Books Authors
Key Concepts & Formulas
| # | Concept | Quick Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Booker Prize | Most prestigious annual literary award for English-language fiction published in UK/Ireland – remember 2023 winner: Prophet Song by Paul Lynch. |
| 2 | Jnanpith Award | India’s highest literary honour, any Indian language; first winner: Sankara Kurup (1965); latest (2023): Damodar Mauzo (Konkani). |
| 3 | Nobel Literature | Country-wise tally: France leads (16), followed by USA (13); only 2 Indians—Tagore (1913) & Naipaul (2001, born Trinidad). |
| 4 | Pen-names | Munshi Premchand (Dhanpat Rai), George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans), Lewis Carroll (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson). |
| 5 | Debut Books | The God of Small Things – Arundhati Roy; The White Tiger – Aravind Adiga; Train to Pakistan – Khushwant Singh. |
| 6 | Series vs Author | Harry Potter – J.K. Rowling; Shiva Trilogy – Amish Tripathi; A Song of Ice & Fire – George R.R. Martin. |
| 7 | Autobiographies | Wings of Fire – APJ Abdul Kalam; My Experiments with Truth – M.K. Gandhi; Playing It My Way – Sachin Tendulkar (co-author Boria Majumdar). |
10 Practice MCQs
1. Who authored the book *Ignited Minds*?
**Options:** A) Dr. Manmohan Singh B) Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam C) Dr. Vikram Sarabhai D) Dr. Homi BhabhaAnswer: B) Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam
Solution: Ignited Minds (2002) is a motivational classic by the “Missile Man”.
Shortcut tip: Kalam = Inspirational titles (Wings of Fire, Ignited Minds, India 2020).
Concept tag: Indian autobiographies & motivational literature
2. Match the book to the author: 1) *The Immortals of Meluha* 2) *The Palace of Illusions* 3) *The Guide*
**Options:** A) Amish Tripathi, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, R.K. Narayan B) Amish Tripathi, Anita Desai, R.K. Narayan C) Chetan Bhagat, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, R.K. Laxman D) Amish Tripathi, Jhumpa Lahiri, Mulk Raj AnandAnswer: A) Amish Tripathi, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, R.K. Narayan
Solution: Shiva Trilogy starts with Meluha; Palace of Illusions retells Mahabharata from Draupadi’s view; The Guide is Narayan’s Sahitya-Akademi winner.
Shortcut tip: “Amish” = Myth-fiction; “Divakaruni” = Feminine epics; “Narayan” = Malgudi.
Concept tag: Contemporary Indian English fiction
3. Which of the following pairs is INCORRECT?
**Options:** A) *One Indian Girl* – Chetan Bhagat B) *The Blue Umbrella* – Ruskin Bond C) *The Shadow Lines* – Amitav Ghosh D) *Namesake* – Vikram SethAnswer: D) Namesake – Vikram Seth
Solution: The Namesake is by Jhumpa Lahiri; Vikram Seth wrote A Suitable Boy.
Shortcut tip: Jhumpa = Diaspora Bengali tales; Vikram = Verse & door-stop novels.
**Concept tag: Author–book pairing traps
4. Who won the Jnanpith Award 2022 for Sanskrit literature?
**Options:** A) Shankha Ghosh B) Satya Vrat Shastri C) Madhav Kaushik D) Ramdarash MishraAnswer: B) Satya Vrat Shastri
Solution: Prof. Shastri became the first Sanskrit writer to receive the 58th Jnanpith (announced 2022, conferred 2023).
Shortcut tip: First Sanskrit Jnanpith → Satya Vrat Shastri (2022).
Concept tag: Indian language awards
5. The 2023 Booker Prize was won by which novel?
**Options:** A) *The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida* B) *Prophet Song* C) *Shuggie Bain* D) *Girl, Woman, Other*Answer: B) Prophet Song
Solution: Irish author Paul Lynch’s dystopian work won.
Shortcut tip: Current year Booker → Irish author Paul Lynch.
Concept tag: International literary awards
6. *Wise & Otherwise* is a collection of short stories by:
**Options:** A) Sudha Murty B) Anuja Chauhan C) Kiran Desai D) Shashi TharoorAnswer: A) Sudha Murty
Solution: Infosys Foundation chairperson Sudha Murty’s 2002 anthology.
Shortcut tip: Sudha Murty = Simple, real-life stories with moral touch.
Concept tag: Indian women authors
7. Who wrote the philosophical treatise *Ananda Math*?
**Options:** A) Rabindranath Tagore B) Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay C) Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay D) Michael Madhusudan DuttAnswer: C) Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay
Solution: Contains “Vande Mataram”; published 1882.
Shortcut tip: Bankim = Vande Mataram origin.
Concept tag: Bengali Renaissance literature
8. *The Alchemist* was originally written in:
**Options:** A) Spanish B) Portuguese C) Italian D) EnglishAnswer: B) Portuguese
Solution: Paulo Coelho, Brazilian author, wrote O Alquimista in Portuguese (1988).
Shortcut tip: Coelho = Portuguese → global bestseller.
Concept tag: Foreign bestsellers translated to English
9. Identify the author of *Why I Am A Hindu*:
**Options:** A) Pranab Mukherjee B) Shashi Tharoor C) Arun Shourie D) Subramanian SwamyAnswer: B) Shashi Tharoor
Solution: 2018 non-fiction explaining Hinduism & critiquing Hindutva.
