NSOU ENGLISH 1ST YEAR PG PAPER- 1, PAPER- 2, PAPER- 3 & PAPER- 4

NETAJI SUBHAS OPEN UNIVERSITY

ENGLISH 

1ST YEAR

PG

PAPER- 1

1. Discuss to what extent Arnold's definition of poetry as "the criticism of life" applicable to Arnold's The Scholar Gipsy.

2. The "Scholar Gipsy" is a critique of Victorian life. Discuss.

3. W. H. Auden’s ‘The Unknown Citizen’ is a poetic commentary on the irony and pathos of modern life. Discuss

4. Bring out the distinctive features of Chaucer’s art of characterization with particular reference to any two ecclesiastical figures in Prologue to the Canterbury Tales.

5. Bring out the thematic significance of the first 18 lines in the Prologue to the Canterbury Tales. Analyse critically the themes and ideas presented in the first 18 lines of Prologue to the Canterbury Tales. What are the themes and ideas presented in the opening lines of the ‘Prologue’?

6. Consider kubla khan as an example Romantic poem. Or Bring out the romantic features of kubla khan.

7. Write a short critical note on the use of the Bible in Absalom and Achitophel.

8. Attempt a critical analysis of This Bread I Break.

9. Dylan Thomas's "Fern Hill" is a recollection of the poet's childhood memories. Analyse the poem in the light of the statement.

10. Bring out the appropriateness of T. S. Eliot’s use of urban imagery in The Waste Land

11. Attempt a critical analysis of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's poem "How Do I Love Thee". / Consider Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s ‘How do I love thee ...?’ as a love poem

12. Consider Emily Brontë's 'No Coward Soul of Mine' as a devotional poem. /No Coward Soul is Mine is a poem about death and parting. Justify the statement./Attempt a critical appreciation of the poem. / Would you agree with the view that ‘No Coward Soul is Mine’ presents a personal solution to the problem of faith?

13. Bring out the epic qualities in Paradise Lost (Book I).

14. Critically analyse the first 26 lines of Paradise Lost (Book I)/ Bring out the significance of the Invocation of Paradise Lost.

15. Discuss to what extent Paradise Lost (Book-I) follows the conventions of an epic.

16. Satan as a Renaissance Hero/ Satan as a Fallen Hero/ Satan’s False Heroism/Analyse Satan's address to Beelzebub in Paradise Lost (Book I). How does it reflect the heroic qualities of Satan?

17. Discuss how Keats deals with the theme of transience and permanence in Ode on a Grecian Urn.

18. Critically analyse Philip Larkin's poem "The Whitsun Weddings".

19. Comment on Marvell’s treatment of nature in ‘The Garden’.

20. Consider “The Ecstasy” as a metaphysical poem.

21. Discuss how Donne combines emotion with intellect in "The Canonization".

22. Discuss to what extent Donne in his love poems goes against the conventions of the courtly tradition of love poetry. Substantiate you answer with special references to the poems in your syllabus.

23. Write a critical note on "The Pulley" as a religious poem./ Comment on the title of the poem “The Pulley”/ Discuss “The Pulley” as a metaphysical poem.

24. Critically analyse An Epistle to Dr. Arbuthnot as a Horatian satire.

25. Write a critical note on Pope’s use of imagery in An Epistle to Dr. Arbuthnot.

26. Do you agree with the view that Browning's characterisation of Andrea Del Sarto moves between "sympathy and judgement" ?/Do you think that the readers move between ‘sympathy and judgement’ in their response to the portrayal of Andrea in Browning’s poem ? Give reasons for your answer.

27. Attempt a critical analysis of Shakespeare's sonnet 19. Briefly explain why it is looked upon as a 'procreation sonnet'.

28. Comment on Shakespeare's use of the Time and Love theme in the sonnets prescribed in your syllabus.

29. Critically analyse Shakespeare Sonnet 55 ( “Notmarble, nor the gilded monuments” ).

30. Shakespeare's sonnet 116 announces "a definite step in the poet's war against time". Analyse the poem in the light of this statement.

31. Assess Edmund Spenser as a pictorial artist with special reference to the excerpts fromThe Faerie Queene.

32. Bring out the distinctive features of Spenser’s poetic art with reference to his description of the Bower of Bliss.

33. Discuss to what extent Spenser's idealisation of the beauty of his beloved in Sonnet IX ("Longwhile I sought to what I might compare") is Petrarchan. Answer with close reference to the text.

34. Discuss The Faerie Queene, Book 1 as an allegory.

35. Critically analyse Resolution and Independence as a narrative poem

SHORT QUESTIONS PG 1

NETAJI SUBHAS OPEN UNIVERSITY

ENGLISH 

1ST YEAR

PG

PAPER- 2

1. Describe the English fricatives with examples.

2. Describe the English plosives with examples.

3. Discuss the concept of Register with examples. / What is register ? Discuss the parameters of identifying the register.

4. Discuss the theories about the origin of language. /Discuss some of the theories about the beginning of the human language.

