Modernisation of Indian Languages and Literary Forms – UGC NET History – Practice Questions

Modernisation of Indian Languages and Literary Forms

1. Which among the following colonial educational measures significantly contributed to the emergence of an English-educated Indian middle class that later promoted vernacular literary modernisation?

A- Charter Act (1813) and Hunter Commission (1882)
B- Macaulay’s Minute (1835) and Wood’s Despatch (1854)
C- Vernacular Press Act (1878) and Ilbert Bill (1883)
D- Ryotwari Settlement and Permanent Settlement

2. The first printing press in India was introduced in

A- Serampore in 1800
B- Calcutta in 1780
C- Madras in 1639
D- Goa in 1556

3. Match List I with List II regarding institutions and contributions.

A- (a)-(ii), (b)-(iii), (c)-(i), (d)-(iv)
B- (a)-(iii), (b)-(ii), (c)-(iv), (d)-(i)
C- (a)-(ii), (b)-(iii), (c)-(i), (d)-(iv)
D- (a)-(iv), (b)-(i), (c)-(ii), (d)-(iii)

4. Which missionary scholar contributed extensively to Bengali, Hindi, and Sanskrit grammars and translated the Bible into Indian languages?

A- Alexander Duff
B- Hermann Gundert
C- Bartholomaeus Ziegenbalg
D- William Carey

5. Assertion (A): Missionaries promoted the study of vernacular languages in colonial India.
Reason (R): Vernacular education facilitated conversion and dissemination of religious literature.

A- Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
B- Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
C- (A) is true but (R) is false.
D- (A) is false but (R) is true.

6. Fort William College was established in

A- 1793
B- 1800
C- 1813
D- 1835

7. Which scholar associated with Fort William College translated Bāgh-o-Bahār into Hindustani, contributing to modern Hindi prose?

A- Bharatendu Harishchandra
B- Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
C- Lallu Lal
D- Fakir Mohan Senapati

8. Match List I with List II regarding literary personalities and languages.

A- (a)-(ii), (b)-(i), (c)-(iii), (d)-(iv)
B- (a)-(ii), (b)-(i), (c)-(iii), (d)-(iv)
C- (a)-(iii), (b)-(ii), (c)-(iv), (d)-(i)
D- (a)-(iv), (b)-(iii), (c)-(i), (d)-(ii)

9. Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar is especially remembered for

A- promoting Urdu prose reform
B- reviving Tamil Sangam literature
C- modernising Bengali prose and simplifying Sanskritised forms
D- establishing Serampore Press

10. Bharatendu Harishchandra is widely regarded as the

A- father of modern Bengali prose
B- pioneer of Tamil nationalism
C- reformer of Urdu mushaira tradition
D- father of modern Hindi literature

11. Assertion (A): Bharatendu Harishchandra promoted Khariboli Hindi in literary expression.
Reason (R): He sought to encourage Sanskritised Hindi and Hindu cultural revivalism.

A- Both (A) and (R) are false.
B- (A) is true but (R) is false.
C- Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
D- Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).

12. The Nagari Pracharini Sabha was founded in

A- Allahabad, 1878
B- Calcutta, 1885
C- Madras, 1891
D- Banaras, 1893

13. Which among the following contributed significantly to Hindi–Urdu linguistic nationalism?

A- Hunter Commission
B- Promotion of Nagari script against Urdu-Persian influences
C- Establishment of the Asiatic Society
D- Introduction of railways

14. Match List I with List II regarding Urdu literary figures.

A- (a)-(ii), (b)-(i), (c)-(iii), (d)-(iv)
B- (a)-(iii), (b)-(ii), (c)-(iv), (d)-(i)
C- (a)-(ii), (b)-(i), (c)-(iii), (d)-(iv)
D- (a)-(iv), (b)-(iii), (c)-(ii), (d)-(i)

15. Musaddas-e-Hali is associated with

A- Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay
B- Altaf Hussain Hali
C- Rabindranath Tagore
D- Kumaran Asan

16. Which Marathi thinker used prose writings to attack caste oppression and Brahmanical orthodoxy?

A- Vishnushastri Chiplunkar
B- Bal Gangadhar Tilak
C- Jyotiba Phule
D- Govind Ranade

17. Assertion (A): Marathi prose became a vehicle for social criticism during colonial India.
Reason (R): Thinkers like Jyotiba Phule and Lokhitwadi challenged caste and social inequalities.

A- Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
B- Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
C- (A) is true but (R) is false.
D- (A) is false but (R) is true.

18. Which newspaper did Bal Gangadhar Tilak use for political mobilisation in Marathi?

A- Sudharma
B- Chand
C- Swadeshmitran
D- Kesari

19. Match List I with List II regarding Tamil literary revival.

A- (a)-(ii), (b)-(i), (c)-(iii), (d)-(iv)
B- (a)-(ii), (b)-(i), (c)-(iii), (d)-(iv)
C- (a)-(iii), (b)-(ii), (c)-(iv), (d)-(i)
D- (a)-(iv), (b)-(iii), (c)-(i), (d)-(ii)

20. Subramania Bharati is especially known for introducing which of the following into Tamil poetry?

A- Persian literary style only
B- Courtly devotional themes exclusively
C- Modern diction, free verse, feminist and nationalist ideals
D- Complete rejection of nationalist themes

21. Which among the following missionaries compiled the first Malayalam-English dictionary?

A- William Carey
B- Alexander Duff
C- Hermann Gundert
D- Bartholomaeus Ziegenbalg

22. Kumaran Asan’s literary works were deeply influenced by the teachings of

A- Dayanand Saraswati
B- Ramakrishna Paramahamsa
C- Jyotiba Phule
D- Sree Narayana Guru

23. Match List I with List II regarding Malayalam literary figures.

A- (a)-(iii), (b)-(ii), (c)-(i), (d)-(iv)
B- (a)-(iii), (b)-(ii), (c)-(i), (d)-(iv)
C- (a)-(iv), (b)-(iii), (c)-(ii), (d)-(i)
D- (a)-(ii), (b)-(i), (c)-(iv), (d)-(iii)

24. Which social reformer wrote the first Telugu novel Rajasekhara Charitramu?

A- Gurajada Apparao
B- C. P. Brown
C- Kandukuri Veeresalingam
D- Kasinathuni Nageswara Rao

25. Assertion (A): Telugu prose modernisation was closely linked with social reform.
Reason (R): Kandukuri Veeresalingam used prose to advocate women’s education and social change.

A- Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
B- Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
C- (A) is true but (R) is false.
D- (A) is false but (R) is true.

26. The preservation of Odia as a distinct language against merger with Bengali is associated with

A- Bharatendu Harishchandra and Vidyasagar
B- John Beams and Fakir Mohan Senapati
C- Gopal Krishna Gokhale and Tilak
D- Hemchandra Barua and Lakshminath Bezbaroa

27. Fakir Mohan Senapati is regarded as the

A- father of modern Telugu literature
B- pioneer of Malayalam prose
C- reformer of Assamese grammar
D- father of modern Odia literature

28. Match List I with List II regarding literary works and languages.

A- (a)-(ii), (b)-(iii), (c)-(i), (d)-(iv)
B- (a)-(ii), (b)-(iii), (c)-(i), (d)-(iv)
C- (a)-(iii), (b)-(iv), (c)-(ii), (d)-(i)
D- (a)-(iv), (b)-(ii), (c)-(iii), (d)-(i)

29. Chha Mana Atha Guntha is notable for its critique of

A- British missionary education
B- Urban industrialisation
C- Zamindari oppression and feudal exploitation
D- Tribal isolation

30. Assertion (A): Assamese literary revival emerged partly in opposition to Bengali linguistic dominance.
Reason (R): Bengali had been imposed administratively in Assam.

A- Both (A) and (R) are false.
B- (A) is true but (R) is false.
C- Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
D- Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).

