Bangalore University 2007 B.A Optional English/B.Sc, ./ - Question Paper

I Semester B.A/B.Sc. Examination, Nov./Dec. 2007
(Semester Scheme)
OPTIONAL ENGLISH (Paper-I)
British Literature (1340-1837) and Aspects of Language

Time: three Hours Max. Marks: 90

Instructions: 1) ans all the parts.
2) Mention the ques. numbers correctly.

part – A

I. Annotate any 3 of the following: (3x5=15)

i) A good spouse was there of biside Bathe,
But she was a few deel deef, and that was scathe,
Of cloth-making she hadde swich an haunt,
She passed hem of Ypres and of Gaunt.

ii) In me though see’st the glowing of such fire,
That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,
As the death-bed whereon it must expire,
Consumed with that which it was nourished by.

iii) “Not so”, quod I, “let baser things devize
To dy in dust, but you shall live by fame :

iv) As virtuous men pass mildly away,
And whisper to their sould, to go,
Whilst a few of their sad friends do say
“The breath goes now”, and a few say, “No” :

v) Throw away thy rod,
Throw away thy wrath :
O my God,
Take the gentle path.


SECTION-B
(Poetry)

2. ans the following: 15

a) The spouse of Bath is 1 of the delightful characters in Chaucer’s ‘Prologue”. Substantiate.

OR

b) Consider Shakespeare’s Sonnet 73 as a serious meditation on the power of Time.


c) Write a short note on any 1 of the following: 5

i) Spenser’s Sonnet 75 as a love sonnet.
ii) The Biblical background in Milton’s “Man’s 1st Disobedience”.
iii) The metaphysical conceit in Donne’s “A Valediction : Forbidding Mourning”.


part – C
(Drama – The Merchant of Venice)

3. ans the following:

a) explain the dramatic significance of the Trial Scene. 15

OR

b) explain whether Shylock can be considered as a tragic figure in The Merchant of Venice.


c) Write a short note on any 1 of the following: 5

i) Gratiano as an important minor character.
ii) Portia as a dutiful daughter
iii) “The Merchant of Venice” as a tragicomedy.


part – D
(Prose)

4. ans the following:

a) Comment on Addison’s power of description in his portrayal of Will Wimble. 15

OR

b) How does Bacon current travel as an enriching experience?

c) Write a short note on any 1 of the subsequent : 5

i) Paine’s objections to Mixed Government
ii) Will Wimble’s hobbies
iii) Bacon’s prose style.

part – E
(Aspects of Language)

5. ans all the subsequent ques. : 15

1. a) Mention any 3 characteristics of language 3

b) elaborate natural languages? provide 2 examples 2

2. describe a dipthong. Identify the dipthongs in i) Why ii) about. 2

3. Identify the stressed syllable in the subsequent words: 2

a) decision b) application

4. Indicate the syllabic division of the subsequent words with a hyphen : 3

a) Skirmish b) popular c) imagination

5. Mention whether the affixes in the subsequent words are inflectional or derivational : 3

a) unhappy b) activity c) spoken.

Earning:   Approval pending.