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RBSE SS Sanskrit Literature study materials
RBSE SS Sanskrit Literature study resources

RBSE SS Sanskrit Literature practice questions

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Question 1Prose (Gadya) - prescribed Sanskrit prose passages, authors and themes

In the traditional classification of Sanskrit prose (gadya), which pair correctly names the two broad categories based on whether the composition is divided into chapters (pariccheda)?

  1. kāvya and śāstra
  2. kathā and ākhyāyikā Correct answer.
  3. gadya and padya
  4. saṃskṛta and prākṛta

Explanation

Sanskrit prose kāvya is traditionally divided into kathā, which is divided into paricchedas or uccvāsas, and ākhyāyikā, which is divided into āsāsas and often uses the vaṃśa-stava and other conventions. This classification concerns narrative prose fiction, not metre or language.

Question 2Prose (Gadya) - prescribed Sanskrit prose passages, authors and themes

The Sanskrit prose romance Vāsavadattā, noted for its ornate and often obscure style, is attributed to which author?

  1. Daṇḍin
  2. Bhāsa
  3. Bāṇa
  4. Subandhu Correct answer.

Explanation

Subandhu is the author of the Vāsavadattā, a prose kathā famous for its long compounds and verbal ingenuity. Bāṇa and Daṇḍin are associated with other prose works, and Bhāsa with drama.

Question 3Prose (Gadya) - prescribed Sanskrit prose passages, authors and themes

Bāṇa's prose work that narrates the early life and reign of King Harṣa of Kanauj is titled:

  1. Kādambarī
  2. Vikramāṅkadevacarita
  3. Rāmacarita
  4. Harṣacarita Correct answer.

Explanation

The Harṣacarita is Bāṇa's biographical prose kāvya about King Harṣavardhana, and it is often cited as an early example of historical biography in Sanskrit. Its opening chapters describe Bāṇa's own family and background before turning to the king.

Question 4Prose (Gadya) - prescribed Sanskrit prose passages, authors and themes

The Daśakumāracarita, a prose narrative describing the adventures of ten princes, is traditionally ascribed to:

  1. Kṣemendra
  2. Daṇḍin Correct answer.
  3. Bāṇa
  4. Subandhu

Explanation

Daṇḍin is credited with the Daśakumāracarita, a prose kāvya recounting the exploits of ten young princes. Daṇḍin is also the reputed author of the Kāvyādarśa, a treatise on poetics.

Question 5Prose (Gadya) - prescribed Sanskrit prose passages, authors and themes

In Sanskrit prose literature the term 'mukha' in the context of a kathā refers to:

  1. the concluding benediction of the work
  2. the author's signature verse
  3. a type of long compound
  4. the opening portion that introduces the story Correct answer.

Explanation

In narrative prose the mukha is the introductory opening section that sets the frame and introduces the characters and setting before the main action begins. It corresponds roughly to the prologue or opening movement of the narrative.

Question 6Prose (Gadya) - prescribed Sanskrit prose passages, authors and themes

The prose narrative Kādambarī is notable for being completed by which author, who is said to have finished the work left incomplete by Bāṇa?

  1. Abhinanda
  2. Subandhu
  3. Bāṇa's son Bhūṣaṇabhaṭṭa Correct answer.
  4. Daṇḍin

Explanation

Tradition holds that Bāṇa left the Kādambarī unfinished and that his son Bhūṣaṇabhaṭṭa completed it. The work is thus often described as having a portion by Bāṇa and a concluding portion by his son.

Question 7Prose (Gadya) - prescribed Sanskrit prose passages, authors and themes

Which of these is a prose (gadya) work rather than a verse (padya) composition?

  1. Meghadūta
  2. Kādambarī Correct answer.
  3. Raghuvaṃśa
  4. Kirātārjunīya

Explanation

The Kādambarī is a prose romance, so it belongs to gadya kāvya. The Raghuvaṃśa, Meghadūta and Kirātārjunīya are all composed in classical metres and are therefore padya works.

