Suggestion of MJC-3 2026 Bankura University

MJC-3: British Poetry & Drama
Exam Suggestion Question Bank

UNIT I: POETRY

1. Geoffrey Chaucer: The Nun’s Priest’s Tale

📝 Long Questions (10 Marks)

1. Discuss The Nun’s Priest’s Tale as a 'Beast Fable'.
2. Analyze The Nun’s Priest’s Tale as a mock-heroic poem.
3. Sketch the character of Chauntecleer. How does he represent human vanity?
4. Discuss the significance of the debate on dreams between Chauntecleer and Pertelote.
5. Comment on Chaucer’s use of humor and satire in the tale.
6. "The tale is a warning against flattery." Discuss with reference to the text.

⚡ Short Questions (2 Marks)

1. Who was Chauntecleer? Describe his appearance briefly.
2. Who was Pertelote?
3. What was Chauntecleer's dream about?
4. What remedy did Pertelote suggest for the dream?
5. Identify the "Col-fox".
6. How did the Fox trick Chauntecleer the first time?
7. How did Chauntecleer escape from the Fox's mouth?
8. Who is Macrobius? Why is he mentioned?
9. What is the moral of the tale?
10. Describe the "poor widow" mentioned at the beginning.

2. Edmund Spenser: Amoretti XXII ("This Holy Season")

📝 Long Questions (10 Marks)

1. Critically appreciate Spenser’s Amoretti XXII.
2. How does Spenser blend religious devotion with romantic love in this sonnet?
3. Discuss the significance of the "Holy Season" (Lent) in the poem.
4. Analyze the imagery of sacrifice and worship used in the sonnet.
5. Discuss the structure and rhyme scheme of the Spenserian sonnet with reference to Sonnet XXII.
6. "The beloved is portrayed as a divine being." Discuss.

⚡ Short Questions (2 Marks)

1. What does "This Holy Season" refer to?
2. Who is the "author of my bliss"?
3. What has the poet built for his beloved?
4. What is the "sacred feast" mentioned in the poem?
5. What does the poet wish to sacrifice to his beloved?
6. How does the poet describe his beloved's "glorious image"?
7. What is the rhyme scheme of this sonnet?
8. Which collection does this sonnet belong to?
9. What does the poet ask the beloved to do?
10. Explain the phrase "love's incense".

3. Henry Vaughan: The Retreat

📝 Long Questions (10 Marks)

1. Discuss The Retreat as a Metaphysical poem.
2. Analyze the theme of childhood innocence and spiritual regression in the poem.
3. Compare Vaughan’s concept of childhood with that of Wordsworth.
4. Explain the significance of the title "The Retreat".
5. Discuss the imagery of light and nature in The Retreat.
6. "The poem expresses a yearning for the pre-existence of the soul." Discuss.

⚡ Short Questions (2 Marks)

1. What does "Angel-infancy" mean?
2. Why does the poet want to travel back?
3. What are "white designs"?
4. What is meant by "my second race"?
5. What did the poet see in the "gilded cloud"?
6. Why is the flesh described as a "drunkard"?
7. What does the poet mean by "shoot my soul"?
8. What has the poet learned in his "long" life?
9. Who is the "first love" mentioned in the poem?
10. What is the central wish of the poet at the end?

4. William Shakespeare: Sonnet 65

📝 Long Questions (10 Marks)

1. Discuss the theme of Time’s destructiveness in Sonnet 65.
2. How does Shakespeare contrast the power of Time with the power of Poetry?
3. Analyze the use of legal and siege imagery in Sonnet 65.
4. Critically appreciate Sonnet 65 as a meditation on mortality.
5. "Love is the only defense against Time." Discuss with reference to the poem.
6. Examine the tone of the poem: Is it pessimistic or hopeful?

