Mahasweta Devi – “Rudali” – Exam Based MCQs
1. “Rudali” is a well-known work by: (UGC NET 2018; SET 2020; PGTRB 2022)
A) Arundhati Roy
B) Mahasweta Devi
C) Kamala Das
D) Anita Desai
Ans: B) Mahasweta Devi
2. “Rudali” primarily focuses on the life of: (UGC NET 2017; SET 2019; PGTRB 2021)
A) A queen
B) A professional mourner
C) A poet
D) A school teacher
Ans: B) A professional mourner
3. The central character in “Rudali” is: (SET 2018; PGTRB 2020)
A) Sanichari
B) Velutha
C) Rukmani
D) Benare
Ans: A) Sanichari
4. “Rudali” highlights exploitation based on: (UGC NET 2019; SET 2021; PGTRB 2022)
A) Only romance
B) Caste, class, and gender
C) Only nature
D) Only mythology
Ans: B) Caste, class, and gender
5. The term “Rudali” refers to: (UGC NET 2016; SET 2018; PGTRB 2020)
A) A festival dance
B) A hired mourner (woman who laments)
C) A priest
D) A revolutionary group
Ans: B) A hired mourner (woman who laments)
6. Mahasweta Devi is widely known for writing about: (SET 2019; PGTRB 2021)
A) Courtly romance
B) Marginalized and tribal communities
C) Science fiction
D) Metaphysical poetry
Ans: B) Marginalized and tribal communities
7. “Rudali” is best described as a: (UGC NET 2018; SET 2020)
A) Epic poem
B) Short story/novella with social critique
C) Pastoral romance
D) Classical tragedy
Ans: B) Short story/novella with social critique
8. Sanichari’s struggle is mainly against: (UGC NET 2017; SET 2019; PGTRB 2021)
A) Natural disasters
B) Social oppression and poverty
C) Mythic gods
D) Foreign invasion
Ans: B) Social oppression and poverty
9. “Rudali” is often studied in connection with: (UGC NET 2019; SET 2021; PGTRB 2022)
A) Subaltern studies
B) Romantic criticism
C) Old English philology
D) Renaissance sonnets
Ans: A) Subaltern studies
10. The narrative of “Rudali” exposes the hypocrisy of: (SET 2020; PGTRB 2022)
A) Landlords and upper-caste elites
B) Nature worshippers
C) Scientists
D) Romantic poets
Ans: A) Landlords and upper-caste elites
11. The character who helps Sanichari understand the “rudali” system is: (UGC NET 2018; SET 2020)
A) Dulan
B) Devadatta
C) Kapila
D) Sukhatme
Ans: A) Dulan
12. “Rudali” ultimately shows mourning as: (SET 2019; PGTRB 2021)
A) Pure devotion
B) A paid performance and survival strategy
C) A royal ritual only
D) A religious festival dance
Ans: B) A paid performance and survival strategy
13. The work “Rudali” is known for its: (UGC NET 2017; SET 2019)
A) Humourless romantic plot
B) Sharp social realism and critique
C) Mythic hero worship
D) Pastoral beauty only
Ans: B) Sharp social realism and critique
14. Mahasweta Devi is associated with: (UGC NET 2019; SET 2021; PGTRB 2022)
A) Writing on oppressed communities and activism
B) Romantic nature poetry
C) Victorian comedy
D) Metaphysical wit
Ans: A) Writing on oppressed communities and activism
15. “Rudali” can be read as a critique of: (SET 2020; PGTRB 2022)
A) Feudal power structures
B) Modern technology
C) Romantic imagination
D) Old English grammar
Ans: A) Feudal power structures
16. The socio-economic setting of “Rudali” is mainly: (UGC NET 2016; SET 2018; PGTRB 2020)
A) Urban London
B) Rural feudal North India (oppressive landlord culture)
C) Medieval France
D) Ancient Rome
Ans: B) Rural feudal North India (oppressive landlord culture)
17. “Rudali” is often discussed in feminist readings because it highlights: (UGC NET 2018; SET 2020; PGTRB 2022)
A) Women’s exploitation and resilience
B) Royal romance
C) Mythic heroism
D) Pastoral joy
Ans: A) Women’s exploitation and resilience
