UGC NET December 2026 – English Paper II

Mock Test 7: Unit III – Fiction and Short Story

Examination Instructions

Subject

English – Paper II

Unit

Unit III: Fiction and Short Story

Total Questions

20 MCQs

Maximum Marks

40 marks

Suggested Time

25 minutes

All questions are compulsory.
Each question carries 2 marks.
Each question has four options: (A), (B), (C), and (D). Choose the single best answer.
There is no negative marking in this practice test.
The test includes factual, conceptual, matching, chronology, assertion–reason, statement-based, and passage-based questions.
These are original practice questions based on important syllabus areas. They are not actual or officially predicted UGC NET questions.

Section A: Multiple-Choice Questions

Question 1. (Early English Fiction)

Who wrote Oroonoko; or, The Royal Slave, a work that combines elements of prose fiction with the representation of enslavement and colonialism?

(A) Aphra Behn

(B) Frances Burney

(D) Maria Edgeworth

Question 2. (Literary Concept: Bildungsroman)

Which of the following best defines a bildungsroman?

(A) A novel that focuses exclusively on political revolutions.

(B) A novel that traces the psychological, moral, or social development of a protagonist.

(D) A novel that presents only supernatural events.

Question 3. (Assertion–Reason: Henry James)

Assertion (A): Henry James is known for exploring consciousness, perception, and the complexities of interpersonal relationships.

Reason (R): His fiction often uses restricted perspectives and carefully controlled narration to reveal how characters interpret events.

Choose the correct answer:

(A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.

(B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A.

(D) A is false, but R is true.

Question 4. (Match the Following: Authors and Novels)

Match List I with List II.

List I: Author	List II: Novel
1. Anthony Trollope	a. The Age of Innocence
2. Edith Wharton	b. Barchester Towers
3. J. M. Coetzee	c. Disgrace
4. H. G. Wells	d. The History of Mr Polly

Choose the correct code:

(A) 1–b, 2–a, 3–c, 4–d

(B) 1–a, 2–b, 3–d, 4–c

(D) 1–d, 2–c, 3–b, 4–a

Question 5. (Short Story: Katherine Mansfield)

Katherine Mansfield's “The Garden Party” primarily explores:

(A) The technical development of modern machinery.

(B) Class divisions, social awareness, and a young woman's changing perception of life and death.

(D) The conflict between two rival kingdoms in a fantasy world.

Question 6. (Narrative Technique: Free Indirect Discourse)

Which statement best describes free indirect discourse?

(A) A narrative technique that blends a character's thoughts or idiom with third-person narration without explicit thought tags.

(B) A technique in which the narrator speaks directly to the reader in every paragraph.

(D) A narrative technique in which the story is told entirely through official documents.

Question 7. (Statement-Based Question: Victorian Fiction)

Consider the following statements about Victorian fiction.

Many Victorian novels examine social class, industrialisation, poverty, and changing family structures.
Serial publication influenced the reading and publishing culture of many Victorian novels.
Victorian fiction was exclusively concerned with supernatural horror.
Realism and social criticism are important features of several Victorian novels.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

(A) 1 and 2 only

(B) 1, 2 and 4 only

(D) 1, 2, 3 and 4

Question 8. (Indian English Fiction)

Who wrote Coolie, a novel that portrays the exploitation and hardships experienced by Munoo, a poor young boy?

(A) Raja Rao

(B) R. K. Narayan

(D) Khushwant Singh

Question 9. (Short Story: Ernest Hemingway)

Which principle is most closely associated with Hemingway's iceberg theory of writing?

(A) Every detail of a character's psychology must be explained explicitly.

(B) A story should contain as many subplots as possible.

(D) A story must always end with a supernatural revelation.

Question 10. (Match the Following: Literary Terms)

Match each term in List I with the correct description in List II.

