PAGEl HALL TICKET NUMBER

M.A. ENGLISH ENTRANCE EXAMINATION, FEBRUARY 2013

Max. Time: 2 hours Max. Marks: 100
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Do not reveal your identity in any manner in any part ofthe answer book.

2. Enter your Hall Ticket Number on the question paper, the OMR sheet and the
first page ofthe answer book, in the box provided.

3. This paper comprises two sections in all.
Section A is of an objective type and must be answered in the OMR sheet.
Section B has TWO questions. Question 1 reql.lires you to write an essay. It be answered in the answer book provided along with the question paper Question 2 compnses a paSS31!e for criticalanalysis. It must be answered in the answer book provided along with the question paper
0.33 mark will be deducted for every wrong answer in respect ofall objective type questions (Section No marks will be deducted for questions not attempted.
4.
Write your answers only in the space provided in the answer book. No additional paper or answer book will be given.

5.
This question paper contains 14 pages in all excluding the answer book. Ensure that all the pages have been printed before you start answering.

6.
At the end of the examination return the OMR sheet and the answer book to the invigilator. You may take away the question paper.


[Turn to Page 2 for Section

M.A. English Entrance February 2013 -Page 2 HALL TICKET NUMBER

SECTION: A
[TOTAL MARKS 50]

There are 50 questions to answer.
The questions carry ONE MARK each.
Answer in the OMR sheet, using a pen or sketch pen

Choose the right answer from the options given under each item.
1. The following notice is displayed in some carriages ofthe Indian Railways: "TURN
THE FANS AND LIGHTS OFF IF YOU DON'TNEED."·-The most appropriate version is:
A. TURN THE FANS AND LIGHTS OFF IF YOU DON'T NEED THEM
B. IF YOU DON'T NEED TURN THE FANS AND LIGHTS TO OFF
C. IF YOU DON'T NEED THE FANS AND LIGHTS TURN OFF THEM
D. IF YOU DON'T NEED TURN OFF THE FANS AND LIGHTS TO
2. A verse line goes like this -"Friends and loves we have none, nor wealth .... ". The word from the same line which is most closely related to the sense ofthe word "nor" is
A.We
B. have
C. none
D. friends
3. "A light dawned on the detective's face, and his mouth formed silently the word
blackmail."
The underlined phrase means

A. the light was switched on
B. his face turned white as a light
C. he understood what was going on
D. he faced the early morning sun
2

4. "Sameena, 65 years of age, no longer labours hard at harvest time." The sentence tells us that
A. In the past Sameena has laboured hard at harvest time
B. Sameena was lazy in the past
C. Sameena was never involved in the harvest work
D. Sameena was 65 years old when she first worked hard at harvest time
5. "The house seemed very full, and everyone ate a lot, and drank whatever came." "%atever came" means
A. Any.creature that was in liquid form
B. Any drink that was served
C. People drank whatever happened
D. The house was full because people were drinking
6. "1 wept and cooed over the babies." This sentence is actually two sentences rolled into one. The two sentences would be
A. I wept over the babies. 1cooed over the babies.
B. 1wept. The babies cooed.
C. 1cooed. The babies wept.
D. 1wept. Then the babies cooed.
7. "And how got ye up there?" Rewritten in acceptable Modern English this would be:
A. How did you go there?
B. How did you get up there?
C. How far did you go from there?
D. are you when you are there?
8. "One day he had a new adventure." "New" tells us that
A. That the adventure happened during the day, as before
B. That he has had adventures before, and this was one more such adventure
C. That this time the adventure was during the day
D. None ofthe above
9. "In memory of such active and loving teacher a trust was established."
This sentence can be cOlTected by
1.
Replacing with