18. The text “Rudali” is best categorized as: (SET 2019; PGTRB 2021)
A) A modern short narrative with political edge
B) A Renaissance tragedy
C) An Old English epic
D) A metaphysical essay
Ans: A) A modern short narrative with political edge
19. The function of “rudalis” in the story is to: (UGC NET 2017; SET 2019; PGTRB 2021)
A) Celebrate weddings
B) Perform ritual mourning for upper-caste deaths
C) Sing devotional hymns daily
D) Teach children
Ans: B) Perform ritual mourning for upper-caste deaths
20. Overall, “Rudali” shows how grief becomes: (UGC NET 2020; SET 2021; PGTRB 2022)
A) A commodity and survival tool
B) Only spiritual bliss
C) A royal privilege
D) A romantic ideal
Ans: A) A commodity and survival tool
21. Dulan in “Rudali” mainly represents: (SET 2018; PGTRB 2020)
A) Social awareness and guidance
B) Royal authority
C) Romantic heroism
D) Mythic power
Ans: A) Social awareness and guidance
22. Sanichari’s life is marked by repeated: (UGC NET 2016; SET 2018)
A) Joyful celebrations
B) Loss, suffering, and poverty
C) Royal honours
D) Mythic blessings
Ans: B) Loss, suffering, and poverty
23. The power structure criticized in “Rudali” is mainly: (UGC NET 2019; SET 2021)
A) Feudal landlordism
B) Democratic elections
C) Scientific institutions
D) Romantic criticism
Ans: A) Feudal landlordism
24. The story emphasizes that marginalized women often survive through: (SET 2020; PGTRB 2022)
A) Labour and strategic adaptation
B) Royal charity only
C) Mythic blessings
D) Romantic love
Ans: A) Labour and strategic adaptation
25. “Rudali” is often taught under the category of: (UGC NET 2018; SET 2020; PGTRB 2022)
A) Subaltern and feminist narratives
B) Victorian romance
C) Old English lyric
D) Elizabethan comedy
Ans: A) Subaltern and feminist narratives
26. The story exposes the relationship between caste and: (SET 2019; PGTRB 2021)
A) Labour exploitation
B) Astronomy
C) Grammar
D) Romantic imagination
Ans: A) Labour exploitation
27. The “rudali” system is most clearly shown as: (UGC NET 2017; SET 2019)
A) Commercialized mourning
B) Spiritual salvation
C) Royal celebration
D) Romantic devotion
Ans: A) Commercialized mourning
28. Mahasweta Devi’s writing is known for: (UGC NET 2019; SET 2021; PGTRB 2022)
A) Political commitment and social justice
B) Romantic escapism
C) Pure fantasy only
D) Metaphysical philosophy only
Ans: A) Political commitment and social justice
29. The story’s realism comes from its portrayal of: (SET 2020; PGTRB 2022)
A) Harsh rural poverty and oppression
B) Royal romance
C) Mythic wars
D) Pastoral bliss
Ans: A) Harsh rural poverty and oppression
30. The story suggests that the powerful mourn: (UGC NET 2018; SET 2020)
A) Through hired grief of the poor
B) Through equality and love
C) Without rituals
D) Only through silence and meditation
Ans: A) Through hired grief of the poor
31. “Rudali” is often considered a critique of: (UGC NET 2017; SET 2019; PGTRB 2021)
A) Feudal hypocrisy
B) Romantic poetry
C) Classical epics
D) Old English grammar
Ans: A) Feudal hypocrisy
32. The story strongly critiques the treatment of: (SET 2019; PGTRB 2021)
A) Lower-caste women
B) Kings and warriors
C) Romantic poets
D) Scientists
Ans: A) Lower-caste women
33. “Rudali” is most often linked with which critical approach? (UGC NET 2019; SET 2021; PGTRB 2022)
A) Subaltern/Feminist criticism
B) New Criticism only
C) Formalism only
D) Romantic criticism only
Ans: A) Subaltern/Feminist criticism
34. The narrative shows that the poor are denied even: (UGC NET 2018; SET 2020)
A) The right to genuine grief
B) The right to royal titles