Question 8Prose (Gadya) - prescribed Sanskrit prose passages, authors and themes

The term 'ākhyāyikā' in Sanskrit prose refers to a narrative that, in its classical form, is typically characterised by:

  1. being narrated by the hero himself and including the vaṃśa-stava Correct answer.
  2. being a collection of animal fables
  3. being composed entirely in prose without any verse
  4. being a technical commentary on grammar

Explanation

The classical ākhyāyikā is often narrated in the first person by the hero and includes conventions such as the vaṃśa-stava, a eulogy of the hero's lineage. It is distinguished in this respect from the kathā.

Question 9Prose (Gadya) - prescribed Sanskrit prose passages, authors and themes

In Subandhu's Vāsavadattā, the heroine Vāsavadattā is presented as the daughter of which king?

  1. King Vikramāditya
  2. King Harṣavardhana
  3. King Caṇḍamahāsena of Ujjayinī Correct answer.
  4. King Śatruṃjaya

Explanation

In the Vāsavadattā the heroine is the daughter of King Caṇḍamahāsena of Ujjayinī, and the plot turns on her love for Kandarpaketu. The other names belong to different narratives or historical figures.

Question 10Prose (Gadya) - prescribed Sanskrit prose passages, authors and themes

The opening chapters of Bāṇa's Harṣacarita are especially valued because they provide:

  1. an autobiographical sketch of the author and his family Correct answer.
  2. a detailed account of Sanskrit grammar
  3. a list of the poet's patrons in verse
  4. a summary of Buddhist doctrine

Explanation

The early portion of the Harṣacarita contains Bāṇa's account of his own lineage and early life, which makes it a rare autobiographical passage in Sanskrit literature. This material is often studied for the social and cultural detail it preserves.

Question 11Prose (Gadya) - prescribed Sanskrit prose passages, authors and themes

The prose style of the Vāsavadattā is most often described by the term:

  1. vakrokti
  2. cūrṇaka
  3. gauḍīya
  4. śleṣa-laden and compound-heavy Correct answer.

Explanation

Subandhu's Vāsavadattā is famous for its dense śleṣa (pun) and long, elaborate compounds, which make the prose notoriously difficult. This stylistic density is the feature most often cited in discussions of the work.

Question 12Prose (Gadya) - prescribed Sanskrit prose passages, authors and themes

In the Daśakumāracarita, the narrative frame involves the ten princes meeting and exchanging their stories. Which of the following best describes the purpose of this frame device?

  1. It serves as a grammar lesson
  2. It replaces the need for a hero
  3. It converts the work into a drama
  4. It allows multiple independent adventures to be presented within one work Correct answer.

Explanation

The frame in which the ten princes narrate their adventures lets Daṇḍin present a series of separate tales while keeping a single overarching narrative. This device is a common technique in Sanskrit prose narrative for organising diverse material.

Question 13Prose (Gadya) - prescribed Sanskrit prose passages, authors and themes

The Kādambarī is often praised for its descriptions of nature and of human emotion. Which pair of themes is most central to the work?

  1. Trade and commerce
  2. Grammar and logic
  3. War and diplomacy
  4. Love and separation Correct answer.

Explanation

The Kādambarī centres on the intertwined love stories of Kādambarī and Candrāpīḍa and of Pundarīka and Mahāśvetā, with separation and reunion as key themes. Nature description supports these emotional narratives rather than replacing them.

Question 14Prose (Gadya) - prescribed Sanskrit prose passages, authors and themes

The Sanskrit term 'pariccheda' as used in prose kāvya most nearly means:

  1. a type of metaphor
  2. a grammatical rule
  3. a concluding verse
  4. a chapter or section Correct answer.

Explanation

In prose works such as the kathā, a pariccheda is a chapter or division of the text. It functions as a structural unit in the organisation of long prose narratives.

Question 15Prose (Gadya) - prescribed Sanskrit prose passages, authors and themes

Which statement about the relationship between the Harṣacarita and the Kādambarī is accurate?