Shortcut tip: Tharoor = Erudite English + India-centric non-fiction.
Concept tag: Political & religious non-fiction
10. *I Do What I Do* is associated with which Indian economic policymaker?
**Options:** A) Raghuram Rajan B) Urjit Patel C) Bimal Jalan D) YV ReddyAnswer: A) Raghuram Rajan
Solution: Collection of speeches & essays during his RBI tenure (2013-16).
Shortcut tip: Rajan = “I Do What I Do” (rhyming title).
Concept tag: Economic memoirs
5 Previous Year Questions
[RRB NTPC 2021] Who is the author of *The Accidental Prime Minister*?
**Options:** A) Sanjaya Baru B) Vinay Sitapati C) P.C. Parakh D) Natwar SinghAnswer: A) Sanjaya Baru
Solution: Baru was media adviser to PM Manmohan Singh; memoir published 2014.
Shortcut tip: “Accidental” → Sanjaya Baru (insider account).
Concept tag: Political memoirs
[RRB Group-D 2019] *The Story of My Experiments with Truth* was originally written in:
**Options:** A) Hindi B) English C) Gujarati D) SanskritAnswer: C) Gujarati
Solution: Gandhi wrote Satya Na Prayogo in Gujarati; later translated by Mahadev Desai into English.
Shortcut tip: Gandhi’s autobiography → Gujarati first.
Concept tag: Autobiography language
[RRB JE 2019] Match: A) *A Brief History of Time* B) *The Test of My Life* C) *Straight from the Heart*
**Options:** 1. Kapil Dev 2. Stephen Hawking 3. Yuvraj Singh A) 2, 3, 1 B) 1, 2, 3 C) 3, 1, 2 D) 2, 1, 3Answer: A) 2, 3, 1
Solution: Hawking-cosmology; Yuvraj-cancer comeback; Kapil-cricket memoir.
Shortcut tip: “Brief” = Science; “Test of My Life” = Yuvraj’s cancer battle.
Concept tag: Sports & science autobiographies
[RRB NTPC 2017] *Train to Pakistan* is written by:
**Options:** A) Mulk Raj Anand B) Khushwant Singh C) Bipan Chandra D) Amrita PritamAnswer: B) Khushwant Singh
Solution: 1956 novel set in Mano Majra village during Partition.
Shortcut tip: Partition classic → Khushwant Singh.
Concept tag: Indian English novels
[RRB ALP 2018] Who among the following has NOT won the Nobel Prize in Literature?
**Options:** A) Gabriel García Márquez B) Bob Dylan C) Taslima Nasrin D) Harold PinterAnswer: C) Taslima Nasrin
Solution: Bangladeshi writer Nasrin is controversial but never a Nobel laureate.
Shortcut tip: Dylan (2016) & Márquez (1982) are laureates; Nasrin = activist, not Nobel.
Concept tag: Nobel trivia
Speed Tricks & Shortcuts
| Situation | Shortcut | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Booker vs Pulitzer | Booker = UK/Ireland; Pulitzer = USA | The Nickel Boys won Pulitzer 2020, never Booker |
| “First Indian” to win | Tagore 1913 Nobel = automatic tick | Any “first Indian literature Nobel” → Tagore |
| Pen-name ends “-nand” | Often Hindi lit; think Munshi Premchand (Dhanpat Rai) | Question with “-nand” → check Premchand works |
| Autobiography with sport metaphor | Kapil Dev-Straight from the Heart; Sachin-Playing It My Way | “Straight” = Kapil; “Playing” = Sachin |
| Trinity of Indian English epic novels | Suitable Boy (Vikram Seth), Midnight’s Children (Rushdie), A Suitable Girl (sequel) | Rushdie & Seth = door-stop books |
Common Mistakes to Avoid
| Mistake | Why Students Make It | Correct Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Confusing Amish Tripathi with Ashwin Sanghi | Both write mythological thrillers | Remember: Amish = Shiva Trilogy; Ashwin = Chanakya’s Chant |
| Tagging The Guide to RK Narayan but choosing RK Laxman | Similar initials & Malgudi association | Narayan = novelist; Laxman = cartoonist |
| Assuming every PM wrote an autobiography titled My Years… | Generic titles mislead | Check author—only Dr. Manmohan’s memoir is by Sanjaya Baru |
| Mixing up The White Tiger & Tiger Mom | “Tiger” keyword | Aravind Adiga = Booker 2008; Amy Chua = parenting book |
Quick Revision Flashcards
| Front | Back |
|---|---|
| Prophet Song 2023 | Paul Lynch, Booker Prize |
| First Sanskrit Jnanpith | Satya Vrat Shastri (2022) |
| I Do What I Do | Raghuram Rajan |
| The Alchemist original language | Portuguese (Paulo Coelho) |
| Vande Mataram source novel | Ananda Math – Bankim Chandra |
| Pen-name of Mary Ann Evans | George Eliot |
| Why I Am A Hindu | Shashi Tharoor |
| Playing It My Way co-author | Boria Majumdar |
| The Accidental PM author | Sanjaya Baru |
| Train to Pakistan year | 1956 – Khushwant Singh |
BETA
