CBSE Class 10 Social Science History Novels Society Assignment

Lesson - 8
Novels, Society and History

Multiple Choice Questions

Question 1. What is an 'Epistolary novel'?
(a) Novel written in the serious of letters.
(b) Novel based on a biographical account
(c) Novels written in poetic verse
(d) None of the options.
Answer: (a) Novel written in the serious of letters.
An epistolary novel is a novel written as a series of documents, most commonly through correspondence or letters exchanged between characters.
In simple words: Epistolary novels are stories told through letters written by characters.

Exam Tip: Remember that 'epistolary' comes from 'epistle', which means a letter or correspondence.

Question 2. It is truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife. The above lines have been illustrated from the novel -
(a) Pride and Prejudice
(b) Mayor of caster bridge
(c) Pamela
(d) Treasure Island
Answer: (a) Pride and Prejudice
This famous opening line is the very first sentence of Jane Austen's classic 1813 novel, Pride and Prejudice.
In simple words: This famous opening quote belongs to the novel Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.

Exam Tip: Memorize classic opening lines of major novels as they frequently appear in board exams.

Question 3. Who wrote 'Hard Times'?
(a) Charles Dickens
(b) Walter Scott
(c) Thomas Hardy
(d) Emile Zola
Answer: (a) Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens wrote 'Hard Times', published in 1854, which critiqued the social and economic conditions of Victorian industrial cities.
In simple words: Charles Dickens is the author of the novel Hard Times.

Question 4. What did "Kissa Goi" means -
(a) The art of story telling
(b) Moralizing
(c) Slave Trade
(d) Vagabond
Answer: (a) The art of story telling
'Kissa Goi' refers to the traditional Urdu and Persian art and practice of storytelling.
In simple words: Kissa Goi means the traditional art of telling stories.

Exam Tip: Learn traditional literary terms like Kissa Goi when studying the evolution of Hindi and Urdu novels under Premchand.

Question 5. The first novel to be serialized was -
(a) Hard Times
(b) Oliver Twist
(c) Pickwick papers
(d) Mayor of caster bridge
Answer: (c) Pickwick papers
Charles Dickens' 'The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club' (Pickwick Papers) was published in monthly installments starting in 1836, marking the popularization of serialized novels.
In simple words: Pickwick Papers was the pioneering novel published in parts or installments.

Exam Tip: Serialization allowed readers to wait eagerly for subsequent magazine issues, increasing the affordability and popularity of novels.

Question 6. The first Indian novel was written in -
(a) Malayalam
(b) Bhojpuri
(c) Punjabi
(d) Marathi
Answer: (d) Marathi
Baba Padmanji's novel 'Yamunaparyatan' (1857), written in Marathi, is widely considered the first Indian novel.
In simple words: The earliest modern Indian novel tradition took root in Marathi.

Exam Tip: Distinguish between the first Indian novel in Marathi and the first modern novel in Malayalam (Indulekha).

Question 7. The first modern novel in Malayalam is -
(a) Sevasadan
(b) Pariksha Guru
(c) Indulekha
(d) Rajesekhara
Answer: (c) Indulekha
O. Chandu Menon wrote 'Indulekha' in 1889, which is acclaimed as the first modern novel in Malayalam.
In simple words: Indulekha by O. Chandu Menon is the first modern novel in Malayalam.

Exam Tip: Match regional novels with their respective authors and languages correctly for objective questions.

Question 8. Who is the author of 'Pamela'?
(a) Leo Tolstoy
(b) Samuel Richardson
(c) Thomas Hardy
(d) Charles Dickens
Answer: (b) Samuel Richardson
Samuel Richardson wrote the epistolary novel 'Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded' in 1740.
In simple words: Samuel Richardson wrote the famous 18th-century novel Pamela.

Exam Tip: Pamela is a prime example of an early epistolary novel written as a series of letters.

Question 9. In which year was Emile Zola's 'Germinal' published?
(a) 1584
(b) 1885
(c) 1886
(d) 1874
Answer: (b) 1885
A
Emile Zola's masterpiece 'Germinal', depicting the harsh lives of French coal miners, was published in 1885.
In simple words: Germinal was published in the year 1885.

Exam Tip: Note the publication years of major international novels dealing with industrialization.

Question 10. Who wrote the famous novel 'Jungle Book'?
(a) Rudyard Kipling
(b) R. L. Stevenson
(c) Hunt Jackson
(d) Jane Austen
Answer: (a) Rudyard Kipling
Rudyard Kipling wrote 'The Jungle Book', a collection of stories set in India featuring Mowgli.
In simple words: Rudyard Kipling is the author of The Jungle Book.

Exam Tip: Kipling's works reflect colonial perspectives and adventure in India.