  1. Both are dramas by Bhāsa
  2. Both are prose works by Bāṇa, one biographical and one fictional Correct answer.
  3. Both are grammatical commentaries
  4. Both are verse works by Kālidāsa

Explanation

Bāṇa composed both the Harṣacarita, a biographical prose kāvya, and the Kādambarī, a fictional prose romance. The two works differ in subject matter but share the author and the prose medium.

Question 16Prose (Gadya) - prescribed Sanskrit prose passages, authors and themes

In Sanskrit poetics, the term 'kathā' in contrast with 'ākhyāyikā' is generally distinguished by:

  1. being a form of drama
  2. being a commentary on the Vedas
  3. being written only in Prakrit
  4. being divided into uccvāsas and not being narrated by the hero Correct answer.

Explanation

The kathā is typically divided into uccvāsas and is narrated by a narrator other than the hero, whereas the ākhyāyikā uses the hero's first-person narration and other conventions. This distinction is a standard point in Sanskrit prose genre theory.

Question 17Prose (Gadya) - prescribed Sanskrit prose passages, authors and themes

The Vāsavadattā's plot includes the motif of a painting or portrait that plays a role in the lovers' union. This device is best described as:

  1. a grammatical puzzle
  2. a type of metre
  3. a narrative device linking separated lovers Correct answer.
  4. a ritual prescription

Explanation

The portrait motif functions as a narrative device that connects the separated lovers and advances the plot toward their union. Such devices are common in Sanskrit prose romance for managing separation and recognition scenes.

Question 18Prose (Gadya) - prescribed Sanskrit prose passages, authors and themes

Which of the following best explains why Bāṇa's prose is often studied for its cultural value?

  1. It is written entirely in Prakrit
  2. It is a translation of a Greek text
  3. It consists only of grammatical rules
  4. It records detailed descriptions of courtly life, festivals and social customs Correct answer.

Explanation

Bāṇa's prose contains vivid descriptions of court life, festivals, towns and social customs, which historians and students use as evidence for the culture of his period. The literary value and the documentary value are often discussed together.

Question 19Prose (Gadya) - prescribed Sanskrit prose passages, authors and themes

In the Daśakumāracarita, the ten princes are depicted as:

  1. young nobles who undergo adventures and trials Correct answer.
  2. merchants trading overseas
  3. monks who renounce the world
  4. grammarians debating rules

Explanation

The ten princes are young nobles whose adventures, trials and eventual successes form the substance of the narrative. Their exploits are the organising thread of the prose work.

Question 20Prose (Gadya) - prescribed Sanskrit prose passages, authors and themes

The Kādambarī's narrative is notable for its use of a story within a story, in which characters recount their past lives. This technique most directly serves to:

  1. introduce grammatical analysis
  2. explain the characters' present situations through their earlier births Correct answer.
  3. reduce the length of the work
  4. replace prose with verse

Explanation

The nested narratives recount the characters' previous births and thereby explain their present relationships and circumstances. This device ties together the apparently separate strands of the romance.

Question 21Prose (Gadya) - prescribed Sanskrit prose passages, authors and themes

Which author is associated with the prose work Bṛhatkathāmañjarī, a retelling of the Bṛhatkathā?

  1. Kṣemendra Correct answer.
  2. Bāṇa
  3. Daṇḍin
  4. Subandhu

Explanation

Kṣemendra composed the Bṛhatkathāmañjarī, a Sanskrit retelling of the Bṛhatkathā narrative material. The work is often studied alongside other retellings of the same story cycle.

Question 22Prose (Gadya) - prescribed Sanskrit prose passages, authors and themes

The distinction between 'kathā' and 'ākhyāyikā' in Sanskrit prose theory is sometimes blurred in practice. Which observation best explains this?

  1. Both genres were always written in Prakrit
  2. The terms are purely grammatical labels
  3. Surviving works often mix conventions such as first-person narration and chapter divisions Correct answer.
  4. The genres were invented in the modern period

Explanation

Although the theoretical distinction is clear, actual works frequently combine features such as first-person narration, chapter divisions and verse insertions. This mixing makes strict classification of individual texts difficult.

