MCQs- life and works of A K Ramanujan- for APPSC JL DL

 

MCQs- life and works of A K Ramanujan- for APPSC JL DL

 

Q.1 Who was A. K. Ramanujan?

1.         A novelist

2.         A poet, translator, and scholar

3.         A dramatist

4.         A journalist

Answer: 2

Explanation: Ramanujan was widely known as a poet, translator, folklorist, and scholar.

 

Q.2 In which year was A. K. Ramanujan born?

1.         1925

2.         1930

3.         1929

4.         1918

Answer: 3

Explanation: He was born in 1929 in Mysore, India.

 

Q.3 Where was A. K. Ramanujan born?

1.         Chennai

2.         Mysore

3.         Bangalore

4.         Hyderabad

Answer: 2

Explanation: He was born in Mysore (now Mysuru), Karnataka.

 

Q.4 Which field is A. K. Ramanujan associated with?

1.         Physics

2.         Literature and Folklore

3.         Economics

4.         Politics

Answer: 2

Explanation: He made major contributions to literature, linguistics, and folklore studies.

 

Q.5 Which university did A. K. Ramanujan work at for most of his career?

1.         Oxford University

2.         University of Chicago

3.         Harvard University

4.         Delhi University

Answer: 2

Explanation: He was a professor at the University of Chicago.

 

Q.6 Which of the following is a famous poetry collection by A. K. Ramanujan?

1.         The Golden Gate

2.         The Striders

3.         Leaves of Grass

4.         Gitanjali

Answer: 2

Explanation: The Striders is one of his well-known poetry collections.

 

Q.7 Which work of A. K. Ramanujan explores Indian folktales?

1.         The Interior Landscape

2.         Folktales from India

3.         The Guide

4.         Malgudi Days

Answer: 2

Explanation: Folktales from India is a famous collection compiled by him.

 

Q.8 A. K. Ramanujan translated classical poetry from which language?

1.         Hindi

2.         Tamil

3.         Bengali

4.         Urdu

Answer: 2

Explanation: He translated ancient Tamil Sangam poetry.

 

Q.9 Which book by Ramanujan deals with Tamil love poetry?

1.         Speaking of Siva

2.         The Interior Landscape

3.         Second Sight

4.         Relations

Answer: 2

Explanation: The Interior Landscape is a translation of classical Tamil love poems.

 

Q.10 “Speaking of Siva” is related to which tradition?

1.         Buddhist

2.         Jain

3.         Virashaiva

4.         Sikh

Answer: 3

Explanation: It contains translations of Virashaiva (Lingayat) devotional poetry.

 

Q.11 Which theme is common in Ramanujan’s poetry?

1.         Industrialization

2.         Family and memory

3.         War and politics

4.         Space exploration

Answer: 2

Explanation: His poetry often reflects personal memory, family, and cultural identity.

 

Q.12 Which of the following is another poetry collection by Ramanujan?

1.         Second Sight

2.         Paradise Lost

3.         The Waste Land

4.         Fire and Ice

Answer: 1

Explanation: Second Sight is one of his major poetry collections.

 

Q.13 A. K. Ramanujan wrote in which language primarily?

1.         Kannada

2.         English

3.         Tamil

4.         Sanskrit

Answer: 2

Explanation: Though he knew many languages, he wrote most of his poetry in English.

 

Q.14 Which discipline did Ramanujan contribute to besides literature?

1.         Biology

2.         Folklore

3.         Astronomy

4.         Engineering

Answer: 2

Explanation: He was a noted folklorist and collected Indian oral traditions.

 

Q.15 What is the title of Ramanujan’s essay collection on Indian culture?

1.         Imaginary Homelands

2.         Is There an Indian Way of Thinking?

3.         Culture and Anarchy

4.         Discovery of India

Answer: 2

Explanation: This famous essay explores Indian cultural patterns and thought.

 

Q.16 A. K. Ramanujan received which prestigious fellowship?

1.         Booker Prize

2.         Sahitya Akademi Award

3.         MacArthur Fellowship

4.         Nobel Prize

Answer: 3

Explanation: He was awarded the MacArthur Fellowship.

 

Q.17 Which collection was published posthumously?