2.
By inserting between and 'active'

3.
By inserting between and 'active'
Choose the correct options from those given below:



A. Only 1
B. 1 and 3
C. Only 3
D. 1and2
10. "He would put the lamp down under the back porch while he waited for the money." The sentence suggests that
A. He had carried the lamp a long way and was tired
B. He was refusing to carry the lamp again unless he was paid
C. His actions were habitual, routine
D. None ofthe above choices
11. Samuel Taylor Coleridge writes: "I love my love,·and my love loves me." The lines are an example of
A. Personification
B. Parallelism or balance
C. Apostrophe
D. All ofthe above
12. The title of a novel happens to be Mr. Brittling Sees it Through. If the title were to be changed to Mr. Brittling Sees Through It the new title would imply that
A. The novel was concerned with the disillusionment ofMr.Brittling
B. The novel was concerned with the action ofMr. Brittling perceiving steadfastly
C. The novel was about Mr. Brittling's vision
D. None of the above
13. "Quite a few details ofthe scene is stacked in my memory." In the given sentence "is" is wrongly used because
A. It has been used in relation to 'the scene' rather than memory'
B. It is used in connection with stacking
C. It is used in connection with 'the scene' rather than "Quite a few details'
D. None of the given choices

14. "Rose thought David was quite a nice boy, for a boy." The statement implies that
A. Rose thought most boys not "nice", David being an exception
B. Rose liked boys in general, as she liked David
C. Rose disliked all boys, including David
D. David was an exception because he was nice to her
15. "My father worked on a farm -and his father. They both got to near ninety. They
worked and lived, and kind oftoppled over at the end."
The phrase "kind oftoppled over" means that

A. They used to fall frequently
B. They worked till the very end and died while active
C. They had lost their balance, mentally and physically
D. They were workaholics
16. "Behind tae drum and fife, Past hawthomwood and hollow, Through earth and out of life The soldiers follow."
The phrase "and out oflife" means
A. For ever
B. Till death
C. Into battle
D. Bravely
17. Each ofthem qualified to get the job. Select the correct option to fill the gap
A. May
B. Are
C. Is
D. Will
18. Identify the correct usage from the two following sentences
1.
May I speak to you?

2.
Can I speak to you?


A. 1 is right
B. 2 is right
C. Both are wrong
D. Both are right.
5



19. A first perfonnance is usually tenned a
A. Debate
B. Debut
C. Formal
D. Front
20. The tenn "Shamus" refers to
A. A wrestler
B. A boxer
C. A detective
D. A senator
21. "Confusion reigned supreme."
Here, "Confusion" is

A. elevated
B. debated
C. personified
D. compared
. 22. "Circulate the current circular." This sentence displays
A. onomatopoeia
B. alliteration
C. comparison
D. personification
23. The character of Jeeves was created by
A. E.V. Lucas
B. P.G. Wodehouse
C. Sherlock Holmes
D. A.A. Milne
24. Which ofthe following authors has written about his experiences in Burma?
A. E. M. Forster
B. Rudyard Kipling
C. George Orwell
D. Salman Rushdie

25. "It was the best oftimes; it was the worst oftimes." This is the opening sentence of
A. David Copperfield
B. A Tale afTwo Cities
C.Emma

D. Frankenstein
26. Which ofthe following plays was not written by Marlowe?
A. Dr. Faustus
B. The Duchess ofMalfi
C. The Jew ofMalta
D. Dido, Queen ofCarthage
27. Orthography is related to
A. Handwriting
B. Spelling
C. Meaning
D. Syntax
28. "Waste Not, Want Not". in this proverb means
A. Desire
B. Need
C. Have
D. Crave
29. "Pluffles was a subaltern in the 'Unmentionables'." Subaltern being an army rank, the 'Unmentionables' is most likely to be
A. A club
B. A choir
C. A regiment
D. A class
30. The phrase "to work like a horse" suggests
A. Working very fast
B. Going on frequent trips
C. Working very hard
D. Having to be forced to work
31. "The men of the tattered battalion which fights till it dies.. In the above line refers to
A. The men
B. The battalion
C. The fighting
D. Tattered
32. "The taxi pulled up, after making a quick tum". In this sentence, "pulled up" means
A. Crashed
B. Speeded
C. Stopped
D. Slowed
33. "Bob is peeved because his little secret came out in public" explained Adam. Here Adam is explaining:
A. Bob's secret
B. Why Bob is peeved
C. The publicity ofBob's secret
D. None ofthe above
34. "As the light brightened and the distance narrowed, they saw the thin beach". Here "narrowed" means
A. Reduced
B. Increased
C. Appeared
D. None of the above
35. "In faith, I do not love thee with my eyes For they in thee a thousand errors note,
But 'tis my heart that loves what they despise."
Here "they" stands for