Question 23Prose (Gadya) - prescribed Sanskrit prose passages, authors and themes

Which feature is most characteristic of the 'cūrṇaka' type of composition in Sanskrit literature?

  1. A mixture of prose and verse Correct answer.
  2. A grammatical commentary
  3. A type of drama
  4. Pure prose without any verse

Explanation

The cūrṇaka is a mixed composition in which prose and verse alternate, unlike pure prose or pure verse works. It is one of several categories used in Sanskrit literary classification.

Question 24Prose (Gadya) - prescribed Sanskrit prose passages, authors and themes

The Harṣacarita's account of Bāṇa's own life is significant because it:

  1. proves that Bāṇa was a grammarian
  2. provides rare first-person information about a classical Sanskrit author Correct answer.
  3. is the only surviving Sanskrit autobiography in verse
  4. shows that the work was written in Prakrit

Explanation

The autobiographical portion of the Harṣacarita gives rare first-person information about a classical Sanskrit author's family, education and early career. This makes it valuable both as literature and as biographical evidence.

Question 25Prose (Gadya) - prescribed Sanskrit prose passages, authors and themes

In the Vāsavadattā, the elaborate use of śleṣa (pun) is significant because it:

  1. allows a single expression to carry multiple meanings simultaneously Correct answer.
  2. simplifies the narrative for beginners
  3. converts prose into verse
  4. replaces the need for a plot

Explanation

Śleṣa lets a single sequence of sounds convey two or more meanings at once, and Subandhu exploits this to create layers of allusion. The device is a hallmark of his ornate prose style.

Question 26Prose (Gadya) - prescribed Sanskrit prose passages, authors and themes

In Sanskrit prose literature, the term 'gadya' is best defined as which type of composition?

  1. Composition in which every line is bound to a single fixed metre
  2. Composition written in unmetred, continuous prose Correct answer.
  3. Composition mixing prose and verse in alternating sections
  4. Composition intended solely for singing with musical notation

Explanation

Gadya denotes prose, that is, language not bound to the metrical schemes (chandas) that define padya. Works such as Bāṇa's Kādambarī and Harṣacarita are classified as gadya-kāvya precisely because their main body flows in unmetred prose, even when verses are embedded.

Question 27Prose (Gadya) - prescribed Sanskrit prose passages, authors and themes

Which feature of Sanskrit prose kāvya is denoted by the term 'campū'?

  1. A work entirely in prose without any verse
  2. A work in which prose and verse passages alternate Correct answer.
  3. A work consisting only of short aphoristic sentences
  4. A work of prose commentary on a grammatical sūtra

Explanation

A campū is a mixed-genre composition in which prose and verse alternate, as in the Nala-campū or the Rāmāyaṇa-campū. The category is defined by that alternation, which distinguishes it from pure gadya works such as the Kādambarī.

Question 28Prose (Gadya) - prescribed Sanskrit prose passages, authors and themes

In Sanskrit prose narrative, which term denotes a prose passage that strings together a series of compounds in a dense, ornamented style?

  1. Upamā
  2. Cūrṇaka Correct answer.
  3. Vṛtta
  4. Anuprāsa

Explanation

A cūrṇaka is a prose unit characterised by long, dense compounds and elaborate ornamentation, typical of authors such as Bāṇa and Subandhu. The term refers to the granular, packed texture of such prose rather than to a figure of sound or a metre.

Question 29Prose (Gadya) - prescribed Sanskrit prose passages, authors and themes

Which author composed the prose work Bṛhatkathāmañjarī, a Sanskrit retelling of the Bṛhatkathā?

  1. Subandhu
  2. Daṇḍin
  3. Kṣemendra Correct answer.
  4. Bāṇa

Explanation

Kṣemendra wrote the Bṛhatkathāmañjarī, a condensed Sanskrit version of the Bṛhatkathā narrative. His other works, such as the Bodhisattvāvadāna-kalpalatā and the Daśāvatāracarita, also show his habit of summarising large narratives in elegant verse.

