Mahesh Dattani – “Dance Like a Man” – Exam Based MCQs
1. “Dance Like a Man” is a play written by: (UGC NET 2018; SET 2020; PGTRB 2022)
A) Girish Karnad
B) Mahesh Dattani
C) Vijay Tendulkar
D) Badal Sircar
Ans: B) Mahesh Dattani
2. Mahesh Dattani is best known as a: (SET 2019; PGTRB 2021)
A) Metaphysical poet
B) Indian English dramatist
C) Romantic essayist
D) Victorian novelist
Ans: B) Indian English dramatist
3. The central male dancer in “Dance Like a Man” is: (UGC NET 2017; SET 2019; PGTRB 2021)
A) Jairaj
B) Amritlal
C) Vishwas
D) Sukhatme
Ans: A) Jairaj
4. Jairaj’s wife and dance partner is: (SET 2018; PGTRB 2020)
A) Ratna
B) Benare
C) Sanichari
D) Daisy
Ans: A) Ratna
5. The father figure who disapproves of Jairaj’s dancing is: (UGC NET 2016; SET 2018; PGTRB 2020)
A) Amritlal
B) Dulan
C) Samant
D) Ponkshe
Ans: A) Amritlal
6. “Dance Like a Man” mainly explores: (UGC NET 2019; SET 2021; PGTRB 2022)
A) War and heroism
B) Gender roles and social expectations
C) Mythical adventures
D) Courtly romance
Ans: B) Gender roles and social expectations
7. The dance form associated with the play is mainly: (SET 2019; PGTRB 2021)
A) Bharatanatyam
B) Ballet
C) Hip-hop
D) Flamenco
Ans: A) Bharatanatyam
8. The play uses a structure that shifts between: (UGC NET 2018; SET 2020)
A) Myth and legend only
B) Past and present
C) Only future predictions
D) Only a single timeline
Ans: B) Past and present
9. The conflict in the play largely arises from: (UGC NET 2017; SET 2019; PGTRB 2021)
A) A royal succession
B) Family pressure and patriarchal ideas
C) A mythic curse
D) Foreign invasion
Ans: B) Family pressure and patriarchal ideas
10. The daughter of Jairaj and Ratna is: (SET 2020; PGTRB 2022)
A) Lata
B) Benare
C) Sanichari
D) Daisy
Ans: A) Lata
11. “Dance Like a Man” is often categorized as: (UGC NET 2018; SET 2020; PGTRB 2022)
A) Social drama
B) Epic poem
C) Pastoral romance
D) Classical Greek tragedy
Ans: A) Social drama
12. The play questions the idea that dance is: (SET 2019; PGTRB 2021)
A) Only a male profession
B) Feminine and “unmanly” for men
C) Always a religious ritual
D) Only a royal art
Ans: B) Feminine and “unmanly” for men
13. Amritlal in the play represents: (UGC NET 2017; SET 2019)
A) Liberal modernity
B) Patriarchal authority and tradition
C) Comic relief only
D) Mythic heroism
Ans: B) Patriarchal authority and tradition
14. Ratna is portrayed as: (UGC NET 2019; SET 2021; PGTRB 2022)
A) A character without ambition
B) Ambitious and determined to succeed in dance
C) A mythic goddess
D) A royal queen
Ans: B) Ambitious and determined to succeed in dance
15. The play’s title “Dance Like a Man” is ironic because it: (SET 2020; PGTRB 2022)
A) Praises patriarchy
B) Challenges gender stereotypes
C) Celebrates war
D) Focuses on mythology
Ans: B) Challenges gender stereotypes
16. The play is significant in Indian English drama for its focus on: (UGC NET 2018; SET 2020)
A) Mythical epics
B) Middle-class family and gender politics
C) Historical kings
D) Romantic nature
Ans: B) Middle-class family and gender politics
17. “Dance Like a Man” uses dance as a symbol of: (UGC NET 2019; SET 2021)
A) Social identity and self-expression
B) War victory
C) Mythic power
D) Scientific progress
Ans: A) Social identity and self-expression
18. Lata in the play represents the: (SET 2019; PGTRB 2021)
A) Next generation’s choices and freedom
B) Royal lineage
C) Mythic destiny
D) Pastoral beauty
Ans: A) Next generation’s choices and freedom