A. Hearts
B. Errors
C. Eyes
D. Love

36. ""I still say we don't know if they are mushrooms" said the mother". The phrase that helps us to realize that the mother has spoken before is
A. Don't know
B. If they are
C. Still say
D. None ofthe above
37. "The elephant is the wisest of all beasts and can do everything save read, write and
cast accounts."
Here "save" means

A. Rescue
B. Except
C. Also
D. Store
38. There were hundreds ofpolicemen on duty; several of were in uniform. Fill in the blank with the most appropriate option:
A. Which
B. Whom
C. Vho
D. They
39. She is the type of person we want for the job. Fill in the blank with the most appropriate option:
A. Scarcely
B. Hardly
C. Unlikely
D. Badly
40. This chapter and the following sections to be edited. Pick the correct option from the following:
A. Need
B. Needs
C. Both A and B are correct
D. Neither A nor B is correct.
41. I will call your office tomorrow.
If the desired meaning is "I will come to your office tomorrow" you will fill in the blank with
A. From
B. For
C. At
D. In
42. "This murder over a Girl was not an isolated event, it was an ancient thing, enacted time and again in various guises throughout the ages" implies
A. The repetitive nature ofmost events
B. The repetition is not always exact
C. This particular murder was part ofa series ofevents
D. All ofthe above choices
43. "The thrilling effects are achieved by mass hysteria exhibited by the entire
class".
Fill in the blank with the most appropriate choice

A. A
B. The space does not require an article
C. The
D. All the above choices are correct.
44. "The story stems from the character's belief that their community was cursed". The error in this sentence is due to
A. An inaccurate use ofarticles
B. The inaccurate use of the apostrophe
C. The subject and the verb not being in agreement
D. None ofthe above
45. Fill in the blanks in the following sentences from the choices given "Dr Faustus tried to buy knowledge and power the cost his soul".
A. At, of
B. In, of
C. On, at
D. Of, in
B

46. The majority of the Asian Americans, the Latino and the African Americans
him.

A. Support
B. Supports
C. Supporting
D. Supportive of
47. Pick the grammatically appropriate choice to complete the sentence: I can run faster than
A. His
B. Him
C. He
D. All ofthe above
48. Look at the following items and answer the question that follows:
I. Tum up
II. Turn in
III. Tum around
IV. Turndown
The common feature distinguishing these items is that
A. They are all about turning
B. They are all about change
C. They are all idiomatic expressions
D. All ofthe above
49. The phrase "a wealthy lawyer" is identified as:
A. An indefinite article, an adjective and a noun
B. The definite article, an adverb and a verb
C. An indefinite article, a noun and an adjective
D. An indefinite article, a proportion, and a noun
50. ".. .ifpoetrycomesnotasnaturallyastheleavestoatreeithadbetternotcomeat all." These words were written by
A. William Wordsworth
B. Kamala Das
C. Sylvia Path
D. John Keats
Section B
Question 1
ESSAY

