Short Stories QA (200-225 words each)

1. The KillersI. What is the role of Sam, the niggard, in "The Killers"? (2005)

II. Write a note on the state of law and order in USA after your study of "The Killers". (2006)III. Write a note on Olde Anderson's sickness with life. (The Killers) (2012)IV. Is Ole Anderson a coward? Discuss with reference to "The Killers". (2013)

2. Rappaccini’s DaughterI. Write a note on Giovanni's sentiments for Beatrice and her father in "Rappaccini's Daughter".

(2005)II. When and why does Giovanni in his address to Beatrice call Dr. Rappaccini "Your awful father"?

(2007)III. Giovanni is no more than a pawn on the chess board of Dr. Rappaccini's research.

Comment. (2007)IV. Poison works through Giovanni's system slowly but surely. How? (Rappaccini's Daughter) (2008)V. Giovanni falls in Rappaccini's net involuntarily but with disastrous results. Elaborate.

(Rappaccini's Daughter) (2008)VI. What are Giovanni's sentiments for Beatrice? (Rappaccini's Daughter) (2011)

VII. Critically analyze the ending of "Rappaccini's Daughter". (2014)VIII. Do you think that Beatrice in Rappaccini's Daughter is a real character of flesh and blood? (2015)3. The New Constitution

I. What kind of change Ustad Mangu was expecting from the new Act of 1935? Explain. ("The New Constitution" by Saadat Hasan Manto) (2004) (2009)

II. In "The New Constitution", Ustad Mangu is at best a half-wit. Elaborate. (2006)III. Discuss Ustad Mangu in "The New Constitution" as a representative of Common Indians. (2006)IV. "Sahib Behadur where do you wish to be taken", says Ustad Mangu with "undisguised irony".

Elaborate irony in this remark. (2007)V. Prove how Manto was, between the lines, criticising all those who were praising India Act, 1935

(The New Constitution) (2008)VI. Why did Ustad Mangu quarrel with the Gora Soldier? (The New Constitution) (2010) (2005)

VII. What were people's expectations from the New Constitution? (2010)VIII. The New Constitution was no more than a piece of April foolery. Elaborate. (2011)

IX. Why was Ustad Mangu so excited about the implementation of the New Constitution? What did he expect of it? (The New Constitution) (2012)

X. Ustad Mangu is painted as a fool in "The New Constitution". Support or refute the statement. (2013)

XI. Draw character sketch of Ustad Mangu. (2015)4. Breakfast

I. The writer calls his meeting with the poor family pleasant. Why? (Breakfast) (2010)II. Breakfast is a critique of modern civilization. Discuss. (Breakfast) (2012)

5. Take PityI. In "Take Pity" by Bernard Malamud, we read an undaunted struggle of a woman against the

exploitation of a man. Discuss. (2004)II. "Whore, bastard, bitch", he shouted at her. "Go away from here. Go home to your children".

How was Rosen in "Take Pity" provoked to make such remarks about Eva? (2005)III. Write a note on hypocrisy of Rosen in "Take Pity". (2005)IV. Is Rosen, in "Take Pity", secretly in love with Eva but does not have the courage to express his

feelings. (2006)

V. Why does Eva turn down every offer of help of Rosen's (Take Pity) (2008)VI. Eva stands out as a person who can endure hardships for the sake of female glory. Elaborate.

(Take Pity) (2008)VII. Write a note on Eva's character in "Take Pity". (2009)

VIII. "Take Pity" critiques the idea of male superiority. Give your own opinion. (2014)6. The Happy Prince

I. Happy Prince sees best when he has no eyes to see. Explain. (2006)II. How does the swallow in Oscar Wild's "The Happy Prince" fare as a friend. (2006)

III. The mayor calls the Happy Prince, "Little better than a beggar". Why? (2007) (2011)IV. What did make the happy prince weep in "The Happy Prince"? (2009)V. How did the Swallow help the poor people? (The Happy Prince) (2010)

VI. Discuss the element of humour and irony in "The Happy Prince". (2013)VII. What kind of a world Oscar Wild create in “The Happy Prince”? (2015)

7. ArabyI. "Gazing up into the darkness, I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity". This is

the last remark of the main character in "Araby". Discuss. (2005)II. The role of the main character in "Araby" is to run after the shadows. Discuss. (2005)

III. Describe briefly the effect of romantic love on the adolescent mind of Small boy. (Araby) (2009)IV. How has the writer criticized the dark aspects of modern civilization? (Araby) (2010)V. "Araby" is a psychological explanation of boy's emotional and mental condition. Discuss. (2011)

8. The Tell-Tale HeartI. E.A. Poe haunts us and puts us into a situation where we can expect anything may happen any

time. Discuss in view of his story "Tell Tale Heart". (2005)II. Do you think that the killer in the story is a sane person? (The Tell-Tale Heart) (2010)

III. How the murderer in the story is forced to confess his crime? (Tell-Tale Heart) (2012)IV. The narrator in "Tell Tale Heart" is a creative artist. Support or refute the statement. (2014)

9. The NecklaceI. There is always suspicious hope of Matilda Loisel in "The Necklace" Discuss. (2005)

II. "The Necklace" is a satire on the vanity of women. Discuss. (2011)10. The Duchess and the Jeweller

I. Feudalism has fallen on evil days. Discuss with reference to "Duchess and the Jeweller". (2006)II. "The Duchess and the Jeweler" is a story about the moral decadence of the English elite class of

those days. Elaborate. (2004)III. The Duchess is more loathsome than the jeweller. Comment. (The Duchess and the Jeweller).

(2007) (2011)IV. "The Necklace" is a criticism on pride and materialism. Discuss. (2010)V. The human relations in "The Duchess and the Jeweller" are rotten to the core. (The Duchess and

the Jeweller) (2012) (2013)VI. Draw a character sketch of the Duchess in "The Duchess and the Jeweler". (2014)

VII. How far do you agree that "The Duchess and the Jeweler" depicts the moral decadence of the nobility? (2015)

11. The Shadow in the Rose GardenI. In "The Shadow in the Rose Garden", it is written, "there was a long silence of hate and

suffering" but at the end it says that they "no longer hated each other". They were only "shocked". What kind of story is this: of love, of hatred, or of something else? (2004)

II. Explain "The Shadow in the Rose Garden" as a love story. (2005)III. The wife in "The Shadow in the Rose Garden" cannot help digging her past. Discuss. (2006)

(2011)

12. A Conversation with My FatherI. "A Conversation with My Father" is a story demanding a sense of character in a human being.

Explain. (2005)II. Why does Grace Paley fail to write a story in keeping with the sensibilities of her father's times? (A

Conversation with My Father) (2009)13. The Fly

I. Why did the boss make no reply? (The Fly) (2009)II. What does the killing of fly by the Boss signify? (The Fly) (2010)

14. A Passion in the DesertI. "Passion in the Desert" is a fantasy. Explain. (2005)

II. The French soldier feels grandeur of the desert with all its force and fascination. Comment. (A Passion in the Desert) (2007)

III. It is the Panther and not the Soldier who wins in the trial of love. Comment. (A Passion in the Desert) (2008)

15. The Little Willow I. How did Lisby come to know of Simon Byrne's love for her? (The Little Willow) (2009)

II. How did Simon disclose his love for Lisby? (The Little Willow) (2009)III. Write a note on the character of Lisby. (The Little Willow) (2011)IV. Simon keeps the willow as a token of Lisby's love which gives him solace and strength before and at

the time of death. Discuss. (The Little Willow) (2012)