⚡ Short Questions (2 Marks)

1. Complete the line: "Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor..."
2. What is "sad mortality"?
3. What is meant by "summer's honey breath"?
4. What is the "wreckful siege"?
5. Why is Time described as having a "fell hand"?
6. What is the "miracle" mentioned in the couplet?
7. What does "black ink" symbolize?
8. What are the "rocks impregnable" mentioned?
9. To whom is this sonnet addressed?
10. What is the rhyme scheme of the poem?

5. William Shakespeare: Sonnet 118

📝 Long Questions (10 Marks)

1. Critically analyze the medical imagery used in Sonnet 118.
2. Discuss the psychological complexity of the speaker’s love in Sonnet 118.
3. "We sicken to shun sickness." Explain this paradox in the context of the poem.
4. How does the speaker justify his infidelity or erratic behavior?
5. Discuss the theme of anticipation and anxiety in love.
6. Compare Sonnet 118 with other sonnets regarding the "Dark Lady" or the "Fair Youth".

⚡ Short Questions (2 Marks)

1. Why does the speaker take "bitter sauces"?
2. What does the word "purge" imply in the poem?
3. Explain: "To bitter sauces did I frame my feeding."
4. What was the speaker trying to prevent by feeling sick?
5. What is the "rank of goodness"?
6. Did the speaker have a "true needing" for the medicine?
7. How did the "policy" of the speaker fail?
8. What is the final lesson/moral of the sonnet?
9. Explain: "Drugs poison him that so fell sick of you."
10. What emotion dominates the speaker's mind in this sonnet?

UNIT II: DRAMA

6. William Shakespeare: Othello

📝 Long Questions (10 Marks)

1. Analyze Othello as a tragedy of jealousy.
2. Discuss the character of Iago. Is his villainy "motiveless malignity"?
3. Sketch the character of Othello. Is he a noble hero or a foolish victim?
4. Discuss the role and character of Desdemona.
5. Examine the significance of the "Handkerchief" episode in the play.
6. Discuss the theme of Race and Color in Othello.

⚡ Short Questions (2 Marks)

1. Who is Brabantio?
2. Why does Iago hate Othello? (Give one reason).
3. Who is Cassio?
4. What is the "green-eyed monster"?
5. How did Othello win Desdemona's love?
6. Who is Emilia?
7. Who is Roderigo?
8. What pattern was embroidered on the handkerchief?
9. How does Desdemona die?
10. Who becomes the governor of Cyprus at the end?

7. William Shakespeare: The Merchant of Venice

📝 Long Questions (10 Marks)

1. Is Shylock a villain or a tragic victim? Discuss.
2. Analyze the Trial Scene (Act IV, Scene 1) and its dramatic significance.
3. Discuss the theme of Mercy vs. Justice in the play.
4. Sketch the character of Portia.
5. Discuss the significance of the Casket Scene.
6. Analyze the bond story and its legal implications in the play.

⚡ Short Questions (2 Marks)

1. Why does Antonio borrow money from Shylock?
2. What are the three caskets made of?
3. What was the penalty mentioned in the bond?
4. Who is Jessica?
5. Who is Bassanio?
6. "The quality of mercy is not strain'd." Who says this?
7. What name does Portia assume in the court?
8. Who is Gratiano?
9. What does the ring symbolize in the play?
10. What is the fate of Shylock at the end?

UNIT III: HISTORY OF LITERATURE

8. Old English Period & Beowulf

📝 Long Questions (10 Marks)

1. Write a detailed note on Beowulf as a heroic epic.
2. Discuss the main features of Old English (Anglo-Saxon) Poetry.
3. Give an account of Old English Christian Poetry with reference to Caedmon and Cynewulf.
4. Discuss the characteristics of Old English Prose (Alfredian Prose).
5. Analyze the blend of Pagan and Christian elements in Beowulf.
6. Write a note on the Old English Elegies (e.g., The Seafarer, The Wanderer).

PKG ENGLISH STUDY CENTRE | Bankura University, MJC-3 Suggestion 2026