5. Discuss with examples the concept of IC analysis. / What is meant by IC analysis? Discuss its limitations with examples.

6. Distinguish between inflexional process and derivational process of word formation.

7. Distinguish between morph, morpheme and allomorph.

8. Distinguish between root, stem and base.

9. Distinguish between surface structure and deep structure according to Chomsky's 1965 theory.

10. Explain the nature of English diphthongs and lateral consonants. / What is diphthong? Explain the classification of English diphthongs.

11. How are English consonant and vowel sounds described? Give examples of three different types each of consonant and vowel sounds. / Define the vowel sound. How are English vowels classified and described? / Classify English consonants in terms of the articulators involved.

12. Trace the development of the writing system. How did the English alphabet develop?

13. What are the different levels of linguistic analysis? Show the interdependence of the levels with examples.

14. What are the organs of speech? Indicate the articulators. Mention their importance in phonetics. / Describe the organs of speech.

15. What do we know about the early stages in the development of the English language?

16. What is derivational affix? Classify and describe the different types of derivational affixes.

17. What is Morphonemics ? Explain the difference between morphemes and allomorphs with suitable examples.

18. What is stylistics? How is it related to Linguistics?

19. What kind of loan words have entered English from Latin?

20. Who were the Anglo-Saxons? What language did they speak?

21. Write a short note on any three types of language variation.

22. Write brief notes on any two of the following: i) Semi-vowels iv) Stress-shift.

NETAJI SUBHAS OPEN UNIVERSITY

ENGLISH 

1ST YEAR

PG

PAPER- 3

HAMLET

1. Comment critically on the significance of the play-within-the play in Hamlet.

2. Comment on the significance of the gravedigger scene in Hamlet.

3. HAMLET AS A REVENGE TRAGEDY

4. Is Hamlet an ‘artistic failure’? Give reasons for your answer.

5. Critically examine the question of Hamlet’s madness.

6. Critically examine the Nunnery Scene in Hamlet.

7. Critically examine Shakespeare’s handling of the supernatural in Hamlet.

8. The reasons for Hamlet’s delay in taking revenge are mainly internal. Do you agree? Give reasons for your answer.

LOOK BACK IN ANGER

1. Show how Osborne’s Look Back in Anger presents disillusionment of Post-War generation. / Show how Osborne’s Look Back in Anger presents the mood and temper of Post-War England. / Give an estimate on the character of Jimmy Porter. / Is Look Back in Anger a revolutionary play? Justify your answer.

2. How does Osborne present marital relationships in Look Back in Anger?

3. Justify the title Look Back in Anger by John Osborne.

4. Write a note on the predominant symbols that Osborne uses in Look Back in Anger./ Comment on the significance of the bears quirrel symbol in Look Back in Anger.

MURDER IN THE CATHEDRAL 

1. Closely analyse the 'Interlude' in Murder in the Cathedral to indicate its importance in the play.

2. How significant is the Knights’ Apology in Murder in the Cathedral? How do the knights try to justify their actions? Dramatic function of the knights in the Murder in the Cathedral

3. Role of Chorus in Murder in the Cathedral

4. What part is played by the Tempters in Murder in the Cathedral? What was the role of the four tempters in the play Murder in the Cathedral by T.S. Eliot? How did they tempt the archbishop of Canterbury? What do the four tempters represent in Murder in the Cathedral?

THE TEMPEST

1. Analyse The Tempest as a romantic comedy with subtle differences from conventional expectations of the genre.

2. Art and Nature in The Tempest

3. Comment on Shakespeare’s use of the matter of romance in The Tempest.

4. Comment on the allegorical dimensions of The Tempest.

5. Comment on the love relationship between Ferdinand and Miranda in The Tempest. / What is the major theme of The Tempest? With what success has the theme been presented in terms of drama?

WAITING FOR GODOT

1. Discuss the importance of contrast and parallelism in "Waiting for Godot". Beckett's characters can be read both as contrasts and parallels. Discuss with close textual references to Waiting for Godot.

2. Critically analyse Samuel Beckett's handling of Memory and time in Waiting for Godot.

3. Bring out the significance of the Lucky-Pozzo relationship.

4. Show that the main theme of Waiting for Godot is ‘waiting’.

5. Comment on the theme of nothingness in Waiting for Godot./Since nothing happens in Waiting for Godot— no progress in time or space, can it be defined as drama ? Evaluate./ Waiting for Godot is a play without a plot. Do you agree ? Justify./ Waiting for Godot explores a static situation. Discuss./

6. Would you call Waiting For Godot absurd drama? Argue your answer.

7. Discuss Becket’s dark vision of existence. / Assess a comparative study on Vladimir and Estragon. /Do you agree that Waiting for Godot distils the theme of futility? Give reasons for your answer./ Waiting for Godot explores a static situation. Discuss.

