Bankura University English Hons 6th Sem MJC 14 Question Paper 2026 ,Bankura University 6th Semester English Hons Suggestions 2026
BANKURA UNIVERSITY
B.A. (Honours) Semester VII Examination, 2026
ENGLISH (Major Course)
Course Title: Postcolonial Literatures & Theory (MJC-14)
The figures in the margin indicate full marks. Candidates are required to give their answers in their own words as far as practicable.
Group A (Unit I)
Answer any one question from the following: 10 × 1 = 10
- Critically analyze Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o’s Petals of Blood as an indictment of post-independence disillusionment and neo-colonial exploitation in Kenya.
- Examine how the central narrative of Petals of Blood uses the symbol of 'Theng’eta' and the transition from Old Ilmorog to New Ilmorog to reflect cultural and capitalist shifts.
- Trace the mental and emotional journey of Nazneen in Monica Ali’s Brick Lane, highlighting her evolution from passive fatalism to self-determination and agency.
- Evaluate the representation of the immigrant crisis, cultural hybridity, and identity conflict through the contrasting figures of Chanu and Karim in Monica Ali’s Brick Lane.
Group B (Unit II)
Answer any one question from the following: 10 × 1 = 10
- Examine how Pablo Neruda addresses corporate imperialism and the socio-political devastation of Latin America in his poem "The United Fruit Co.".
- Analyze how Mamang Dai interweaves nature, local folklore, and the persistent threat of modern urbanization in "Small Towns and the River" or "The Voice of the Mountain".
Group C (Unit III)
Answer any two questions from the following Background Prose Readings: 5 × 2 = 10
- Write a short critical conceptual note on the dialectical relationship between De-colonization and Postcolonial Resistance as reflected in modern literature.
- How does the intersection of Race and Religion shape or complicate identity politics in postcolonial nation-states? Discuss briefly.
- Explain the concept of 'Double Colonization' with specific focus on the category of Women and Postcolonialism / Gender and Identity.
- Analyze the politics of language choices in postcolonial creation with reference to the conflict between English and Bhasha literatures.
Group D (Units I & II)
Answer any five questions from the following short-answer items: 2 × 5 = 10
- What is the significance of the title Petals of Blood? Whore word or poem is it derived from?
- Name the four primary murder suspects detained at the start of Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o’s novel.
- What does the phrase "How it was Left" signify to Nazneen's mother at the birth of her daughter in Brick Lane?
- Identify the radical community group "The Bengal Tigers" in Brick Lane. What was their primary function?
- Explain the line: "Love is so short, forgetting is so long" from Pablo Neruda's poem "Tonight I can Write".
- Who or what are the "flies" metaphorically representing in Neruda's poem "The United Fruit Co."?
- What does the speaker mean by the phrase "revolving days" in David Malouf's poem of the same name?
- What memory or landscape connection does the speaker build through the scent or sensory imagery of "Wild Lemons" in Malouf's poetry?
- Why does Mamang Dai assert that "the river has a soul" and knows "the immortality of water"?
- In "The Voice of the Mountain", how does Mamang Dai define the relationship between human existence and the timelessness of mountains?
BANKURA UNIVERSITY
B.A. (Honours) Semester VII Examination, 2026
ENGLISH (Major Course)
Course Title: Postcolonial Literatures & Theory (MJC-14)
[MODEL QUESTION BANK — SET 2]
The figures in the margin indicate full marks. Candidates are required to give their answers in their own words as far as practicable.
Group A (Unit I)
Answer any one question from the following: 10 × 1 = 10
- Discuss how Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o implements a Marxist socio-economic critique of class division and elite betrayal through the character of Karega in Petals of Blood.
- Analyze the character of Wanja in Petals of Blood as a complex allegorical representation of the historical exploitation and resilience of post-independence Kenya.
- Examine how Monica Ali's Brick Lane explores the complex mechanics of cultural displacement, racial alienation, and assimilation within the London diaspora.
- Critically assess the structural and thematic significance of the epistolary technique (Hasina's letters) in widening the narrative scope of Monica Ali's Brick Lane.
Group B (Unit II)
Answer any one question from the following: 10 × 1 = 10
- How does Pablo Neruda combine deep romantic vulnerability with the motif of cosmic isolation in his poem "Tonight I can Write"? Evaluate critically.
- Explore the intersections of memory, aging, and the visceral Australian landscape as depicted in David Malouf’s "Wild Lemons" and "Revolving Days".
Group C (Unit III)
Answer any two questions from the following Background Prose Readings: 5 × 2 = 10
- Explain the conceptual challenges associated with Literature and Identity Politics in formerly marginalized postcolonial nations.
- Write a concise note on how the contemporary economic forces of Globalisation alter or threaten indigenous regional literatures.
- Analyze how the concept of "Region" serves as an ideological site of cultural conservation and geographical tension in postcolonial theory.
- Briefly evaluate how postcolonial narrative forms attempt to challenge and decenter Eurocentric historicism during the phase of De-colonization.