1.         The Striders

2.         Relations

3.         The Black Hen

4.         Speaking of Siva

Answer: 3

Explanation: The Black Hen was published after his death.

 

Q.18 What is a key feature of Ramanujan’s translations?

1.         Literal translation only

2.         Cultural adaptation and sensitivity

3.         Simplification

4.         Modernization

Answer: 2

Explanation: His translations retain cultural nuance and poetic richness.

 

Q.19 Which Indian language did Ramanujan grow up speaking?

1.         Marathi

2.         Kannada

3.         Punjabi

4.         Gujarati

Answer: 2

Explanation: Kannada was his mother tongue.

 

Q.20 A. K. Ramanujan passed away in which year?

1.         1985

2.         1990

3.         1993

4.         2000

Answer: 3

Explanation: He died in 1993.

 

Q.21 What is the full name of A. K. Ramanujan?

1.         Attipate Krishnaswami Ramanujan

2.         Ananth Krishnan Ramanujan

3.         Ashok Kumar Ramanujan

4.         Arun Keshav Ramanujan

Answer: 1

Explanation: His full name was Attipate Krishnaswami Ramanujan.

 

Q.22 What was the profession of Ramanujan’s father?

1.         Doctor

2.         Astrologer and mathematics professor

3.         Lawyer

4.         Engineer

Answer: 2

Explanation: His father was both an astrologer and a mathematics professor at Mysore University.

 

Q.23 Which languages influenced Ramanujan through his father?

1.         Hindi and Urdu

2.         English, Kannada, and Sanskrit

3.         Tamil and Telugu

4.         Persian and Arabic

Answer: 2

Explanation: His father had deep interest in English, Kannada, and Sanskrit.

 

Q.24 Ramanujan’s academic work covered how many languages?

1.         Three

2.         Four

3.         Five

4.         Six

Answer: 3

Explanation: He worked across five languages—English, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, and Sanskrit.

 

Q.25 Which concept is central to Ramanujan’s poetry?

1.         Nationalism

2.         Hybridity and transculturation

3.         Industrial growth

4.         Political revolution

Answer: 2

Explanation: His poetry reflects modernist concerns like hybridity and cultural mixing.

 

Q.26 Which award did Ramanujan receive in 1976 from the Government of India?

1.         Bharat Ratna

2.         Padma Shri

3.         Padma Bhushan

4.         Sahitya Akademi Award

Answer: 2

Explanation: He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1976.

 

Q.27 In which year did Ramanujan receive the MacArthur Fellowship?

1.         1976

2.         1983

3.         1990

4.         1995

Answer: 2

Explanation: He received the MacArthur Fellowship in 1983.

 

Q.28 What was the cause of Ramanujan’s death?

1.         Heart attack

2.         Cancer

3.         Adverse reaction to anaesthesia

4.         Accident

Answer: 3

Explanation: He died due to a reaction to anaesthesia during surgery preparation.

 

Q.29 Which work is described as a collection of vacanas?

1.         Hymns for the Drowning

2.         Speaking of Siva

3.         The Interior Landscape

4.         Poems of Love and War

Answer: 2

Explanation: Speaking of Siva contains Kannada vacana poetry.

 

Q.30 What does the term “vacana” literally mean?

1.         Song

2.         Prayer

3.         Saying or thing said

4.         Story

Answer: 3

Explanation: Vacana means “saying” or “that which is said.”

 

Q.31 Which deity is central in “Speaking of Siva”?

1.         Vishnu

2.         Brahma

3.         Siva

4.         Krishna

Answer: 3

Explanation: The work focuses on devotion to Lord Siva.

 

Q.32 Which book was co-edited by Ramanujan with Edwin Gerow?

1.         Hymns for the Drowning

2.         The Literatures of India

3.         Poems of Love and War

4.         Folktales from India

Answer: 2

Explanation: He co-edited The Literatures of India with Edwin Gerow.

 

Q.33 Which work presents oral tales from twenty Indian languages?

1.         A Flowering Tree

2.         Folktales from India

3.         Hymns for the Drowning

4.         When God Is a Customer

Answer: 2

Explanation: It compiles oral tales from diverse Indian languages.

 

Q.34 “When God Is a Customer” deals with which type of poetry?

