IV, C-I, D-III

Detailed Explanations:

A. Surprised by Sin: The Reader in "Paradise Lost" → II. Stanley Fish

A seminal text in reader-response criticism, analyzing Paradise Lost from the perspective of the reader's evolving response.

B. Five Readers Reading → IV. Norman Holland

This psychoanalytic reader-response study explores how different readers interpret the same text through their psychological filters.

C. The Reader, the Text, the Poem → I. Louise Rosenblatt

Introduces the transactional theory of reading, focusing on the active role of the reader in constructing meaning.

D. With Respect to Readers → III. Walter J. Slatoff

A work that emphasizes pluralism in reading and the variability of individual reader responses.

Question 12: Literary Theory - Terms and Their Originators

Match List-I with List-II:

List I (Term)

  • A. Thick description
  • B. Transcendental signified
  • C. Vehicle, Tenor
  • D. Alienation Effect

List II (Coined By)

  • I. Jacques Derrida
  • II. I A Richards
  • III. Bertolt Brecht
  • IV. Clifford Geertz

Options:

  1. A-IV, B-I, C-II, D-III
  2. A-I, B-III, C-II, D-IV
  3. A-II, B-I, C-III, D-IV
  4. A-III, B-II, C-I, D-IV

✓ Correct Answer:

Option 1: A-IV, B-I, C-II, D-III

Detailed Explanations:

A. Thick Description → IV. Clifford Geertz

An anthropological term used to describe detailed accounts of cultural practices, emphasizing context and interpretation.

B. Transcendental Signified → I. Jacques Derrida

A concept from deconstruction referring to an ultimate meaning or truth that supposedly grounds all signs but is critiqued as a fallacy.

C. Vehicle, Tenor → II. I. A. Richards

From The Philosophy of Rhetoric (1936), these are components of a metaphor: tenor is the subject, and vehicle is the image used to describe it.

D. Alienation Effect → III. Bertolt Brecht

Also known as Verfremdungseffekt, this theatrical technique prevents the audience from losing itself passively in the narrative and promotes critical detachment.

Question 13: Feminist Literary Criticism - Texts and Writers

Match List-I with List-II:

List I (Feminist Texts)

  • A. Thinking About Women
  • B. The Female Eunuch
  • C. The Dialectic of Sex
  • D. The Feminine Mystique

List II (Writer)

  • I. Betty Friedan
  • II. Mary Ellman
  • III. Shulamith Firestone
  • IV. Germaine Greer

Options:

  1. A-II, B-IV, C-III, D-I
  2. A-I, B-III, C-II, D-IV
  3. A-II, B-I, C-IV, D-III
  4. A-III, B-II, C-I, D-IV

✓ Correct Answer:

Option 1: A-II, B-IV, C-III, D-I

Detailed Explanations:

A. Thinking About Women → II. Mary Ellman

A pioneering feminist text (1968) that critiques the portrayal of women in literature using irony and wit.

B. The Female Eunuch → IV. Germaine Greer

A radical feminist work (1970) advocating for women's liberation and critiquing the repression of female sexuality.

C. The Dialectic of Sex → III. Shulamith Firestone

A foundational text of radical feminism (1970) blending Marxist and psychoanalytic theory to argue for the abolition of the family.

D. The Feminine Mystique → I. Betty Friedan

A key second-wave feminist book (1963) that exposed "the problem that has no name" — the dissatisfaction of suburban housewives.

Question 14: Latin Scholarly Terms - Abbreviations and Meanings

Match List-I with List-II:

List I (Term)

  • A. et sq.
  • B. idem
  • C. loc. cit.
  • D. passim

List II (Meaning)

  • I. the same
  • II. in the place cited
  • III. everywhere
  • IV. and the following

Options:

  1. A-III, B-II, C-I, D-IV
  2. A-II, B-III, C-IV, D-I
  3. A-IV, B-I, C-II, D-III
  4. A-I, B-IV, C-III, D-II

✓ Correct Answer:

Option 3: A-IV, B-I, C-II, D-III

Detailed Explanations:

A. et sq. → IV. and the following

Abbreviation of et sequens or et sequentes; used in citations to refer to a passage and the following pages or sections. Example: "See page 45 et sq." means page 45 and the pages that follow.

B. idem → I. the same

Latin for "the same"; used in scholarly writing when referring to the same author previously cited. Saves repeating the author's name in consecutive citations.

C. loc. cit. → II. in the place cited

Abbreviation of loco citato; used to refer back to the same location in a previously cited work, avoiding repetition of full bibliographic details.

D. passim → III. everywhere

Used to indicate that something (like a theme, concept, or reference) appears frequently or throughout a text rather than in a specific location. Example: "The theme of redemption appears passim."

Study Resources & Support

📚 Complete Answer Key

Check out all sections with expert analysis

View Full Answer Key →

🎓 Premium Complete Course

Try our 3 Days Free Trial - 100% complete syllabus coverage

Start Free Trial →

🌐 Visit Our Website

Explore more resources and study materials

Visit Website →

📞 Get in Touch

📱 Call us anytime: +91 9645160045
💬 WhatsApp for Exciting Offers →