8. What is the dramatic significance of the function of Godot in Waiting for Godot?

9. Write a note on the title of the play ‘waiting for Godot’./ The act of waiting is stressed in the title of the play, Waiting for Godot. Examine the element of waiting in the play.

SHORT QUESTIONS PG 3

NETAJI SUBHAS OPEN UNIVERSITY

ENGLISH 

1ST YEAR

PG

PAPER- 4

EMMA

1. Examine the roles played by Harriet and Jane Fairfax in Emma

2. HIGHBURY SOCIAL LIFE IN EMMA SOCIETY

3. Jane Austen's Emma is a novel of self-knowledge/ self-discovery. Do you agree? Justify will suitable textual illustrations. / Evolution of Emma/ Education of Emma/ Emma as a novel of growth or bildungsroman/ Character of Emma

4. THE IRONIC VISION IN EMMA

5. The Role of Miss Bates in "Emma"

6. THE ROLE OF MR. KNIGHTLEY IN BRINGING ABOUT CHANGE IN EMMA’S WAY OF THINKING. / CRITICALLY COMMENT ON THE ROLE OF MR. KNIGHTLEY IN EMMA./ EMMA-KNIGHTLEY RELATIONSHIP/JANE AUSTEN'S EMMA IS A NOVEL OF SELF-KNOWLEDGE/ SELF-DISCOVERY/ DO YOU AGREE? JUSTIFY WILL SUITABLE TEXTUAL ILLUSTRATIONS. / EVOLUTION OF EMMA/ EDUCATION OF EMMA/ EMMA AS A NOVEL OF GROWTH OR BILDUNGSROMAN / CHARACTER OF EMMA

7. Theme of Marriage and Match-making in Emma

GREAT EXPECTATIONS

1. Attempt an analysis of the characters of Estella and Miss Havisham in Great Expectations./ Women characters in Great Expectations.

2. Comment on the role of money in Great Expectations.

3. Critically comment on Dickens' portrayal of Pip's childhood days in Great Expectations.

4. How convincing is the ending of Great Expectations? Give reasons for your answer.

5. Is the theme of crime and punishment central to Dickens' Great Expectations? Give reasons for your answer.

6. Show how Dickens presents the orphan child as hero in Great Expectations. / Character of Pip

7. Significance of the Title of Charles Dickens's “Great Expectations”/ Critically comment on the theme of ‘expectation’ in Great Expectations.

PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS A YOUNG MAN

1. Comment on the extent of the influence of Stephen’s father on him in Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. / Comment on the extent of the influence of The Father on Stephen, the Artist

2. Critically examine the relevance of Ireland in Stephen’s growth in Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.

3. Examine the major symbols in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man to show their bearing on the novel’s theme.

4. Elucidate the aesthetic theory of Stephen Dedalus in The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.

5. Discuss Joyce’s use of Stream of Consciousness Technique in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man/ Bring out the distinctive features of Joyce’s Narrative Technique in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.

6. Examine and illustrate the epiphanies in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.

7. How is Stephen’s development into a mature artist presented in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man? /Trace the evolution of Stephen into a creative personality/ Discuss the significance of the title of Joyce’s novel A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man./ How does Stephen reject nation, religion and love in favour of the life of an artist?/ Discuss A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man as an autobiographical novel.

TOM JONES

1. Examine Tom Jones as a social document of the 18th century.

2. Is Tom Jones a novel of contrasts? Give reasons for your answer.

3. Comment on the plot construction on Tom Jones.

4. TOM JONES AS A COMIC EPIC IN PROSE

5. TOM JONES AS A PICARESQUE NOVEL

6. TOM JONES AS An ANTI HERO

7. Why is the Man of the Hill Episode Integral to the Novel?

WUTHERING HEIGHTS

1. Catherine and Hareton’s Relationship

2. How do the two selves of Heathcliff as a lover and revenger negotiate? Give a reasoned answer. /Examine the double role of Heathcliff as lover and revenger.

3. Comment on the importance of the setting in Wuthering Heights.

4. Critically examine the male-narrated chapters in Wuthering Heights. / Critically examine the role of Mr. Lockwood as a narrator in Wuthering Heights.

5. Examine the role of Nellie Dean in Wuthering Heights.

6. “Wuthering Heights is an exploration of human passion at different levels.” Discuss.

7. Examine Heathcliff’s relation with Cathy/Catherine in Wuthering Heights.

8. COMMENT ON THE NARRATIVE TECHNIQUE OF WUTHERING HEIGHTS.

9. Wuthering Heights versus Thrushcross Grange is a study of Storm versus Calm. Discuss. Or Examine the Significance of the title Wuthering Heights.

10. What do you understand by the Industrial Revolution? How did it change the relationship between different social groups in Wuthering Heights?

11. DISCUSS WUTHERING HEIGHTS AS A MYSTICAL LOVE NOVEL/CATHERINE AND HEATHCLIFF ARE 'CHAINLESS SOULS'. DO YOU AGREE? JUSTIFY YOUR ANSWER.

SHORT QUESTIONS PG 4

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