1.         Devotional Sanskrit hymns

2.         Telugu courtesan songs

3.         Tamil war poems

4.         Kannada folk songs

Answer: 2

Explanation: It includes Telugu courtesan songs by Ksetrayya and others.

 

Q.35 Which essay by Ramanujan discusses Indian cultural patterns?

1.         Three Hundred Ramayanas

2.         Is There an Indian Way of Thinking?

3.         Collected Essays

4.         A Flowering Tree

Answer: 2

Explanation: It analyzes Indian culture through conceptual categories.

 

Q.36 How many Ramayana versions does Ramanujan mainly discuss in “Three Hundred Ramayanas”?

1.         Three

2.         Five

3.         Ten

4.         Twelve

Answer: 2

Explanation: He focuses on five major tellings.

 

Q.37 Which of the following is NOT one of the Ramayana versions discussed by Ramanujan?

1.         Valmiki Ramayana

2.         Kamban Ramayana

3.         Thai Ramakien

4.         Persian Ramayana

Answer: 4

Explanation: Persian Ramayana is not among the five he analyzes.

 

Q.38 What controversial idea appears in “Three Hundred Ramayanas”?

1.         Rama is a god

2.         Sita is a queen

3.         Rama and Sita as siblings in one version

4.         Hanuman as king

Answer: 3

Explanation: One version portrays Rama and Sita as siblings.

 

Q.39 Which scholar’s work influenced the title “Three Hundred Ramayanas”?

1.         Romila Thapar

2.         Camille Bulcke

3.         A. L. Basham

4.         Sheldon Pollock

Answer: 2

Explanation: The number “300” is based on Camille Bulcke’s research.

 

Q.40 Which Ramanujan poetry collection includes “Small-Scale Reflections on a Great House”?

1.         The Striders

2.         Relations

3.         Second Sight

4.         Selected Poems

Answer: 2

Explanation: The poem appears in Relations.

 

Q.41 Which poem collection includes “Love Poem for a Wife”?

1.         Relations

2.         The Striders

3.         Second Sight

4.         Collected Poems

Answer: 1

Explanation: It is included in Relations.

 

Q.42 What does the “Strider” symbolize in “The Striders”?

1.         A bird

2.         A human warrior

3.         A water insect

4.         A fish

Answer: 3

Explanation: It refers to a small water insect.

 

Q.43 Which Kannada novel did Ramanujan translate into English?

1.         Samskara

2.         Parva

3.         GhacharGhochar

4.         Karvalo

Answer: 1

Explanation: He translated U.R. Ananthamurthy’s Samskara.

 

Q.44 What is the central dilemma in “Samskara”?

1.         War strategy

2.         Marriage conflict

3.         Cremation of Naranappa

4.         Political debate

Answer: 3

Explanation: The novel revolves around who should cremate Naranappa.

 

Q.45 “HokkulalliHuvilla” translates into English as:

1.         Flower in the Sky

2.         No Flower in the Navel

3.         Hidden Flower

4.         Sacred Flower

Answer: 2

Explanation: That is its English meaning.

 

Q.46 “Kuntobille” translates into:

1.         Running Game

2.         Hopscotch

3.         Flying Kite

4.         Jump Rope

Answer: 2

Explanation: It means “Hopscotch.”

 

Q.47 “Mattobbana Atma Charitre” means:

1.         My Autobiography

2.         Another Man’s Story

3.         Yet Another Man’s Autobiography

4.         Life Story

Answer: 3

Explanation: It translates as “Yet Another Man’s Autobiography.”

 

Q.48 Which work of Ramanujan was published posthumously in 1997?

1.         Relations

2.         The Collected Poems

3.         Selected Poems

4.         Second Sight

Answer: 2

Explanation: The Collected Poems appeared after his death.

 

Q.49 Which work is subtitled “Love Poems from a Classical Tamil Anthology”?

1.         Poems of Love and War

2.         The Interior Landscape

3.         Hymns for the Drowning

4.         Speaking of Siva

Answer: 2

Explanation: That subtitle belongs to The Interior Landscape.

 

Q.50 Which of the following best describes Ramanujan’s poetic style?

1.         Simple and didactic

2.         Mythological and narrative

3.         Enigmatic and modernist

4.         Romantic and emotional

Answer: 3

Explanation: His poetry is known for its modernist, complex, and layered style.