Online Test: Comparative Literature & Translation Studies

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Q. 1 to 5 are from Sisir Kumar Das, ‘Why Comparative Indian Literature? (ed. Dev and Das,1989)

1. Who pioneered the Comparative Literature movement in India?

2 points

Sisir Kumar Das & Amiya Dev

Goethe

Harish Trivedi

Rabindranath Tagore

Clear selection

2. What was Sisir Kumar Das's seminal work on the history of Indian literature published by Sahitya Akademi?

2 points

a) History of Modern Indian Literature

c) History of Contemporary Indian Literature

b) History of Indian Literature from 1800 to 1956

d) History of Classical Indian Literature

Clear selection

3. Who first spoke about the concept of 'Weltliteratur'?

2 points

c) Sisir Kumar Das

a) Matthew Arnold

d) Amiya Dev

b) Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Clear selection

4. Which of the following best describes Comparative Indian Literature?

2 points

a) Study of Western and Indian literatures

b) Study of regional Indian literatures

c) Study of literatures in different Indian languages

d) Study of ancient and modern Indian literatures

Clear selection

5. Sisir Kumar Das argues that the idea of a unified "Indian literature" fails because:

2 points

a) it ignores the historical and cultural diversity of different Indian regions.

b) it focuses too much on common themes and forms, neglecting literary innovations.

c) it is a Western concept imposed on the richness of Indian languages and traditions.

d) it promotes a nationalist agenda that overshadows individual artistic expressions.

Clear selection

Q 6 to 10 from Amiya Dev, "Comparative Literature in India." CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture 2.4 (2000)

6. Which of the following does Amiya Dev argue for regarding Indian literature?

2 points

a) Viewing it as a singular, unified entity

b) Viewing distinct literatures as completely separate

c) Viewing it as an interliterary process spanning history

d) Constructing an English archive as representative

Clear selection

7. Whose work is seen as a balanced model for examining interconnections between Indian literary traditions?

2 points

b) Gurbhagat Singh

d) Aijaz Ahmad

c) Sisir Kumar Das

a) Amiya Dev

Clear selection

8. What is Aijaz Ahmad's main objection regarding "Indian literature"?

2 points

c) Imposition of artificial unity

d) Lack of engagement with orality

b) Inadequate translation into English

a) Lack of commonalities between languages

Clear selection

9. Whose work is seen as a balanced model for examining interconnections between Indian literary traditions?

2 points

a) Amiya Dev

b) Gurbhagat Singh

c) Sisir Kumar Das

d) Aijaz Ahmad

Clear selection

10. What is the key takeaway from the article regarding the understanding of Indian literature?

2 points

a) Fixed categories and stable entities

b) Simplification and concentration of power

c) Continuous interaction among literary traditions

d) Singular and separate literary landscapes

Clear selection

Q 11 to 15 from Subha Chakraborty Dasgupta, “Comparative Literature in India: An Overview of its History”, Comparative Literature & World Literature, Volume 1 Number 1 Spring 2016

11. Who is the author of the essay "Comparative Literature in India: An Overview of its History"?

2 points

c) Subha Chakraborty Dasgupta

b) Aijaz Ahmad

a) Rabindranath Tagore

d) Gayatri Spivak

Clear selection

12. In which year was the first department of Comparative Literature established at Jadavpur University?

2 points

c) 1970

d) 1992

b) 1956

a) 1907

Clear selection

13. According to Subha Chakraborty Dasgupta, what paradigm shift occurred in Comparative Literature studies in the 1970s?

2 points

a) Focus on Sanskrit-centric definitions

b) Emphasis on global literary traditions

c) Introduction of Comparative Indian Literature courses

d) Exploration of Latin American literatures

Clear selection

14. Which approach did Comparative Literature in India adopt in the 1980s to address colonial impacts and emphasize solidarity?

2 points

b) Area Studies on African, Latin American, and Canadian literatures

d) Exclusive Sanskrit-centric definitions

c) Shift from "influence" to studying reception

a) Focus on influence studies

Clear selection

15. Who gave a seminal speech titled "Visva Sahitya" that laid the foundations for comparative literature in India?

2 points

a) Amiya Dev

b) Rabindranath Tagore

c) Buddhadeva Bose

d) Aijaz Ahmad

Clear selection

Question 16 to 20 are from Susan Bassnett, “What is Comparative Literature Today?” Comparative Literature: A Critical Introduction. 1993.

