DAILY DOSE #24: MCQs on Dalit Literature

1. Who is regarded as the pioneer of Dalit autobiography in Marathi literature?
   a) Namdeo Dhasal
   b) Daya Pawar
   c) Sharankumar Limbale
   d) Arjun Dangle
   Answer: b) Daya Pawar
   Explanation: His autobiography *Baluta* is considered a milestone in Dalit literature.
2. Which of the following anthologies is a landmark in Dalit literature?
   a) Modern Indian Literature
   b) Poisoned Bread
   c) Dalit Panthers
   d) The Weave of My Life
   Answer: b) Poisoned Bread
   Explanation: Edited by Arjun Dangle, this anthology brought Dalit writings to wider recognition.
3. Sharankumar Limbale's *Towards an Aesthetic of Dalit Literature* was originally written in:
   a) English
   b) Hindi
   c) Marathi
   d) Kannada
   Answer: c) Marathi
   Explanation: The original Marathi title was *Dalit Sahityache Aesthetic*.
4. Who among the following founded the Dalit Panthers movement in 1972?
   a) B. R. Ambedkar
   b) Namdeo Dhasal
   c) Daya Pawar
   d) Omprakash Valmiki
   Answer: b) Namdeo Dhasal
   Explanation: Namdeo Dhasal was one of the founders of the radical Dalit Panthers in Maharashtra.
5. Which autobiography begins with the line: "I was born a Dalit and shall die a Dalit"?
   a) Joothan
   b) Baluta
   c) Karukku
   d) The Prisons We Broke
   Answer: a) Joothan
   Explanation: Omprakash Valmiki’s *Joothan* powerfully asserts Dalit identity and resistance.
6. The autobiography *Karukku* is written by:
   a) Bama
   b) Meena Kandasamy
   c) Baby Kamble
   d) Gogu Shyamala
   Answer: a) Bama
   Explanation: *Karukku* explores caste and gender oppression in Tamil Nadu.
7. Which literary device is most commonly used in Dalit narratives?
   a) Allegory
   b) Stream of consciousness
   c) Realism
   d) Magical realism
   Answer: c) Realism
   Explanation: Dalit texts often use raw realism to expose social injustice.
8. Who is the author of the Telugu short story collection *Father May Be an Elephant and Mother Only a Small Basket, But...?*?
   a) Urmila Pawar
   b) Meena Kandasamy
   c) Gogu Shyamala
   d) Malika Amar Shaikh
   Answer: c) Gogu Shyamala
   Explanation: Her stories depict rural Dalit women's lives with political sharpness.
9. *The Prisons We Broke* is the English translation of:
   a) *Joothan*
   b) *Baluta*
   c) *Jina Amucha*
   d) *Karukku*
   Answer: c) *Jina Amucha*
   Explanation: This is the autobiography of Baby Kamble, translated from Marathi.
10. Which Dalit writer was influenced by Black American literature and translated James Baldwin into Marathi?
    a) Arjun Dangle
    b) Sharankumar Limbale
    c) Namdeo Dhasal
    d) Daya Pawar
    Answer: c) Namdeo Dhasal
    Explanation: His global awareness shaped his radical literary style.
11. Which Dalit writer has served in the Indian Administrative Services?
    a) Omprakash Valmiki
    b) Kancha Ilaiah
    c) Narendra Jadhav
    d) Daya Pawar
    Answer: c) Narendra Jadhav
    Explanation: His autobiography *Outcaste* details his rise from deprivation to bureaucratic power.
12. Who wrote *The Weave of My Life*?
    a) Bama
    b) Gogu Shyamala
    c) Urmila Pawar
    d) Meena Kandasamy
    Answer: c) Urmila Pawar
    Explanation: This memoir interweaves personal memory with the Dalit women's movement.
13. *Dalit Panthers Manifesto* was inspired by:
    a) European socialism
    b) Mahatma Gandhi
    c) Black Panther movement
    d) Hindu nationalism
    Answer: c) Black Panther movement
    Explanation: It borrowed political strategies and rhetoric from Black American activism.
14. Kancha Ilaiah’s book *Why I Am Not a Hindu* critiques:
    a) Western philosophy
    b) Globalization
    c) Caste-based Hindu social structure
    d) Dalit Christians
    Answer: c) Caste-based Hindu social structure
    Explanation: Ilaiah critiques Brahminical hegemony and calls for Dalit-Bahujan emancipation.
15. Which of these is NOT a Dalit writer?
    a) Baby Kamble
    b) Arundhati Roy
    c) Meena Kandasamy
    d) Gogu Shyamala
    Answer: b) Arundhati Roy
    Explanation: While sympathetic to Dalit issues, Roy is not from a Dalit background.
16. In *Joothan*, what does the word ‘joothan’ symbolically represent?
    a) Belonging
    b) Pollution and discrimination
    c) Spiritual purity
    d) Community ties
    Answer: b) Pollution and discrimination
    Explanation: It refers to leftover food Dalits were made to eat, signifying untouchability.
17. Who translated *Baluta* into English?
    a) Jerry Pinto
    b) Arun Prabha Mukherjee
    c) Maya Pandit
    d) Gita Hariharan
    Answer: c) Maya Pandit
    Explanation: She brought Daya Pawar’s iconic work to non-Marathi readers.
18. Which form is most commonly used in modern Dalit protest literature?
    a) Allegorical epic
    b) Free verse poetry
    c) Satirical drama
    d) Travelogue
    Answer: b) Free verse poetry
    Explanation: This form gives flexibility and directness to protest voices.
19. Which Tamil Dalit feminist writer is known for challenging both caste and patriarchy?
    a) Meena Kandasamy
    b) Salma
    c) Bama
    d) Kutti Revathi
    Answer: a) Meena Kandasamy
    Explanation: Her poetry and fiction fiercely critique both caste and gender oppression.
20. The central theme of Dalit literature is:
    a) Romantic love
    b) Urban alienation
    c) Social justice and liberation
    d) Supernatural myths
    Answer: c) Social justice and liberation
    Explanation: Dalit writing is an assertion against systemic caste oppression.
21. Omprakash Valmiki’s *Joothan* was originally written in:
    a) Punjabi
    b) Hindi
    c) Marathi
    d) Urdu
    Answer: b) Hindi
    Explanation: Valmiki wrote in Hindi to reach a broad Indian readership.
22. Who said: “Dalit literature is not a literature of vengeance but of healing”?
    a) Sharankumar Limbale
    b) Gopal Guru
    c) Meena Kandasamy
    d) Namdeo Dhasal
    Answer: a) Sharankumar Limbale
    Explanation: He emphasized the transformative and ethical nature of Dalit literature.
23. In *Karukku*, the symbol of “double-edged sword” stands for:
    a) Self-destruction
    b) Christian faith
    c) Ambiguity of oppression and resistance
    d) Literal weapons
    Answer: c) Ambiguity of oppression and resistance
    Explanation: Bama uses this symbol to explore complexities of her identity.
24. Which movement led to a major rise in Dalit literature in the 1970s?
    a) Swadeshi Movement
    b) Chipko Movement
    c) Dalit Panthers
    d) Narmada Bachao Andolan
    Answer: c) Dalit Panthers
    Explanation: The movement gave rise to assertive Dalit literary and political voices.
25. Which language has the oldest written corpus of Dalit literature?
    a) Tamil
    b) Marathi
    c) Hindi
    d) Telugu
    Answer: b) Marathi
    Explanation: Maharashtra was a hub for Dalit activism and writing post-Ambedkar.