List I: Term	List II: Description
1. Foreshadowing	a. A narrative that begins in the middle of the action
2. In medias res	b. An advance hint of a future event
3. Metafiction	c. Fiction that draws attention to its own constructed nature
4. Flashback	d. A movement to an earlier event in the narrative

Choose the correct code:

(A) 1–b, 2–a, 3–c, 4–d

(B) 1–a, 2–d, 3–b, 4–c

(D) 1–d, 2–c, 3–a, 4–b

Question 11. (Assertion–Reason: Naturalism)

Assertion (A): Naturalist fiction often portrays individuals as being strongly influenced by heredity, environment, and material circumstances.

Reason (R): Naturalism generally rejects any serious examination of poverty, social conditions, or environmental forces.

Choose the correct answer:

(A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.

(B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A.

(D) A is false, but R is true.

Question 12. (Case Study: Unreliable Narration)

Read the following passage:

“I have always been an honest man,” declared the narrator. “The money disappeared while I was in the room, but naturally I had nothing to do with it.” He then explains that he was the only person present, that the locked door had not been opened, and that he cannot remember where he put the key.

What is the most appropriate interpretation of this passage?

(A) The narrator's reliability is unquestionable because he calls himself honest.

(B) The narrator's account contains contradictions that encourage readers to question his reliability.

(D) The narrator has no role in the events described.

Question 13. (Postcolonial Fiction: J. M. Coetzee)

Which of the following novels by J. M. Coetzee reworks the world of Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe through the story of Susan Barton and the island of Cruso?

(A) Disgrace

(B) Waiting for the Barbarians

(D) Life & Times of Michael K

Question 14. (Feminist Fiction)

A literary critic studies how a woman character's access to education, property, and independence is restricted by patriarchal institutions. Which approach is most directly relevant?

(A) Feminist literary criticism

(B) Formalism limited to sound patterns

(D) Biographical criticism that excludes the text's social context

Question 15. (American Fiction: Toni Morrison)

Which novel by Toni Morrison explores the traumatic legacy of slavery through the story of Sethe, a formerly enslaved woman?

(A) The Color Purple

(B) Beloved

(D) Invisible Man

Question 16. (Chronology: English Fiction)

Arrange the following novels in chronological order of their first publication, from earliest to latest.

Evelina — Frances Burney
Ivanhoe — Walter Scott
Oliver Twist — Charles Dickens
The Picture of Dorian Gray — Oscar Wilde

Choose the correct answer:

(A) 1, 2, 3, 4

(B) 2, 1, 4, 3

(D) 3, 2, 1, 4

Question 17. (Short Story: H. G. Wells)

H. G. Wells is particularly associated with the development of which form of fiction?

(A) Science fiction

(B) Pastoral romance exclusively

(D) Epistolary domestic fiction exclusively

Question 18. (Application-Based: Symbolism)

In a novel, a character repeatedly sees a locked door. As the story progresses, the door comes to represent the character's suppressed memories and inability to confront the past.

What is the primary literary function of the locked door?

(A) Comic relief

(B) Symbolism

(D) Direct characterisation only

Question 19. (Short Story: Eudora Welty)

Which of the following is a short story by Eudora Welty?

(A) “A Worn Path”

(B) “The Tell-Tale Heart”

(D) “The Lottery”

Question 20. (Comprehension and Critical Interpretation)

Read the following passage carefully:

The old railway station had long ceased to receive passenger trains. Its clock was stopped, and weeds grew between the tracks. Yet every evening, a retired stationmaster sat on the platform with a notebook, recording the names of people who had once passed through the town. To the local authorities, the building was an unused structure; to him, it was a record of journeys, departures, and lives that had briefly intersected.

Which statement best expresses the central idea of the passage?

(A) Abandoned buildings have no value unless they are restored for commercial use.

(B) Official descriptions of a place may overlook its personal, historical, and emotional significance.

(D) The stationmaster is attempting to restart the railway service.

