History

Novels, Society and History

Question:

Discuss some of the social changes in the nineteenth century Britain which Thomas Hardy and Charles Dickens wrote about.

Answer:

Charles Dickens was the foremost English novelist of the Victorian era. He wrote about the terrible effects of industrialisation on people's lives and characters. His novels Hard Times and Oliver Twist became world famous,
(i) Hard Times : His novel Hard Times (1854) describes Coketown, a fictitious industrial town, as a grim place full of machinery, smoking chimneys, rivers polluted purple and buildings that all looked the same. Here workers are known as ‘hands', as if they had no identity other than as operators of machines. Dickens criticised not just the greed for profits but also the ideas that reduced human beings into simple instruments of production.
(ii) Oliver Twist : In other novels too, Dickens focused on the terrible conditions of urban . life under industrial capitalism. His Oliver Twist (1838) is the tale of a poor orphan who lived in a world of petty criminals and beggars. Brought up in a cruel workhouse, Oliver was finally adopted by a wealthy man and lived happily ever after.

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Novels, Society and History

Q 1.

In many novels written during the colonial period, the ideal person successfully deals with one of the central dilemmas faced by colonial subject'. What was the dilemma ?

Q 2.

Name any two novels written by Munshi Premchand. [CBSE 2014]

Q 3.

How did Charles Dickens focus on the life of the industrial workers and the terrible conditions of urban life in his novels ? Explain with examples. [CBSE 2008 (O)]
Or
Explain the themes and issues of the . novels of Charles Dickens with examples. [CBSE Sept. 2010]
Elaborate upon the contribution of Charles Dickens in the field of novel writing.  [CBSE-2012]
Or
Novels of Charles Dickens deal with which changes of the 19th century Britain ? Mention any three such changes. [CBSE-2013]
Or
Which type of problems were highlighted by the novelist, Charles Dickens through his novel? Explain from any of his two novels. [CBSE-2013]
Or
Explain any three aspects highlighted by Charles Dickens in his novel "Hard Times". [CBSE-2012]

Q 4.

Which novel supplied the adventurous text for the young English population ? [CBSE 2014]

Q 5.

Who is the writer of the Novel Germinal ? What was the theme of the novel ?

Q 6.

Name a novelist who wrote for lower- castes.

Q 7.

Which was the first proper modem novel in Hindi ? What was its theme ?

Q 8.

Who is the author of the novel ‘Robinson Crusoe' ? [CBSE. Sept.2011, 12]

Q 9.

Discuss some of the social changes in the nineteenth century Britain which Thomas Hardy and Charles Dickens wrote about.

Q 10.

What is a satire?

Q 11.

How were the stories and prose not new to India ? Give three examples. [CBSE Comp. (O) 2008]

Q 12.

Who is the writer of the novel Germinal ? What was the theme of the novel ?

Q 13.

What was the theme of the novel Jane Eyre written by Charlotte Bronte?

Q 14.

Who was Rokeya Hossein ?

Q 15.

What is satire ? Give one example. [CBSE 2014]

Q 16.

Who wrote Saraswativijayam ? [CBSE 2014]

Q 17.

What was the theme of Saraswativijayam ?

Q 18.

Who was the English author who showed the darker side of colonialism in his novels ? [CBSE. Sept.2011]

Q 19.

Differentiate between the novels written by Charlotte Bronte and the novels written by Jane Austen ? [CBSE 2013]

Q 20.

What did the novels in the nineteenth- century India mean to :
(a) Women
(b) Children
Or
What was the attitude of people in India in the 19th century towards women reading ? How did women responded to this ? [CBSE Sept. 2010, 2011]

Q 21.

Why were children prevented from reading novels ? Explain. (CBSE-2012)

Q 22.

Who is the author of novel "Titash Ekti Nadir Naam"? Why is it considered a special novel ? Explain any four reasons.  [CBSE 2013, 2014]
Or .
Who is the author of novel "Titash Ekti Nadir Naam"? Describe the theme of this novel. [CBSE 2012]

Q 23.

How were the poor people, for a long time, excluded in the publishing market in eighteenth century Europe ? Explain any two reasons. [CBSE 2010 (D)]

Q 24.

Mention some important characteristics of novels which increased their popularity among the readers.

Q 25.

Explain the role of novelists in the field of social reforms in India with the help of any three examples. [CBSE Sept. 2010]

Q 26.

Who was the author of Pickwick Papers which was serialised in 1836 ? [CBSE 2014]

Q 27.

Identify the person given in the image.

Q 28.

Who was Leo Tolstoy?

Q 29.

Who is known as the pioneer of modem Hindi literature ?

Q 30.

The Novel is about an epic about the Mallas, a community of fisherfolk who live off fishing in the river Titash. Identify the novel and the author.

Q 31.

Name a novel which is about a secret Hindu militia that fights Muslims to establish a Hindu Kingdom. It was a novel that inspired many kinds of freedom fighters. ‘

Q 32.

Which of the following novel was written by Potheri Kunjambu and deals with the caste oppression ? [CBSE. Sept. 2011,12]

Q 33.

Write a brief note on Rabindranath Tagore .

Q 34.

Mention some important reasons for the popularity of the novels. [CBSE Sept. 2010, 2011]
Or
Explain, how did novels become a popular medium of entertainment among the middle class during the late nineteenth century in India. [CBSE 2010 (D), Sept. 2013]
Or
Why were the novels widely read and become popular very quickly ? [CBSE Sept. 2011, 2012]
Or
How did novels become popular among masses ? (CBSE 2013)
Or
Assess the reasons for the popularity of the novel in Europe ? [CBSE 2012]

Q 35.

Explain the history of growth of novels in India. [CBSE 2014]
Or
Explain briefly the history of Hindi novel from starting to excellence. [CBSE 2011 ]

Q 36.

How had the different novelists of the colonial period taken up the task of modernisation of the Indians ? Explain

Q 37.

What Is a novel ? Mention any two features of novel.

Q 38.

What was impact of serialisation of a novel ?

Q 39.

Name the novelist who showed the darker ‘ side of colonial occupation.

Q 40.

Who was the author of Pariksha Guru ?

Q 41.

How did the vernacular novels help Britishers to expand their rule in India ?

Q 42.

Name any two famous Hindi novelists. Also mention the names of the novels written by them.

Q 43.

Which was the first modem novel in Malayalam? When was it published ?

Q 44.

How was the sources of entertainment of the old merchant elite of Calcutta different from the new bhadralok ?

Q 45.

Why the novel Pariksha Guru could not win many readers ?

Q 46.

Which was the first novel of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay ?

Q 47.

Who wrote Anandmath ? [CBSE 2014]

Q 48.

The novel revolves around Surdas who is visually impaired and belongs to an untouchable caste. Identify the novel.

Q 49.

The novel is an epic of the Indian peasantry and tells the moving story of Hori and his wife, Dhania. Identify the novel. [CBSE. Sept. 2011]

Q 50.

Which social issues were included in the novels in India? Explain by giving examples. [CBSE 2014]
Or
Novels helped in creating a sense of social awareness in India.' Explain. [CBSE 2012]