Short Answers Type Questions

Question 1. "Novels were useful for both the colonial administrators and Indians in colonial India." Support the statement with example.
Answer: To colonial administration:
1. Novels served as a source to understand native life, customs, traditions, and domestic habits.
2. They helped the British administrators to govern Indian society, which was divided into various complex communities and castes.
3. Novels provided insights into domestic life, attire, and religious practices of local populations.
4. Some books and vernacular texts were translated into English by British administrators or Christian missionaries to better comprehend Indian society.
To Indians:
1. Indians used novels as a powerful medium to criticize social defects and suggest necessary reforms.
2. Novels helped establish a connection and relationship with India's rich cultural past.
3. They served as a platform to propagate social and political ideas.
4. Novels glorified historical accounts and helped foster a sense of national pride among readers.
5. Vernacular novels helped create a sense of collective belonging and identity based on shared language.
In simple words: British rulers used novels to understand Indian society for better governance, while Indians used them to criticize social evils and build national pride.

Exam Tip: Structure your answer clearly under two distinct headings (To colonial administration and To Indians) for full marks.

Question 2. Explain how did novels became a popular medium of entertainment among the middle class during late 19th century.
Answer: 1. The fictional worlds created by novels were absorbing, believable, and seemingly real to the readers.
2. While reading novels, readers were transported into another person's world, experiencing life through the eyes and feelings of the characters.
3. Novels offered individuals the dual pleasure of reading in private solitude as well as discussing them publicly.
4. The stories and characters of novels became frequent topics of discussion in domestic homes, public meetings, and even offices.
In simple words: Novels became popular because people could immerse themselves in realistic stories, enjoying them privately or discussing them socially.

Exam Tip: Emphasize the rise of print culture, literacy, and leisure time among the 19th-century middle class.

Question 3. What were the advantages of serialized novels?
Answer: 1. A story was published in periodic installments, maintaining high suspense for the next issue.
2. Serialization allowed readers to relish the suspense, discuss plot twists and characters with others, and live with the story for weeks or months.
3. This format was economically viable because magazines containing serialized installments were illustrated, cheap, and affordable for the common public.
In simple words: Serialized novels kept readers hooked through suspenseful installments in cheap, affordable magazines.

Exam Tip: Mention affordability and the creation of reader communities as key benefits of serialization.

Question 4. What were the advantages of vernacular novels?
Answer: 1. They were written in the everyday language of common people, making them easily accessible.
2. Vernacular novels fostered a sense of shared cultural world and unity among diverse groups of people within a nation.
3. They drew from diverse linguistic styles by combining classical language elements with street vocabulary to enrich the vernacular.
4. Vernacular novels could be read individually for personal reflection or read aloud in community groups.
In simple words: Vernacular novels used local languages to connect ordinary people and build cultural unity.

Exam Tip: Highlight how vernacular literature contributed to the rise of regional and national identity.

Long Answers Type Questions

Question 1. Explain the contribution of Premchand in Hindi novels.
Answer: 1. Munshi Premchand was one of the greatest literary giants of modern Hindi and Urdu literature.
2. He began his literary career writing in Urdu before shifting to Hindi, enriching both languages.
3. His novels elevated Hindi fiction from romantic fantasy to realistic portrayals of society.
4. Premchand wrote on pressing social issues of his time, such as communalism, corruption, zamindari debt, rural poverty, and the impacts of colonialism.
5. He effectively utilized the traditional storytelling art form of "Kissa Goi" combined with modern realism.
In simple words: Premchand transformed Hindi literature by writing realistic novels about poverty, corruption, and social issues using traditional storytelling techniques.

Exam Tip: Mention key works of Premchand like Godan and Sevasadan when discussing his social themes.

Question 2. How 'Industrial Revolution' was reflected in the novels?
Answer: 1. When the Industrial Revolution led to the rise of factories, business profits soared, but workers faced severe exploitation and hardship.
2. Cities expanded rapidly in an unregulated manner, overflowing with overworked and underpaid laborers.
3. Deeply critical of these changes, novelists like Charles Dickens exposed the terrible human costs of industrialization.
4. Dickens' novel 'Hard Times' depicts a fictional industrial town as a grim landscape choked with machinery, smoking chimneys, and polluted rivers.
5. Dickens criticized not only the blind greed for profit but also economic theories that reduced human beings to mere instruments of production.
6. In 'Oliver Twist', Dickens tells the tale of a poor orphan surviving among petty criminals and beggars in an unforgiving urban world before finding a happy resolution.
7. Emile Zola's 'Germinal' offered a stark and gritty portrayal of a young coal miner's life that ended in despair, unlike the optimistic resolution in Dickens' works.
In simple words: Novelists like Charles Dickens and Emile Zola highlighted the pollution, exploitation, and misery caused by the Industrial Revolution in growing cities.

Exam Tip: Contrast Charles Dickens' reformist optimism with Emile Zola's tragic realism regarding industrial workers.

World Famous Novels, Novelists and Their Work