Section B: Answer Key with Explanations

Q. No.	Answer	Explanation
1	A	Aphra Behn wrote Oroonoko (1688), an important early prose narrative addressing enslavement, colonial power, and the figure of the enslaved African prince.
2	B	A bildungsroman traces a protagonist's growth and development, often from youth toward greater maturity or self-understanding.
3	A	Henry James frequently uses restricted viewpoints and subtle narration to explore consciousness and the uncertain interpretation of events. The reason explains the assertion.
4	A	Anthony Trollope—Barchester Towers; Edith Wharton—The Age of Innocence; J. M. Coetzee—Disgrace; H. G. Wells—The History of Mr Polly.
5	B	Mansfield's story contrasts the Sheridans' privileged world with working-class hardship and prompts Laura's questioning of class boundaries and mortality.
6	A	Free indirect discourse blends a character's perspective or idiom with third-person narration, often without phrases such as “she thought.”
7	B	Statements 1, 2, and 4 are correct. Victorian fiction often engaged with social change and was frequently published in serial form.
8	C	Mulk Raj Anand's Coolie (1936) depicts Munoo's exploitation and the harsh conditions faced by the poor.
9	C	Hemingway's iceberg theory suggests that a story's deeper emotional or thematic force can emerge from what the writer leaves unstated.
10	A	Foreshadowing hints at future events; in medias res begins in the middle of the action; metafiction highlights its own constructed nature; flashback returns to earlier events.
11	C	The assertion is true. The reason is false because naturalism does examine social conditions, poverty, environment, and other forces shaping human behaviour.
12	B	The narrator's claim of honesty conflicts with the suspicious circumstances and gaps in his account, prompting readers to question his credibility.
13	C	J. M. Coetzee's Foe (1986) reimagines elements of Defoe's Robinson Crusoe and examines storytelling, silence, and authority.
14	A	Feminist literary criticism investigates gendered power structures and their effects on women's education, property, agency, and representation.
15	B	Toni Morrison's Beloved (1987) explores the continuing psychological and familial consequences of slavery through Sethe and other characters.
16	A	Evelina (1778), Ivanhoe (1819), Oliver Twist (published in serial form from 1837), and The Picture of Dorian Gray (first published in 1890).
17	A	H. G. Wells helped shape modern science fiction through works such as The Time Machine, The Island of Doctor Moreau, and The War of the Worlds.
18	B	The locked door functions symbolically, representing the character's suppressed memories and emotional barriers.
19	A	“A Worn Path” is a short story by Eudora Welty, centred on Phoenix Jackson's journey to obtain medicine for her grandson.
20	B	The passage contrasts an official, functional view of the station with the stationmaster's personal memories and understanding of its historical significance.

Section C: Score Evaluation

Each correct answer carries 2 marks.

Score	Performance	Recommended Action
34–40	Excellent	Practise advanced critical interpretation and unfamiliar passages.
26–32	Good	Revise author–work associations, publication chronology, and narrative techniques.
16–24	Moderate	Strengthen literary concepts and major fiction traditions.
0–14	Needs improvement	Begin with foundational authors, novels, short stories, and terminology.

These are informal practice bands, not official UGC NET qualifying thresholds.

Section D: Important Revision Topics

Early prose fiction: Aphra Behn, Daniel Defoe, Samuel Richardson, Henry Fielding, and Frances Burney.
Victorian novelists: Charles Dickens, Anthony Trollope, George Eliot, Thomas Hardy, and the Brontë sisters.
Modern and contemporary fiction: Henry James, Joseph Conrad, D. H. Lawrence, William Faulkner, Toni Morrison, and J. M. Coetzee.
Short-story writers: Katherine Mansfield, Eudora Welty, Ernest Hemingway, H. G. Wells, Edgar Allan Poe, and O. Henry.
Indian English fiction: Mulk Raj Anand, R. K. Narayan, Raja Rao, and Salman Rushdie.
Narrative techniques: Free indirect discourse, interior monologue, unreliable narration, frame narrative, symbolism, and foreshadowing.
Literary movements: Realism, naturalism, Gothic fiction, modernism, science fiction, and postcolonial fiction.
Critical approaches: Feminist criticism, postcolonial criticism, and the study of class, race, memory, and power.

Preparation tip: Do not memorise only titles and authors. For each work, learn its first publication date, major characters, narrative method, literary movement, and central themes. Practise explaining why a particular technique or critical approach is appropriate to a passage.

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