19. The play’s dramatic technique includes: (UGC NET 2017; SET 2019; PGTRB 2021)
A) Non-linear shifts in time
B) Epic invocation
C) Only chorus singing
D) Only one-act farce
Ans: A) Non-linear shifts in time
20. Overall, the play critiques society’s: (UGC NET 2020; SET 2021; PGTRB 2022)
A) Gender conditioning and patriarchy
B) Love of nature
C) Mythic faith
D) Old English grammar
Ans: A) Gender conditioning and patriarchy
21. The tension between Jairaj and Amritlal is mainly due to: (SET 2018; PGTRB 2020)
A) Jairaj’s choice of dance as career
B) A royal succession
C) A mythic curse
D) Foreign invasion
Ans: A) Jairaj’s choice of dance as career
22. The play points out that “masculinity” is often: (UGC NET 2018; SET 2020)
A) A fixed natural truth
B) Socially constructed
C) Only religious
D) Mythic power
Ans: B) Socially constructed
23. Ratna’s ambition often causes conflict because she: (UGC NET 2019; SET 2021; PGTRB 2022)
A) Pushes Jairaj while prioritizing her own career
B) Rejects dance completely
C) Wants royal power
D) Dreams of war
Ans: A) Pushes Jairaj while prioritizing her own career
24. The play is set mainly in: (SET 2019; PGTRB 2021)
A) A middle-class household space
B) A battlefield
C) A royal court
D) A mythic forest
Ans: A) A middle-class household space
25. The play uses dance to explore identity and: (UGC NET 2017; SET 2019)
A) Freedom vs control
B) Only myth
C) Only war
D) Only romance
Ans: A) Freedom vs control
26. “Dance Like a Man” is important because it questions: (UGC NET 2019; SET 2021; PGTRB 2022)
A) Gender stereotypes in art and family
B) Mythic heroism
C) Pastoral love
D) Old English alliteration
Ans: A) Gender stereotypes in art and family
27. The play shows how artistic talent can be restricted by: (SET 2020; PGTRB 2022)
A) Patriarchal expectations
B) Mythic blessings
C) Royal romance
D) Nature worship
Ans: A) Patriarchal expectations
28. Mahesh Dattani is often credited with bringing to Indian theatre themes of: (UGC NET 2018; SET 2020)
A) Contemporary social issues
B) Only mythic epics
C) Only medieval chivalry
D) Only Renaissance romance
Ans: A) Contemporary social issues
29. The relationship between Jairaj and Ratna is shaped by: (SET 2019; PGTRB 2021)
A) Love, ambition, and compromise
B) Royal politics only
C) Mythic destiny only
D) War and invasion
Ans: A) Love, ambition, and compromise
30. Overall, the play suggests that art and identity are shaped by: (UGC NET 2020; SET 2021; PGTRB 2022)
A) Society and family expectations
B) Mythic gods only
C) Nature only
D) Old English grammar only
Ans: A) Society and family expectations
31. The play’s structure is best described as: (UGC NET 2017; SET 2019; PGTRB 2021)
A) Non-linear with flashbacks
B) Strictly chronological
C) Only mythic episodes
D) Only epic narration
Ans: A) Non-linear with flashbacks
32. The play critiques the stereotype that a man must be: (SET 2018; PGTRB 2020)
A) “Strong” and not a dancer
B) Always a king
C) Always a warrior
D) Always a priest
Ans: A) “Strong” and not a dancer
33. The play suggests that parents can shape children’s lives through: (UGC NET 2019; SET 2021)
A) Control and expectations
B) Mythic prophecy
C) Royal blessing
D) Nature worship
Ans: A) Control and expectations
34. “Dance Like a Man” is often discussed under: (UGC NET 2018; SET 2020; PGTRB 2022)
A) Gender studies in literature
B) Old English studies
C) Renaissance sonnets
D) Metaphysical poetry
Ans: A) Gender studies in literature
