| The UGC conducts National Eligibility Test (NET) in | | | | followed for each author, from the beginning to |
| various subjects of Humanities, including English, | | | | the end. |
| and Social Sciences, for the award of Junior | | | | One also expects to find a short write-up on the |
| Research Fellowship (as well as Lectureship) for | | | | general traits or characteristics about each of the |
| pursuing Ph. D. level research. The test comprises | | | | ages/ periods alongside the major contributors |
| three session papers. The first paper is of general | | | | that form the bulk of the objective-type |
| nature, intended to assess the research (or | | | | questions. There should have been a proper |
| teaching) aptitude, without excluding reasoning | | | | 'match' between what Manoj Kumar calls |
| ability, comprehension, and general awareness of | | | | "subjective knowledge " of literature and |
| the candidates. The second paper consists of | | | | objective questions for adequate practice from |
| short-answer questions based on the subject | | | | Unit I to VII. |
| opted by the candidates. | | | | However, he does write a readable introductory |
| The third paper contains only descriptive | | | | commentary in Unit VIII (on American Literature |
| questions. It has four sections. Section I requires | | | | and Indian English writers) and Unit IX (an Literary |
| candidates to write a critique of a given passage. | | | | Theory and Criticism). The last Unit (on Rhetoric |
| The questions in section II are definitional or seek | | | | and Prosody), which has only 52 objective items |
| particular information in short answer form. | | | | for practising 31 terms is not as well developed as |
| Section III relates to analytical or evaluative | | | | the two preceding units. |
| questions on the candidate's major specialization / | | | | The list of Booker (from 1969 to 2007) and Nobel |
| elective , as preferred. Section IV is based on | | | | (from 1901 to 2007) Prize winners at the end is |
| essay types questions on general themes and | | | | informative but Manoj Kumar should have also |
| contemporary , theoretical , or of disciplinary | | | | provided the names of the prize-winning books in |
| relevance to test the candidates ' ability to | | | | the last three pages. |
| expound critically a subject with discrimination. | | | | The second book, A Key to Literary Forms and |
| Seen in this light, the two books under review | | | | Terms, should make up for the short falls in Unit |
| seek to help aspiring candidates prepare for | | | | X of Manoj Kumar's textbook. In fact, Sudhir K. |
| answering objective- type questions in English | | | | Arora claims to have included most of the |
| literature. Manoj Kumar's book is composed to | | | | important literary forms and terms "in capsule |
| serve as a practice book for the UGC' s NET and | | | | form" and provided plenty of multiple-choice |
| postgraduate students in English, providing | | | | practice exercises that should help aspiring |
| "subjective material as well as objective | | | | candidates perform better in the competitive |
| questions" necessary for good preparation | | | | exams for fellowship and / or Lectureship in |
| (Preface). | | | | English literature. |
| The author has divided the 'textbook' into ten | | | | In the first 29 pages, Arora has alphabetically |
| units, providing the basic information about British | | | | arranged 117 literary forms and terms with useful |
| literature from the Age of Chaucer to the | | | | references, but no examples. In the section on |
| Contemporary period , American Literature, Indian | | | | 'Figures of Speech', Arora has abandoned this |
| English literature, Literatures in translation, Literary | | | | arrangement and included terms of rhetoric and |
| theory and Criticism, and Rhetoric and Prosody. | | | | prosody in the order it is generally available in |
| Each unit begins with a brief mention of the | | | | most books. The examples, however, are helpful. |
| author's names and major works that make | | | | In both the books the authors have provided a |
| them notable, followed by objective-type | | | | key to all the objective items to self-help |
| questions (with four options). There is no | | | | candidates in their preparation. However, Manoj |
| subjective elaboration, nor is there a uniform | | | | Kumar has also added some 250 'Unsolved' items |
| pattern in the number of items (which vary | | | | to ensure that serious candidates really prepare |
| between 101 to 138 from Unit I to IX) or their | | | | well. |
| contents. It is at best haphazard. | | | | Given the present state of English Literature |
| In Unit I , for example, Geoffrey Chaucer's name | | | | teaching in the country, books like A Textbook |
| (in bold type), does not show his years of birth | | | | for Objective Questions in English Literature and A |
| and death, but the entry on William Langland | | | | Key to Literary Forms and Terms are helpful to |
| shows this. The years of birth and death are not l | | | | aspiring candidates in developing awareness |
| shown for John Gower, John Barbour, Sir John | | | | though it is doubtful these help in developing any |
| Mandeville, John Wycliff, Sir Thomas Malory and | | | | critical sense and research or reasoning ability. |
| James I on page 1. Similarly, the publication date | | | | _________________________ |
| for some books are given but for others, it is | | | | Professor (Dr) R.K.SINGH, Head Dept of |
| missing. A uniform pattern should have been | | | | Humanities & Social Sciences,. |