C) The right to travel abroad
D) The right to write poetry
Ans: A) The right to genuine grief
35. The title “Rudali” symbolizes: (SET 2020; PGTRB 2022)
A) Forced performance of sorrow
B) Royal happiness
C) Mythic victory
D) Romantic devotion
Ans: A) Forced performance of sorrow
36. Mahasweta Devi is also known for works like: (UGC NET 2017; SET 2019; PGTRB 2021)
A) “Draupadi”
B) “The Waste Land”
C) “Hayavadana”
D) “The Metaphysical Poets”
Ans: A) “Draupadi”
37. The story is set in a society marked by: (SET 2019; PGTRB 2021)
A) Extreme inequality
B) Complete equality
C) Mythic harmony
D) Romantic idealism
Ans: A) Extreme inequality
38. The most powerful irony in “Rudali” is that grief becomes: (UGC NET 2019; SET 2021)
A) A paid service
B) A royal blessing
C) A romantic ideal
D) A mythic weapon
Ans: A) A paid service
39. The story’s ending suggests: (SET 2020; PGTRB 2022)
A) Resistance and agency among oppressed women
B) Total defeat with no hope
C) Only romantic union
D) Mythic salvation
Ans: A) Resistance and agency among oppressed women
40. “Rudali” is often included in syllabi for: (UGC NET 2018; SET 2020; PGTRB 2022)
A) Indian literature / subaltern texts
B) Old English poetry
C) Renaissance drama
D) Romantic criticism
Ans: A) Indian literature / subaltern texts
41. Sanichari’s transformation is from a passive sufferer to a woman who: (UGC NET 2017; SET 2019; PGTRB 2021)
A) Uses the system for survival and power
B) Becomes a queen
C) Writes romantic poetry
D) Travels abroad
Ans: A) Uses the system for survival and power
42. The character Dulan is significant because he: (SET 2018; PGTRB 2020)
A) Exposes feudal hypocrisy
B) Becomes a king
C) Is a romantic hero
D) Is a mythic god
Ans: A) Exposes feudal hypocrisy
43. “Rudali” shows that caste oppression is tied to: (UGC NET 2019; SET 2021)
A) Economic exploitation
B) Only language change
C) Only romantic love
D) Only mythic war
Ans: A) Economic exploitation
44. The story is powerful because it uses: (SET 2020; PGTRB 2022)
A) Irony and realism to critique society
B) Pure fantasy only
C) Courtly romance only
D) Mythic hero worship only
Ans: A) Irony and realism to critique society
45. The “rudalis” in the story are mainly from: (UGC NET 2018; SET 2020; PGTRB 2022)
A) Marginalized castes/classes
B) Royal families
C) Priestly class
D) Foreign visitors
Ans: A) Marginalized castes/classes
46. The story critiques the upper class for displaying grief as: (SET 2019; PGTRB 2021)
A) A social performance
B) Genuine devotion
C) Scientific truth
D) Romantic beauty
Ans: A) A social performance
47. “Rudali” is most commonly interpreted as a story about: (UGC NET 2017; SET 2019; PGTRB 2021)
A) Survival and resistance
B) Courtly romance
C) Mythic heroism
D) Pastoral joy
Ans: A) Survival and resistance
48. Mahasweta Devi’s work is often connected to: (UGC NET 2019; SET 2021; PGTRB 2022)
A) Activism and social justice writing
B) Romantic lyricism
C) Neo-classical satire
D) Metaphysical theology
Ans: A) Activism and social justice writing
49. The story’s strongest element is its: (SET 2020; PGTRB 2022)
A) Social critique of oppression
B) Pastoral beauty
C) Mythic war scenes
D) Romantic celebration
Ans: A) Social critique of oppression
50. Overall, “Rudali” shows how marginalized women turn grief into: (UGC NET 2020; SET 2021; PGTRB 2022)
A) A means of livelihood and resistance
B) Only religious devotion
C) A royal ritual
D) A romantic ideal
Ans: A) A means of livelihood and resistance
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