35. The play’s conflict is both personal and: (SET 2019; PGTRB 2021)
A) Social
B) Mythic
C) Epic
D) Pastoral
Ans: A) Social
36. Mahesh Dattani won the Sahitya Akademi Award (for drama) and is known for plays like: (UGC NET 2017; SET 2019)
A) Final Solutions
B) The Waste Land
C) Rudali
D) Hayavadana
Ans: A) Final Solutions
37. The play presents dance as a means of: (UGC NET 2019; SET 2021)
A) Self-expression and freedom
B) War victory
C) Mythic worship
D) Royal power
Ans: A) Self-expression and freedom
38. The play shows that ambition can create: (SET 2020; PGTRB 2022)
A) Conflict within family relationships
B) Mythic blessings
C) Royal titles
D) Pastoral joy
Ans: A) Conflict within family relationships
39. The title suggests the pressure to conform to: (UGC NET 2018; SET 2020)
A) Traditional masculinity
B) Mythic heroism
C) Royal protocol
D) Pastoral beauty
Ans: A) Traditional masculinity
40. The play is especially relevant to discussions of: (UGC NET 2020; SET 2021; PGTRB 2022)
A) Art, gender, and identity
B) Old English poetry
C) Elizabethan drama
D) Metaphysical poetry
Ans: A) Art, gender, and identity
41. The play suggests that fathers often enforce: (SET 2019; PGTRB 2021)
A) Social norms and masculinity ideals
B) Mythic prophecies
C) Royal blessings
D) Nature worship
Ans: A) Social norms and masculinity ideals
42. The mother figure (if discussed) is largely absent, highlighting: (UGC NET 2019; SET 2021)
A) Patriarchal dominance in the household
B) Mythic balance
C) Royal romance
D) Pastoral beauty
Ans: A) Patriarchal dominance in the household
43. The play’s ending suggests: (SET 2020; PGTRB 2022)
A) Continuation of tensions but possibility of new choices
B) Mythic salvation
C) Royal triumph
D) Pastoral peace
Ans: A) Continuation of tensions but possibility of new choices
44. The conflict between art and society is central because: (UGC NET 2018; SET 2020; PGTRB 2022)
A) Society labels dance as gendered
B) Dance is mythic worship only
C) Dance is royal duty only
D) Dance is war training
Ans: A) Society labels dance as gendered
45. The play’s significance lies in its exposure of: (SET 2019; PGTRB 2021)
A) Patriarchal control over personal choices
B) Mythic destiny
C) Royal politics
D) Pastoral beauty
Ans: A) Patriarchal control over personal choices
46. “Dance Like a Man” is an example of Indian drama that deals with: (UGC NET 2019; SET 2021; PGTRB 2022)
A) Contemporary social reality
B) Old English epic
C) Renaissance romance
D) Metaphysical theology
Ans: A) Contemporary social reality
47. The play’s dramatic power comes from: (SET 2020; PGTRB 2022)
A) Family conflict and psychological realism
B) Mythic hero worship
C) Royal epic scenes
D) Pastoral landscape
Ans: A) Family conflict and psychological realism
48. Jairaj’s crisis is mainly a crisis of: (UGC NET 2017; SET 2019)
A) Identity and masculinity
B) Royal power
C) Mythic destiny
D) War heroism
Ans: A) Identity and masculinity
49. Ratna and Jairaj’s relationship shows that marriage can involve: (SET 2019; PGTRB 2021)
A) Support and manipulation together
B) Only romance
C) Only myth
D) Only war
Ans: A) Support and manipulation together
50. Overall, “Dance Like a Man” highlights: (UGC NET 2020; SET 2021; PGTRB 2022)
A) How society polices gender through family and art
B) The glory of kings
C) The beauty of nature
D) Mythic heroism
Ans: A) How society polices gender through family and art
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