Important Short Questions with Answer of MJC 12 ,Bankura University MJC12 Suggestion SAQ

Kazuo Ishiguro: The Remains of the Day

1. What does the "remains of the day" symbolize in the novel? It symbolizes the later years of Stevens' life and the fleeting opportunity to find personal happiness after a lifetime of service.
2. How does Stevens define "dignity" in a butler? Stevens believes dignity is the ability of a butler to maintain a professional mask and never strip off his functional role in public.
3. Who is Lord Darlington? Lord Darlington is Stevens’ former employer, a high-ranking aristocrat whose reputation was ruined due to his misguided sympathy for Nazi Germany.
4. What is the significance of the "banter" Stevens practices? Bantering represents Stevens’ late-life attempt to adapt to the new, less formal American style of his employer, Mr. Farraday.
5. Why does Stevens visit Miss Kenton (Mrs. Benn)? He visits her under the guise of recruiting her back to Darlington Hall, but secretly hopes to reconnect with his suppressed romantic feelings.
6. What is the setting of the novel's present timeline? The novel is set in 1956 during a motoring trip through the West Country of England.
7. How does Stevens react to his father’s death? Stevens continues to serve guests during a professional event, viewing his emotional restraint as the pinnacle of professional "dignity."
8. What is the narrative style of the book? The book is written as a first-person unreliable narrative in the form of a journal or travelogue.
9. What does the silver polish represent? The meticulous polishing of silver represents Stevens’ obsession with perfection and his narrow focus on domestic duties over global politics.
10. What realization does Stevens reach at Weymouth pier? He realizes that he gave his "best" to a man who made tragic mistakes, leaving him with a sense of wasted loyalty.

Douglas Adams: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

1. What is the significance of the number 42? According to the Supercomputer Deep Thought, 42 is the "Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything."
2. Why is a towel considered the most useful object for a hitchhiker? A towel has immense practical value for survival and possesses "psychological value," making a "strag" think the hitchhiker is well-prepared.
3. Who is Arthur Dent? Arthur Dent is the protagonist, an ordinary Englishman who is rescued by Ford Prefect just before Earth is demolished.
4. What is the Babel Fish? The Babel Fish is a small, yellow fish that, when inserted into the ear, allows the user to instantly understand any spoken language.
5. Why was Earth destroyed by the Vogons? Earth was destroyed to make way for a new "hyperspace bypass" as part of a galactic planning project.
6. Who is Zaphod Beeblebrox? Zaphod is the two-headed, three-armed President of the Galaxy who steals the "Heart of Gold" spaceship.
7. What is the Infinite Improbability Drive? It is a revolutionary method of faster-than-light travel that passes through every conceivable point in every universe simultaneously.
8. Who is Marvin the Paranoid Android? Marvin is a highly intelligent robot suffering from severe depression and boredom because his brain is too large for any task.
9. What does the Guide say about Earth? The original entry for Earth in the Guide consisted of just one word: "Harmless."
10. Who is Ford Prefect? Ford Prefect is an alien researcher for the Guide who has been stranded on Earth for fifteen years posing as an out-of-work actor.

Phillip Larkin: "An Arundel Tomb" & "Aubade"