I. Write an essay on anyone of the topics given below. (20 Marks)
1.
Capital punishment

2.
My bucket list

3.
The magic in the everyday

4.
Technology empowers... the already empowered

5.
Childhood photographs

6.
Keeping time is equal to wasting time

7.
Whistling in the dark

8.
Story telling as meaning making

9.
Does the radio still have a role?

10.
The culture of dialogue -talking it out.


Section B
Question 2
Prose Passage
II. Write a Critical analysis of the passage given below; paying attention to themes, imagery and tone. (Clue: Ironic) (30 Marks)
Now and then, while we rested, we watched the laborious ant at his work. I found nothing new in him-Gertainly nothing to change my opinion of him. It seems to me that in the matter of intellect the ant must be a strangely overrated bird. During many summers, now, I have watched him, when I ought to have been in better business, and I have not yet come across a living ant that seemed to have any more sense than a dead one. I refer to the ordinary ant, of course; I have had no experience of those wonderful Swiss and African ones which vote, keep drilled armies, hold slaves, and dispute about religion. Those particular ants may be all that the naturalist paints them, but I am persuaded that the average ant is a sham. I admit his industry, of course; he is the hardest-working creature in the world--when anybody is looking--but his leather-headedness is the p",nt I make against him. He goes out foraging, he makes a capture, and then what does he

do? Go home? No--he goes anywhere but home. He doesn't know where home is. His home may be only three feet away--no matter, he can't find it. He makes his capture, as I have said; it is generally something which can be of no sort of use to himself or anybody else; it is usually seven times bigger than it ought to be; he hunts out the awkwardest place to take hold of it; he lifts it bodit up in the air by main force, and starts; not toward home, but in the opposite direction; not calmly and wisely, but with a frantic haste which is wasteful of his strength; he fetches up against a pebble, and instead of going around it, he climbs over it backward dragging his booty after him, tumbles down on the other side, jumps up in a passion, kicks the dust off his clothes, moistens his hands, grabs his property viciously, yanks it this way, then that, shoves it ahead of him a moment, turns tail and lugs it after him another moment, gets madder and madder, then presently hoists it into the air and goes tearing away in an entirely new direction; comes to a weed; it never occurs to him to go around it; no, he must climb it; and he does climb it, dragging his worthless property to the top--which is as bright a thing to do as it would be for me to carry a sack of flour from Heidelberg to Paris by way of Strasburg steeple; when he gets up there he finds that that is not the place; takes a cursory glance at the scenery and either climbs down again or tumbles down, and stmts off once more--as usual, in a new direction. At the end of half an hour, he fetches up within six inches of the place he started from and lays his burden down; meantime he has been over all the ground for two yards around, and climbed all the weeds and pebbles he came across. Now he wipes the sweat from his brow, strokes his limbs, and then marches aimlessly off, in as violently a hurry as ever. He does not remember to have ever seen it before; he looks around to see which is not the way home, grabs his bundle and starts; he goes through the same adventures he had before; finally stops to rest, and a friend comes along. Evidently the friend remarks that a last year's grasshopper leg is a very noble acquisition, and inquires where he got it. Evidently the proprietor does not remember exactly where he did get it, but thinks he got it "around here somewhere." Evidently the friend contracts to help him freight it home. Then, with a judgment peculiarly antic (pun not intended), they take hold of opposite ends of that grasshopper leg and begin to tug with all their might in opposite directions. Presently they take a rest and confer together. They decide that something is wrong, they can't make out what. Then they go at it again, just as before. Same result. Mutual recriminations follow. Evidently each accuses the other of being an obstructionist. They lock themselves together and chew each other's jaws for a while; then they roll and tumble on the ground till one loses a hom


or a leg and has to haul off for repairs. They make up and go to work again in the same old insane way, but the crippled ant is at a disadvantage; tug as he may, the other one drags off the booty· and him at the end of it. Instead of giving up, he hangs on, and gets his shins bruised
. against every obstruction that comes in the way. By and by, when that grasshopper leg has been dragged all over the same old ground once more, it is finally dumped at about the spot where it originally lay, the two perspiring ants inspect it thoughtfully and decide that dried grasshopper legs are a poor sort of property after all, and then each starts off in a different direction to see if he can't find an old nail or something else that is heavy enough to afford entertainment and at the same time valueless enough to make an ant want to own it.

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M.A. ENGLISH ENTRANCE EXAMINATION, FEBRUARY 2013 ANSWER BOOK FOR SECTION B pages)
Question I