Group D (Units I & II)
Answer any five questions from the following short-answer items: 2 × 5 = 10
- Contrast the symbolic environments of 'Old Ilmorog' and 'New Ilmorog' in Ngũgĩ's Petals of Blood.
- What role does the lawyer from Nairobi play in structural legal battles within Petals of Blood?
- What specific item does Nazneen sew that initiates her journey toward economic independence in Brick Lane?
- Why does Chanu continuously accumulate academic certificates and literary citations in London?
- Interpret the corporate imagery behind the phrase "The Fruit Company abolished boundaries" in Neruda's "The United Fruit Co.".
- Name two specific Latin American dictators satirized or critiqued directly by Neruda in "The United Fruit Co.".
- What emotional realization does the speaker reach upon reading an old love letter in Malouf's "Revolving Days"?
- Explain the sensory significance of the phrase "our feet drop into fields of wild lemons" in Malouf's poem.
- What does the river's deep, unchanging silence communicate about mortality in Mamang Dai's "Small Towns and the River"?
- How does the mountain assert its identity as an omnipresent oral historian in Mamang Dai's "The Voice of the Mountain"?
BANKURA UNIVERSITY
B.A. (Honours) Semester VII Examination, 2026
ENGLISH (Major Course)
Course Title: Postcolonial Literatures & Theory (MJC-14)
[MODEL QUESTION BANK — SET 3]
The figures in the margin indicate full marks. Candidates are required to give their answers in their own words as far as practicable.
Group A (Unit I)
Answer any one question from the following: 10 × 1 = 10
- Examine how Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o structures Petals of Blood as a detective investigation framework to solve a crime while simultaneously unearthing historical and political betrayals.
- Analyze the generational conflict and the subversion of traditional values brought on by the onset of capitalistic growth in Petals of Blood.
- Monica Ali’s Brick Lane is a narrative exploring alternative spaces of home and belonging. Discuss this statement focusing on the geographies of rural Bangladesh and urban London.
- Evaluate how the post-9/11 geopolitical context and systemic Islamophobia influence community dynamics and individual identity construction in Brick Lane.
Group B (Unit II)
Answer any one question from the following: 10 × 1 = 10
- Analyze the surrealistic motifs, subverted biblical imagery, and scathing political satire utilized by Pablo Neruda to condemn systemic capitalist greed in "The United Fruit Co.".
- "Nature is not a passive setting but an active spiritual and historical oracle in Mamang Dai’s verse." Substantiate this statement with reference to "Small Towns and the River" and "The Voice of the Mountain".
Group C (Unit III)
Answer any two questions from the following Background Prose Readings: 5 × 2 = 10
- Elaborate on the historical background and key characteristics of Postcolonial Resistance as articulated in core prose discourses.
- Write a short critical appraisal on how contemporary writers negotiate the divide between English and Bhasha languages to retain cultural authenticity.
- Briefly examine the ways in which Race and Religion function as interconnected ideological instruments of division within a colonized or newly sovereign state.
- Discuss the socio-political implications of Globalisation and Literature, focusing on the defense mechanisms of regional cultures against homogenization.
Group D (Units I & II)
Answer any five questions from the following short-answer items: 2 × 5 = 10
- What political stance or choice causes Karega to leave his teaching post in Petals of Blood?
- Explain the significance of the character Munira's religious fanaticism later in Petals of Blood.
- What does the visual motif of television ice-skating represent to Nazneen during her early days in London in Brick Lane?
- Who is Dr. Azad in Brick Lane, and what role does he play relative to Chanu's socio-cultural delusions?
- Comment on the poetic resonance of the night sky and the stars in Neruda's "Tonight I can Write".
- How are the indigenous populations of Central America visually characterized at the end of Neruda's "The United Fruit Co."?
- What specific commentary about aging and youthful affection is delivered in Malouf's "Revolving Days"?
- How does the domestic framework interact with the natural landscape elements in Malouf's "Wild Lemons"?
- According to Mamang Dai's "Small Towns and the River", what permanent cycle occurs in the summer and winter?
- What spatial transition occurs when the mountain speaks "from the depth of the earth" in Dai's "The Voice of the Mountain"?
BANKURA UNIVERSITY
B.A. (Honours) Semester VII Examination, 2026
ENGLISH (Major Course)
Course Title: Postcolonial Literatures & Theory (MJC-14)
[MODEL QUESTION BANK — SET 4]
The figures in the margin indicate full marks. Candidates are required to give their answers in their own words as far as practicable.
Group A (Unit I)
Answer any one question from the following: 10 × 1 = 10
- How does Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o depict the psychological and moral corruption of the African middle-class elite who took power after the British left Kenya? Discuss with reference to characters like Chui, Kimeria, and Mzigo in Petals of Blood.
- Analyze the role of the journey or pilgrimage to Nairobi in Petals of Blood. How does this spatial journey symbolize the transition from traditional communal values to capitalist desperation?
- Critically discuss how Monica Ali constructs the female collective experience in Brick Lane, contrasting Nazneen's domestic circle with Razia's rebellious survival mechanisms.
- "The struggle in Brick Lane is not just about moving between countries, but about the language and internal translation of one's thoughts." Elaborate on how Ali highlights this struggle using the thoughts of the characters.