1. What is the "untruth" mentioned in "An Arundel Tomb"? The "untruth" is the sculptor’s depiction of the Earl and Countess holding hands, suggesting a timeless love that may not have existed.
2. What is the final famous line of "An Arundel Tomb"? The final line is: "What will survive of us is love."
3. In "Aubade," what is the speaker's primary fear? The speaker expresses an intense, inescapable fear of death and the "total emptiness" it brings.
4. How does Larkin describe death in "Aubade"? He describes it as a "void" and a "permanent extinction" that we move toward every single day.
5. What is the significance of the "pre-dawn" setting in "Aubade"? The early morning hour represents a time of lonely introspection where the distractions of the day cannot hide the reality of mortality.
6. What do the "stone fidelity" and "rigidly settled" features imply in Arundel Tomb? They imply that time has transformed a personal gesture into a hollow, cold historical monument.
7. How does Larkin view religion in "Aubade"? He dismisses religion as a "vast moth-eaten musical brocade" designed to pretend we never die.
8. What does the word "Aubade" traditionally mean? Traditionally, an aubade is a morning love song, but Larkin subverts this by making it a poem about the fear of death.
9. What is the effect of time on the statues in "An Arundel Tomb"? Time washes away the identity and intentions of the couple, leaving only the blurred "attitude" of their hand-holding.
10. What "work" must be done at the end of "Aubade"? The "work" refers to the mundane, daily routine of life that resumes despite the looming presence of death.

Seamus Heaney: "Bogland" & "Punishment"

1. What does "Bogland" symbolize in Heaney’s poetry? The bog symbolizes the "unfenced country" of the Irish memory and a landscape that preserves history rather than eroding it.
2. Who is the "Windeby Girl" in the poem "Punishment"? She is a preserved bog body of a young girl executed for adultery, used by Heaney as a symbol of historical suffering.
3. What comparison does Heaney make in "Punishment"? He compares the ancient ritual killing of the bog girl to the modern tarring and feathering of women in Northern Ireland during the Troubles.
4. What is the "Great Irish Elk" mentioned in "Bogland"? It is an extinct creature whose skeleton was recovered from the peat, representing the deep, hidden layers of the past.
5. How does Heaney describe his role in "Punishment"? He describes himself as an "artful voyeur," feeling guilty for observing the violence without intervening.
6. What does Heaney mean by "the butter sunk under" in "Bogland"? He refers to the practice of storing butter in bogs, which kept it preserved for centuries, showing the bog’s preserving power.
7. What is the tone of "Punishment"? The tone is a complex mix of empathy for the victim and a shameful recognition of the "tribal" urge for revenge.
8. In "Bogland," why does he say "Our pioneers keep striking inwards and downwards"? Unlike American pioneers who moved West, Irish "pioneers" explore their identity by digging into their deep, vertical history.
9. What does the "bog" represent as a "man-made" archive? It acts as a natural museum that holds the "wet center" of Irish heritage and dark secrets.
10. What is the "tribal revenge" mentioned in Punishment? It refers to the communal violence and harsh punishments meted out to those perceived as traitors to their community.

Carol Anne Duffy: "Text" & "Originally"

1. What is the main theme of the poem "Text"? The poem explores how modern digital communication (texting) both connects people and creates a sense of isolation or emotional distance.
2. In "Originally," what does the "red room" represent? The "red room" refers to the car the family traveled in, symbolizing both a womb-like safety and the anger/passion of forced relocation.
3. What does the phrase "I tend the mobile now" suggest in "Text"? It suggests a religious or obsessive devotion to the phone, waiting for a sign of affection from a loved one.
4. How does Duffy describe the loss of childhood language in "Originally"? She describes it as the "shame" of seeing her brother’s voice "accent-blue," as he slowly loses his original Scottish dialect.
5. What is the significance of the title "Originally"? It questions the concept of origins and how moving between cultures and places blurs one’s sense of "where you come from."
6. In "Text," what does "broken chords" refer to? It refers to the fragmented and incomplete nature of communication through short, typed messages.
7. What transition is described in the final stanza of "Originally"? The speaker describes the gradual, almost unnoticed loss of her original identity as she assimilates into a new environment.
8. How does Duffy use the image of "the screen’s light" in "Text"? The light represents a modern "hearth" or source of comfort that is ultimately cold and artificial.
9. What is the "sudden blindness" mentioned in "Originally"? It refers to the confusion and lack of direction felt by a child when uprooted from a familiar home.
10. What is the emotional tone of "Text"? The tone is one of yearning and melancholy, highlighting the fragility of relationships maintained through technology.