Question 30Prose (Gadya) - prescribed Sanskrit prose passages, authors and themes

In Daṇḍin's Daśakumāracarita, which device chiefly holds the work together as a narrative?

  1. A collection of moral fables spoken by animals
  2. A frame in which the princes meet and each recounts his adventures Correct answer.
  3. A series of independent hymns addressed to a single deity
  4. A dialogue between a teacher and pupil on grammar

Explanation

The Daśakumāracarita is built on a frame narrative in which the ten princes, separated and reunited, exchange accounts of their adventures. This nested structure allows Daṇḍin to present varied plots and settings within one overarching story.

Question 31Prose (Gadya) - prescribed Sanskrit prose passages, authors and themes

The Kādambarī is celebrated for its descriptions of nature and emotion. Which pair of themes is central to its narrative?

  1. Trade and travel recounted by merchants
  2. Grammar and logic debated by scholars
  3. War and conquest celebrated in royal eulogy
  4. Love and separation resolved through rebirth Correct answer.

Explanation

The Kādambarī centres on the love of Kādambarī and Candrāpīḍa and on Pundarīka and Mahāśvetā, whose unions are worked out across earlier births. Rebirth links the separated lovers and resolves the story, making love and separation its central themes.

Question 32Prose (Gadya) - prescribed Sanskrit prose passages, authors and themes

In Subandhu's Vāsavadattā, which device plays a crucial role in bringing the lovers together?

  1. A painted portrait through which the hero recognises the heroine Correct answer.
  2. A dream in which a deity reveals the heroine's location
  3. A letter written in cipher that the heroine decodes
  4. A song sung by a bird that repeats the heroine's name

Explanation

The Vāsavadattā uses a painting as the means by which the hero becomes aware of and recognises the heroine, a device common in Sanskrit prose romance. The portrait functions as a narrative hinge that advances the plot toward the lovers' union.

Question 33Prose (Gadya) - prescribed Sanskrit prose passages, authors and themes

Bāṇa's Harṣacarita is valued by historians chiefly because it does what?

  1. Describes the construction of a famous temple complex
  2. Provides a detailed account of the reign and early life of King Harṣa Correct answer.
  3. Records the complete text of an ancient law code
  4. Lists the lineages of grammarian families

Explanation

The Harṣacarita is a biographical prose work on King Harṣavardhana, giving information about his family, his rise, and events of his reign. Because Bāṇa was a contemporary at Harṣa's court, the text is a valued, if panegyric, historical source.

Question 34Prose (Gadya) - prescribed Sanskrit prose passages, authors and themes

Which statement correctly distinguishes the plot material of the Harṣacarita from that of the Kādambarī?

  1. Both works narrate the deeds of the same historical king
  2. The Kādambarī is a commentary on the Harṣacarita
  3. The Harṣacarita is entirely in verse, while the Kādambarī is entirely in prose
  4. The Harṣacarita treats a historical king, while the Kādambarī is a fictional romance Correct answer.

Explanation

Bāṇa wrote one biography of a historical ruler, the Harṣacarita, and one invented romance, the Kādambarī. The distinction lies in subject matter: historical biography versus fictional narrative, though both share Bāṇa's ornate prose style.

Question 35Prose (Gadya) - prescribed Sanskrit prose passages, authors and themes

In Sanskrit poetics, how is 'kathā' generally distinguished from 'ākhyāyikā'?

  1. Kathā is a commentary, while ākhyāyikā is a hymn
  2. Kathā is always in verse, while ākhyāyikā is always in prose
  3. Kathā is a narrative of invented events, while ākhyāyikā treats the deeds of real persons Correct answer.
  4. Kathā is a drama, while ākhyāyikā is a lyric poem

Explanation

Theorists such as Bhāmaha and Daṇḍin distinguish kathā as a tale of imagined events from ākhyāyikā, which recounts the deeds of historical or legendary persons. The criterion is the truth-status of the subject matter rather than the metre used.

Question 36Prose (Gadya) - prescribed Sanskrit prose passages, authors and themes

Which feature is most characteristic of the ornate prose style known as 'gadya-kāvya' in Bāṇa's writing?