Group B (Unit II)
Answer any one question from the following: 10 × 1 = 10
- Examine the poetic devices, style, and tone used by David Malouf in "Revolving Days" and "Wild Lemons" to show how memories change over time.
- Critically analyze the themes of cultural preservation, loss of local folklore, and regional anxiety in Mamang Dai's poems "Small Towns and the River" and "The Voice of the Mountain".
Group C (Unit III)
Answer any two questions from the following Background Prose Readings: 5 × 2 = 10
- What does the term "Double Colonization" mean when discussing how gender and national identity intersect in postcolonial societies? Explain briefly.
- Write a short note on how the friction between "English and Bhasha" languages influences the way literary canons are built in postcolonial nations.
- Explain how the concept of "Neocolonialism" allows economic and corporate exploitation to continue even after a country gains its independence.
- Briefly evaluate how "Religion and Identity" can be used as both an oppressive tool and an instrument of anti-imperialist resistance in postcolonial communities.
Group D (Units I & II)
Answer any five questions from the following short-answer items: 2 × 5 = 10
- What role does the character of Abdulla, the shopkeeper, play in the resistance movement described in Petals of Blood?
- What does Joseph's educational journey represent for the future of the community in Petals of Blood?
- How does the character of Shahana contrast with her mother, Nazneen, regarding British-Bangladeshi identity in Brick Lane?
- Briefly describe the tragic downfall of Chanu's financial dreams during his final years in London.
- Identify the historical or structural significance of the "Jeep" mentioned in Pablo Neruda's "The United Fruit Co.".
- What specific sensory memory triggers the speaker's emotional state in the opening lines of "Tonight I can Write"?
- What visual contrast does David Malouf set up between the speaker's current self and his younger self in "Revolving Days"?
- What role do the physical lemon trees play in grounding the speaker's thoughts in Malouf's "Wild Lemons"?
- How does Mamang Dai portray the relationship between town life and the natural world in "Small Towns and the River"?
- What does the mountain mean when it says it is "a cool cool current flowing through the lives of the people" in Dai's "The Voice of the Mountain"?
BANKURA UNIVERSITY
B.A. (Honours) Semester VII Examination, 2026
ENGLISH (Major Course)
Course Title: Postcolonial Literatures & Theory (MJC-14)
[MODEL QUESTION BANK — SET 5]
The figures in the margin indicate full marks. Candidates are required to give their answers in their own words as far as practicable.
Group A (Unit I)
Answer any one question from the following: 10 × 1 = 10
- Analyze how the themes of memory and historical revisionism act as tools for psychological liberation in Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o’s Petals of Blood.
- Evaluate the presentation of structural capitalism and labor exploitation in Petals of Blood, focusing on the marginalization of the community members of Ilmorog.
- "Monica Ali's Brick Lane presents a clash between traditional notions of destiny and individual agency." Discuss this observation with reference to Nazneen's trajectory.
- Critically evaluate whether the depiction of cultural alienation and identity crises in Brick Lane challenges or reinforces mainstream Western perceptions of South Asian immigrant communities.
Group B (Unit II)
Answer any one question from the following: 10 × 1 = 10
- Examine how Pablo Neruda blends personal grief with wider socio-political consciousness in his poetry, referencing the tonal choices in "Tonight I can Write" and "The United Fruit Co.".
- Analyze how indigenous ontology and natural elements serve to counter Western, anthropocentric views of reality in the poetry of Mamang Dai.
Group C (Unit III)
Answer any two questions from the following Background Prose Readings: 5 × 2 = 10
- Discuss the ideological differences and interactions between globalized cultural trends and local regional identity as discussed in Globalisation and Literature.
- Write a short note explaining how structural changes during De-colonization impact the evolution of marginalized communities and identity politics.
- How does the intersection of Race and Religion act as an ongoing site of political tension in postcolonial literature? Elaborate briefly.
- Explain the significance of literary resistance against linguistic hegemony, focusing on the dynamics between English and Bhasha texts.
Group D (Units I & II)
Answer any five questions from the following short-answer items: 2 × 5 = 10
- What does the traditional harvest ceremony signify before the arrival of modern commerce in Petals of Blood?
- Briefly explain the structural role played by Inspector Godfrey in Ngũgĩ's narrative framework.
- What does Chanu's pride in his "Home District" reveal about his internal displacement in Brick Lane?
- How does Karim represent a different facet of the British-Bangladeshi identity compared to Chanu?
- Interpret the line, "The wind revolves my days as if they were a public square," from Malouf's "Revolving Days".
- What does the phrase "the dark side of our planet" evoke in Malouf's "Wild Lemons"?
- Explain the description of the corporate empires as "bloodthirsty flies" in Neruda's "The United Fruit Co.".
- What visual change does the speaker observe in the surrounding landscape during the night in "Tonight I can Write"?
- In "Small Towns and the River", what contrast does Mamang Dai draw between the transience of human towns and the permanence of the river?
- What does the mountain seek to preserve through its perpetual silence in "The Voice of the Mountain"?
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