31. Which among the following personalities contributed to Assamese language revival?

1. Hemchandra Barua

2. Lakshminath Bezbaroa

3. Fakir Mohan Senapati

4. Kumaran Asan

A- 1 and 2 only
B- 1 and 2 only
C- 2 and 3 only
D- 1, 2, 3 and 4

32. The emergence of modern drama, fiction, essays, and criticism in Indian languages signified

A- return to exclusively religious themes
B- decline of literary experimentation
C- continuation of medieval literary structures only
D- a shift towards secular and reformist concerns

33. Match List I with List II regarding English and Indian literary figures.

A- (a)-(ii), (b)-(i), (c)-(iii), (d)-(iv)
B- (a)-(ii), (b)-(i), (c)-(iii), (d)-(iv)
C- (a)-(iv), (b)-(ii), (c)-(i), (d)-(iii)
D- (a)-(iii), (b)-(iv), (c)-(ii), (d)-(i)

34. Which modern Indian literary work contains the song “Vande Mataram”?

A- Gora
B- Durgeshnandini
C- Anandamath
D- Chandrakanta

35. Rabindranath Tagore received the Nobel Prize in Literature in

A- 1905
B- 1911
C- 1913
D- 1921

36. Assertion (A): Rabindranath Tagore transformed modern Indian literary expression.
Reason (R): He experimented with prose poetry, short stories, and philosophical essays.

A- Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
B- Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
C- (A) is true but (R) is false.
D- (A) is false but (R) is true.

37. Which among the following journals was associated with Sir Syed Ahmed Khan’s reformist project?

A- Chand
B- Kesari
C- Bamabodhini Patrika
D- Tehzeeb-ul-Akhlaq

38. The growing reading public in colonial India was primarily encouraged by

A- decline in literacy rates
B- disappearance of literary societies
C- cheap printed material and expanding literacy
D- exclusive state control over education

39. Match List I with List II regarding literary journals and regions/languages.

A- (a)-(ii), (b)-(i), (c)-(iii), (d)-(iv)
B- (a)-(ii), (b)-(i), (c)-(iii), (d)-(iv)
C- (a)-(iii), (b)-(ii), (c)-(iv), (d)-(i)
D- (a)-(iv), (b)-(iii), (c)-(i), (d)-(ii)

40. The colonial bureaucracy encouraged codification of Indian languages mainly for

A- religious conversion alone
B- discouraging vernacular education
C- administrative, judicial, and educational purposes
D- ending linguistic diversity

41. Assertion (A): Language modernisation in colonial India was linked with identity politics.
Reason (R): Literary and linguistic developments contributed to movements such as Hindi–Urdu nationalism and Dravidian revivalism.

A- Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
B- Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
C- (A) is true but (R) is false.
D- (A) is false but (R) is true.

42. Translation of Western thinkers and writers such as Shakespeare, Mill, and Voltaire into Indian languages primarily encouraged

A- rejection of prose and drama
B- exclusive emphasis on devotional literature
C- decline of literary experimentation
D- adoption of new genres and liberal-rational ideas

43. Match List I with List II regarding debates over language modernisation.

A- (a)-(iv), (b)-(i), (c)-(iii), (d)-(ii)
B- (a)-(iv), (b)-(i), (c)-(iii), (d)-(ii)
C- (a)-(ii), (b)-(iii), (c)-(i), (d)-(iv)
D- (a)-(iii), (b)-(ii), (c)-(iv), (d)-(i)

44. Which among the following women writers challenged patriarchal norms through literary intervention during colonial India?

1. Begum Rokeya

2. Tarabai Shinde

3. Pandita Ramabai

4. Kumaran Asan

A- 1 and 2 only
B- 2 and 3 only
C- 1, 2 and 3 only
D- 1, 2, 3 and 4

45. Sultana’s Dream (1905) by Begum Rokeya is considered significant because it

A- promoted orthodox patriarchy
B- was written entirely in Persian
C- rejected women’s education
D- presented an early feminist utopian vision

46. Assertion (A): Women increasingly participated in literary culture during colonial India.
Reason (R): Expanding print culture and reform movements created new spaces for women’s voices.

A- Both (A) and (R) are false.
B- (A) is true but (R) is false.
C- Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
D- Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).

47. Which political movement significantly stimulated nationalist literature between 1905 and 1911?

A- Civil Disobedience Movement
B- Quit India Movement
C- Home Rule Movement
D- Swadeshi Movement