  1. Short simple clauses with minimal ornamentation
  2. Long compounds, rich figures of sound, and elaborate description Correct answer.
  3. Strict adherence to a single fixed metre throughout
  4. Use of regional dialects to the exclusion of Sanskrit

Explanation

Bāṇa's prose is marked by lengthy compounds, alliteration and other sound figures, and extended descriptive passages. These features constitute the ornamented gadya-kāvya style that later authors imitated and critics discussed.

Question 37Prose (Gadya) - prescribed Sanskrit prose passages, authors and themes

A student reads a Sanskrit prose passage in which one sentence runs for several lines through a chain of compounded nouns. Which term best names this stylistic unit?

  1. Cūrṇaka Correct answer.
  2. Sūtra
  3. Anuṣṭubh
  4. Upajāti

Explanation

A long, densely compounded prose sentence is a cūrṇaka, the characteristic unit of ornate Sanskrit prose. The other options name metres or aphoristic formulae, which do not apply to a prose sentence of this kind.

Question 38Prose (Gadya) - prescribed Sanskrit prose passages, authors and themes

Subandhu's Vāsavadattā is famous for its extensive use of śleṣa. What is the chief effect of this device in the work?

  1. It replaces prose with metrical verse throughout
  2. It removes all figurative language from the narrative
  3. It translates the story into a regional language
  4. It allows a single word or passage to carry two meanings simultaneously Correct answer.

Explanation

Śleṣa is punning, in which a word or phrase yields two distinct meanings at once. Subandhu exploits it so that passages can be read in two ways, a display of verbal ingenuity that became a hallmark of his prose.

Question 39Prose (Gadya) - prescribed Sanskrit prose passages, authors and themes

In the Kādambarī, the device of characters recounting their former births serves which narrative purpose?

  1. It explains the present loves and separations as results of earlier lives Correct answer.
  2. It provides a grammar lesson within the story
  3. It replaces the main plot with an unrelated fable
  4. It lists the genealogies of the author's patrons

Explanation

The Kādambarī uses accounts of previous births to connect its separated lovers and to explain why they are drawn together in the present. The device resolves the plot by showing present events as the fruit of earlier lives.

Question 40Prose (Gadya) - prescribed Sanskrit prose passages, authors and themes

In Daṇḍin's Daśakumāracarita, the frame narrative is set in motion by which event involving the ten princes?

  1. The princes are captured together by a rival king and escape as a group
  2. The princes compete in a royal debate to decide which of them will inherit the throne
  3. The princes study grammar under a single teacher and then return home
  4. The princes are sent out in different directions to find and recover a missing companion, and each recounts his own adventures when they reunite Correct answer.

Explanation

The Daśakumāracarita is a prose narrative in which the frame story of the ten princes (daśa-kumāra) provides the occasion for a series of first-person accounts. Rājahaṃsa's disappearance leads the companions to scatter in search of him, and their separate adventures, each narrated by its hero, fill the body of the work. This embedded narration, rather than a contest for succession, is what holds the loosely linked episodes together.

Question 41Poetry (Padya) - prescribed Sanskrit verses, poets and poetic devices

In Sanskrit poetics, the term 'padya' specifically denotes which form of composition?

  1. Prose narrative without metre
  2. Metrical verse composed in quarters (pāda) Correct answer.
  3. A grammatical aphorism
  4. A dramatic act division

Explanation

Padya refers to verse bound by metre (chandas), conventionally analysed in four quarters or pādas. Prose (gadya) is its classical counterpart in the gadya-padya division. Dramatic act divisions and grammatical aphorisms belong to entirely different categories.

Question 42Poetry (Padya) - prescribed Sanskrit verses, poets and poetic devices

Which metre consists of four pādas of eight syllables each and is among the most common in Sanskrit stanzaic poetry?

  1. Vasantatilakā
  2. Śārdūlavikrīḍita
  3. Anuṣṭubh Correct answer.
  4. Mālinī

Explanation

Anuṣṭubh is the eight-syllable-per-quarter metre, the standard epic and narrative metre of Sanskrit. The other three metres are syllabically much longer and belong to the classical ornate (alaṅkāra) repertoire.