16. What does Susan Bassnett say is the core focus of comparative literature?

2 points

a) Studying national literatures

b) Comparing literary themes and motifs

c) Close reading and analysis of texts

d) Examining historical contexts

Clear selection

17. What distinction does Bassnett make between comparative literature and world literature?

2 points

a) World literature focuses on non-Western texts while comparative literature focuses on the West.

b) World literature studies texts from around the world, while comparative literature looks at 'relationships' between texts.

c) World literature examines oral traditions, while comparative literature studies written texts.

d) World literature is more theoretical, while comparative literature emphasizes close reading.

Clear selection

18. Bassnett argues that comparative literature is:

2 points

a) Elitist and inaccessible to general readers

b) Mainly concerned with making value judgements about literary quality

c) Open to anyone interested in engaging deeply with diverse texts

d) Limited to the study of European literatures

Clear selection

19. How does Bassnett view translation in Comparative Literature?

2 points

a) As a hindrance to cross-cultural understanding

b) As an unnecessary tool for literary exchange

c) As a crucial tool for cross-cultural understanding and literary exchange

d) As a factor contributing to homogenization of culture

Clear selection

20. How does Evan-Zohar relate translation activity to a culture's phase?

2 points

a) Translation is always important, regardless of a culture's phase

b) Translation is more crucial during a culture's imperialist stage

c) Translation is significant during a culture's expansion or pre-revolutionary phase

d) Translation becomes irrelevant during a culture's period of transition

Clear selection

Question 21 to 25 are from Todd Presner, ‘Comparative Literature in the Age of Digital Humanities: On Possible Futures for a Discipline’ in Ali Behdad and Thomas eds. A Companion to Comparative Literature’ 2011, 193- 207

21. According to the article, what is the author's view on the impact of new communication technologies?

2 points

a) They will enhance education and spread democracy

b) They have the potential for both democratization and exclusionary control/violence

c) They will liberate humanity and interconnect the world

d) They will only be used for positive purposes

Clear selection

22. What does the author suggest Comparative Literature should become in the digital age?

2 points

a) Comparative Media Studies

b) Comparative Data Studies

c) Comparative Authorship and Platform Studies

d) All of the above

Clear selection

23. What does the author say about Wikipedia?

2 points

a) It represents an innovative collaborative knowledge platform

b) It is amateurish and lacks scholarly rigor

c) It should be dismissed as unreliable

d) None of the above

Clear selection

24. According to the document, what is one of the implications of digital media?

2 points

a) The concept of authorship remains unchanged

b) Scholarly output needs to be uni-medial and textual

c) Delivery platforms and interface designs become part of the argument

d) Print artifacts are no longer relevant

Clear selection

25. What does the author suggest about computational analysis in Digital Humanities?

2 points

a) It should replace traditional close reading methods

b) It can complement close reading by analyzing large cultural datasets

c) It is unnecessary for literary analysis

d) It is only useful for quantitative studies

Clear selection

Q 26 to 30 are from GN Devy, “Translation Theory: An Indian Perspective,” In Another Tongue: Essays on Indian English Literature. 1993
26. According to the passage, which of the following statements is true about the Western view of translation?

2 points

A. Translation is seen as an intrusion of 'the other'.

B. Translation is accorded the same status as original works.

C. Translation is not perceived as an exile or a fall from the origin.

D. Western metaphysics does not condition the reception of translation.

Clear selection

27. Which of the following statements is NOT true about the role of translation in literary history, according to the passage?

2 points

A. Translation has played a crucial role in communicating literary movements across linguistic borders.

B. Many literary traditions, including Anglo-Irish and Indian English literature, have originated from translation activities.

C. Translation has been instrumental in the development of literary traditions in settler colonies like Australia and Canada.

D. Translation has always been regarded as an unoriginal and unimportant activity in literary history.

Clear selection

28. What is the main argument presented by the author regarding the concept of synonymy in translation?

2 points

A. Synonymy within one language cannot be conceptually identical with synonymy between two different languages.

B. Synonymy is a valid concept, and translations should aim for complete semantic equivalence.

C. The concept of synonymy is irrelevant in the context of translation.

D. Synonymy is a problematic concept in monolingual contexts but not in multilingual contexts.

Clear selection

29. How does Indian metaphysics view the relationship between form and essence in literary works, according to the passage?

2 points

A. Indian metaphysics emphasizes the importance of originality and prioritizes form over essence.

B. Indian metaphysics believes that essence is subject to the laws of temporality, while form is not.

C. Indian metaphysics considers essence or significance to be ahistorical and believes in the migration of essence from one form to another.

