UPSC Civil Services (Main) Examination 2026 — English Literature Paper II: Question Paper | Plutus IAS

Home > UPSC  > UPSC Civil Services (Main) Examination 2026 — English Literature Paper II: Question Paper | Plutus IAS

12 Sep UPSC Civil Services (Main) Examination 2026 — English Literature Paper II: Question Paper | Plutus IAS

Posted at 12 Sep 2026 in UPSC by
0 Likes

The questions below are from English Literature Paper II of UPSC Civil Services (Main) Examination 2026 (held 2026-08-30) — the actual paper, which is public government content. This page carries the questions for reference and revision; model answers for this paper are not published here.

Official paper (PDF): upsc.gov.in.

  1. Critically comment in about 150 words on each of the following : 10×5=50 (a) Fish, flesh, or fowl commend all summer long Whatever is begotten, born, and dies. Caught in that sensual music all neglect Monuments of unageing intellect. (W.B. Yeats) 10 (b) Do I dare Disturb the universe? In a minute there is time For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse. (T.S. Eliot) 10 (c) Was he free? Was he happy? The question is absurd: Had anything been wrong, we should certainly have heard. (W.H. Auden) 10 (d) In the hollows of afternoons Young mothers assemble At swing and sandpit Setting free their children. (Philip Larkin) 10 (e) a house that leaned slowly through our growing years on a bent coconut tree in the yard. Being the burning type, he burned properly at the cremation (A.K. Ramanujan) 10
  2. Answer all of the following questions : – (a) How does the myth of Leda's rape in Yeats's "Leda and the Swan" symbolize the social milieu of early twentieth-century Europe ? 15 – (b) How does T.S. Eliot's "Journey of the Magi" explore the themes of alienation, regret and powerlessness ? 15 – (c) Analyse how A.K. Ramanujan's poems depict the negotiation between heritage and modernity in the formation of postcolonial identity. 20
  3. Answer all of the following questions : – (a) Assess how far W.H. Auden's assertion that "Poetry makes nothing happen" is true. 15 – (b) Discuss Philip Larkin's statement that "deprivation is for me what daffodils were for William Wordsworth", with reference to his poetic vision. 15 – (c) What structural and formal innovations characterised modernist poetry ? Illustrate with reference to the prescribed poems. 20
  4. Answer all of the following questions : – (a) To what extent does the revolutionary impact of *Look Back in Anger* lie, not only in its themes, but also in its language and dramatic expression ? 15 – (b) Discuss how *Waiting for Godot* by Samuel Beckett represents a convergence between avant-garde and popular culture. 15 – (c) Discuss the use of existential themes, circular dialogues, and illogical situations in absurd drama. 20
  5. Answer all of the following questions in about 150 words each :** $10 \times 5 = 50$ – (a) Analyse the ways in which Joseph Conrad's *Lord Jim* addresses the ideological and moral consequences of colonialism and racism. 10 – (b) Elaborate how guilt, sin and confession contribute to Stephen's moral and psychological development in James Joyce's *A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man*. 10 – (c) Examine the characters in *Sons and Lovers* from a psychoanalytical perspective. 10 – (d) Analyse how E.M. Forster employs the tripartite structure in *A Passage to India* to explore the limits of cross-cultural understanding. 10 – (e) Examine *Mrs. Dalloway* as a novel that explores its deepest concerns through the themes of medicine, empire, and love. 10
  6. Answer all of the following questions : – (a) Analyse the role of oral narrative style and mythic framework in shaping the structure of *Kanthapura*. 15 – (b) Explore V.S. Naipaul's use of comic situations and satiric characterisation in *A House for Mr. Biswas*. 15 – (c) Examine the features and significance of the stream of consciousness technique in modernist literature with reference to *Mrs. Dalloway*. 20
  7. Answer all of the following questions : – (a) Discuss how Joseph Conrad explores the complex issues of honour, guilt and heroism in his novel *Lord Jim*. 15 – (b) Analyse the significance of the ending of *A Passage to India* in terms of colonial separation and the politics of desire. 15 – (c) Examine how *Kanthapura* portrays poverty, illiteracy, and superstition. 20
  8. Answer all of the following questions : – (a) Examine how V.S. Naipaul uses the physical and social landscape in *A House for Mr. Biswas* to mirror the struggles, aspirations, and isolation of Mr. Biswas. 15 – (b) Discuss the representation of colliery life in D.H. Lawrence's *Sons and Lovers*. 15 – (c) Discuss the interplay between Stephen's personal experiences and his emerging ideas about the role of the artist in society. 20

Questions reproduced from the official paper for study purposes; verify on the exam-conducting body’s official website.

Related — other papers of this exam

Tushar
Latest posts by Tushar (see all)
No Comments

Post A Comment