Question 43Poetry (Padya) - prescribed Sanskrit verses, poets and poetic devices

The alaṅkāra 'upamā' in Sanskrit poetry corresponds to which figure?

  1. Metaphor
  2. Simile Correct answer.
  3. Pun
  4. Hyperbole

Explanation

Upamā is the figure of comparison in which one thing is likened to another, usually with particles such as iva or yathā. It is distinguished from rūpaka, which identifies rather than compares.

Question 44Poetry (Padya) - prescribed Sanskrit verses, poets and poetic devices

In the rasa theory of Sanskrit poetics, the stable emotion (sthāyibhāva) of rati gives rise to which rasa?

  1. Śṛṅgāra Correct answer.
  2. Karuna
  3. Bībhatsa
  4. Vīra

Explanation

Śṛṅgāra, the erotic or aesthetic rasa, arises from the durable emotion of rati, love or delight. Each rasa is systematically paired with a specific sthāyibhāva in the classical rasa-sūtra tradition.

Question 45Poetry (Padya) - prescribed Sanskrit verses, poets and poetic devices

Which poet is traditionally credited with the Meghadūta, a lyric poem of separated lovers?

  1. Bāṇa
  2. Kālidāsa Correct answer.
  3. Māgha
  4. Bhāravi

Explanation

The Meghadūta, in which a yakṣa sends a message to his beloved through a cloud, is the work of Kālidāsa. It is a celebrated model of the sandeśa-kāvya genre.

Question 46Poetry (Padya) - prescribed Sanskrit verses, poets and poetic devices

The figure in which a word or phrase yields two different meanings simultaneously, both fitting the context, is called:

  1. Utprekṣā
  2. Rūpaka
  3. Upamā
  4. Śleṣa Correct answer.

Explanation

Śleṣa is the deliberate use of a word or construction that supports two compatible interpretations at once. It is a favourite device of Sanskrit poets for compressed, layered meaning.

Question 47Poetry (Padya) - prescribed Sanskrit verses, poets and poetic devices

A 'mahākāvya' in Sanskrit literature is best described as:

  1. A long court epic poem in cantos Correct answer.
  2. A treatise on grammar
  3. A one-act monologue play
  4. A collection of aphorisms

Explanation

The mahākāvya is the ornate epic genre, typically divided into sargas or cantos and treating a heroic or mythological narrative. It is distinguished from shorter lyric and dramatic forms.

Question 48Poetry (Padya) - prescribed Sanskrit verses, poets and poetic devices

Which pair correctly matches a rasa with its corresponding sthāyibhāva?

  1. Hāsya - śoka
  2. Hāsya - krodha
  3. Hāsya - utsāha
  4. Hāsya - hāsa Correct answer.

Explanation

Hāsya, the comic rasa, is generated by hāsa, laughter or mirth, which is its stable emotion. The other pairings assign emotions that belong to different rasas.

Question 49Poetry (Padya) - prescribed Sanskrit verses, poets and poetic devices

The 'vaktra' and 'pathya' are the two recognised varieties of which metre?

  1. Puṣpitāgrā
  2. Mālinī
  3. Indravajrā
  4. Anuṣṭubh Correct answer.

Explanation

The anuṣṭubh has two principal varieties, vaktra and pathya, distinguished by the cadence of the odd pādas. The other metres listed are fixed classical metres without this pair of named varieties.

Question 50Poetry (Padya) - prescribed Sanskrit verses, poets and poetic devices

A verse states that the moon 'laughs' as it rises, the poet attributing human mirth to the moon. Which figure is primarily illustrated?

  1. Dīpaka
  2. Utprekṣā Correct answer.
  3. Upamā
  4. Vyatireka

Explanation

Utprekṣā is poetic fancy, in which a thing is imaginatively supposed to be or do something, here the moon being imagined as laughing. It goes beyond comparison by positing the imagined action as if real.