D. Indian metaphysics treats form and essence as separate and unrelated concepts.

Clear selection

30. What is the central idea presented by the author regarding the concept of a 'translating consciousness'?

2 points

A. The 'translating consciousness' is a theoretical concept that has no practical relevance.

B. The 'translating consciousness' refers to the ability of individuals to learn and acquire multiple languages.

C. In multilingual contexts, the 'translating consciousness' treats different language systems as parts of a larger and continuous spectrum of signs and significance.

D. The 'translating consciousness' is a Western concept that is not applicable in the Indian context.

Clear selection

[Q 31 to 35 are from Tejaswini Niranjana. “Introduction: History in Translation” Siting Translation: History, Poststructuralism
31. Which of the following was one of Jones's primary goals in learning Sanskrit?

2 points

a) To write his own version of Hindu law

b) To verify the interpretations of Hindu law given by his pandits

c) To teach Sanskrit to other British officials

d) To create a new system of Hindu law

Clear selection

32. What was the primary goal of Christian missionaries like William Carey and William Ward in translating Indian religious texts?

2 points

a) To promote cultural understanding between India and the West

b) To criticize Hindus for not following their own religious teachings

c) To learn Sanskrit and other Indian languages

d) To create authoritative versions of Indian texts for scholarly purposes

Clear selection

33. How did the missionaries view the state of Hindu society and religion?

2 points

a) As a deviation from a former Golden Age

b) As inherently corrupt and in need of improvement

c) As a source of wisdom and enlightenment

d) As a cultural practice that should be respected

Clear selection

34. What did William Ward suggest would be the result of "higher civilization" and "moral culture" being introduced to India?

2 points

a) India would become more independent from Britain

b) India would contribute more to Britain's prosperity by consuming British goods

c) India's religions would be replaced by Christianity

d) Both b) and c)

Clear selection

35. According to the passage, what role did translation play in the expansion of capitalism?

2 points

a) It helped create a market for European merchandise in India

b) It facilitated the spread of British manufacturing techniques in India

c) It enabled the transfer of British capital and resources to India

d) It allowed for the exploitation of Indian labor by British companies

Clear selection

Q 36 to 40 from A.K. Ramanujan, “On Translating a Tamil Poem,” Collected Essays of A.K. Ramanujan, ed Vinay Dharwadkar. Oxford University Press, 1999
36. What is the main challenge of translating a poem, according to AK Ramanujan?

2 points

Retaining the original poem's rhythm and rhyme

The inherent impossibility of fully capturing the essence of original poem.

Finding equivalent words in both languages

Understanding the cultural context of the poem

Clear selection

37. Why does AK Ramanujan suggest that translating metrical systems is problematic?

2 points

Because metrical systems are constantly changing.

Because meter is based on cultural interpretations.

Because metrical systems are not important in poetry.

Because meter is organization of SOUND system, it itself difficult to translate

Clear selection

38. AK Ramanujan argues that a 'literal' or 'word-for-word' translation is the most accurate way to translate a poem.

2 points

True

False

Clear selection

39. AKR believes that the 'intertextual web' of a poem, including its 'cultural context and related works', is essential for Translation

2 points

True

False

Clear selection

40. What does AK Ramanujan suggest about translation?

2 points

It is impossible to achieve fidelity.

It requires only literal equivalence.

It is a creative recreation.

It disregards cultural nuances.

Clear selection

Q 41 to 45 from E.V. Ramakrishnan, “Shifting from E.V. and Emerging Margins: Translation and the Shaping of the Modernist Poetic Discourse in Indian Poetry,” in Indigenous Imaginaries: Literature, Region, Modernity, 2017

41. E.V. Ramakrishnan argues that translation has hindered the development of modernist Indian poetry.

2 points

True

False

Clear selection

42. E.V. Ramakrishnan argues that translation has hindered the development of modernist Indian poetry.

2 points

True

False

Clear selection

43. What role did translations of European poets play in Indian poetry?

2 points

They discouraged experimental writing.

They promoted nationalist themes.

They helped create a space for modernist discourse.

They reinforced traditional poetic styles

Clear selection

44. How did translations contribute to the development of modernism in Indian poetry?

2 points

By legitimizing experimental writing styles.

By promoting adherence to traditional poetic forms.

By reinforcing existing literary sensibilities.

By suppressing experimental writing styles.

Clear selection

45. Who wrote 'Kurukshetrum' as a modernist experiment?

2 points

Ayyappa Panikar - Malayalam

BS Mardhekar - Marathi

Vinod Joshi - Gujarati

S. Dutta - Bengali

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