1.

Q: This collection is composed of five books/volumes highlighting animal fables and magic
tales in verse and prose form. (PANCHATANTRA)
2. Q: Enumerate at least two of the five books/volumes in Panchatantra.
((a) The Loss/Separation of Friends; (b) The Winning/Gaining of Friends; (c) Of Crows and
Owls; (d) Loss of Gains; (e) Rash Deeds/ Ill-Considered Actions)
4. Q: A literary technique employed in Panchatantra is the use of frame story. What is a
frame story? (A frame story highlights a story within a story; a main narrative or
introductory story is used to introduce a set of succeeding stories which are usually
shorter.)
5. Q: Give the frame story of Panchatantra.
6. Q: What is the self-proclaimed purpose of Panchatantra?
(To educate sons of royalty as to the different aspects of kinghood)
7. Q: Narrate a sample tale from any of the five volumes of Panchatantra. Then cite a
particular moral that can be generated from such tale.
8. Q: Because of the lasting influence of Panchatantra to the world, what tag or label did
India earn in the literary world?
(the chief source of worlds fable literature)
10. These entities are considered inseparable in Indian literature. (religion and philosophy)
12. Q: Hinduism and Buddhism have glaring and significant effects to the literature of India.
Contrast the two.
Hinduism (laid by the Aryans; chief God is Brahma; believes that man can attain true
happiness if his soul merges with that of Brahma; believes in reincarnation or rebirth;
believes in the divinity of certain animals (cows, serpents, monkeys) and places (Ganges).
Buddhism (founded by Siddharta Gautama/Buddha; rejected Hinduism; believes in the
four noble truths: 1-Mans life is filled with sufferings; 2-Mans sufferings is caused by his
selfish desires; 3-Man can end his sufferings by conquering his selfish desires; 4-After riding
himself of suffering, man attains the state of Nirvana (perfect happiness); believes that to
attain nirvana, a person must follow the 8 fold path1-right belief; 2- right aspiration; 3right speech; 4-right conduct; 5- right livelihood; 6-right effort; 7-right remembrance; 8right meditation)
15. Q: This is indisputably the chief representative of mythological Sanskrit drama written
by Kalidasa. (Shakuntala/Sakuntala)
16. Q: Who is Kalidasa? What is his style that sets him apart from other Indian writers?
(Kalidasa is considered the greatest Indian writer of all time. Other scholars consider him
the Shakespeare of India. He is a dramatist, and a master of epic and lyric poetry. His

language is sweet and simple, and he avoids recondite (profound/ obscure) words:
VAIDARBHI STYLEplain to the understanding.)
17. Q: Below is a liner lifted from Shakuntala. Complete it.
The thing you feared as fire is the jewel of your (desire).
18. Q: This dominates every scene in Sanskrit drama like Shakuntala.
(rasaemotion, sentiment, flavor: varying emotions from love to anger, heroism to
cowardice, joy to terrorand allows the audience to take part in the play and be one with
the characters.)
19. Enumerate principal characters from the play and provide distinctions
20. Q: Give storyline of Shakuntala
52. The maid of Queen Kaikeyi (one of King Dasarathas wives) who advised the latter that
Ramas succession to the throne must be prevented and that the Queens son, Bharat, must
become regent. (Manthara)
21. Q: In which Indian Epic is the story of Shakuntala retold. (Mahabharata)
22. Q: Complete the analogy.
(Vyasa): Mahabharata Valmiki: Ramayana
25. Q: The two successors to the throne of Hastinapura in Mahabharata.
(King Dhritarashtra: father of Kauravas; King Pandu: brother of Dhritarashtra, and father of
the Pandavas)
27. Q: The five sons of King Pandu.
(Yudhishthira, Phima, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva)
28. Q: The wife of Pandavas. (Draupadi)
29. Q: The oldest son of King Dhritarashtra. (Duryodhona)
30. Q: True or False: Mahabharata is considered the true epic of India. It is the longest epic
of the world8 times longer than the Bible and 3 times longer than Iliad and Odyssey.
(False: 3 times longer than the Bible; 8 times longer than Iliad and Odyssey)
33. Cite one issue reflected in Mahabharata. This is practiced by the Pandava brothers.
(communal sharingthe Pandava brothers have only one wifeDraupadi)
34. Q: Give the storyline of Mahabharata.

35. Q: True or False: Mahabharata went through a process of evolution so that the version
handed down to posterity has been altered and lengthened from the original in form and
scope. (True)
36. Q: Of the two national Indian epics, which is said to be more popular?
(Ramayana is the oldest epic of India that talks about the adventures of Rama. It is said to
be more popular than Mahabharata because it is given a romantic treatment in the form of
a court poetry, unlike Mahabharata which is highly philosophical in nature.)
37. Q: Give the storyline of Ramayana.
39. Q: This Indian epic is said to be an ideal poem written in uniformly chaste style.
(Ramayanapurely poetic form while Mahabhara fuses poetic and prose forms.)
41. Q: The father of Rama. (King Dasharatha/Dasaratha)
42. Q: The beloved wife of Rama, and the daughter of King Janaka/Janak. (Sita)
43. Q: The powerful demon king of Lanka. (Ravana/Ravan)
44. Q: One of King Dasarathas wives and the enemy of Rama. (Kaikeyi)
45. Q: The game initiated by Duryodhona to trap the Pandavas especially Yudhishtira, the
eldest. (a game of skill at dice)
46. Q: The Pandavas and the Kauravas engaged in a war of heroes after the exile of the
former. For how many days did the war last? (18 consecutive days)
47. Q: The song delivered by Krishna (cousin of the Pandavas in the mother side) before the
war between the Pandavas and Kauravas. (Bhagavad GitaDivine Song)
48. Q: This animal guided or accompanied the Pandavas together with Draupadi to their
journey to Mount Meru, the dwelling place of the gods on high when Krishna died.
(dog: the god of justice)
50. Q: Explain why Rama was considered the handsomest and strongest among the sons of
King Dasaratha.
(The mother of Rama drank more of the magic beverage given by god Vishnu as compared
to other wives of the king.)
51. Q: The test or condition given by King Janak to any man who would like to marry his
daughter Sita.
(to bend a wondrous bow given by the gods which no mortal could accomplish)

52. The maid of Queen Kaikeyi (one of King Dasarathas wives) who advised the latter that
Ramas succession to the throne must be prevented and that the Queens son, Bharat, must
become regent. (Manthara)
53. The number of years Rama was exiled. (14 years)
54. What did Ravan (demon king of Lanka) do to Sita? (abducted her)
55. What happened to Sita towards the end of the epic?
(was engulfedtaken away by mother earth to the land of godsleaving Rama and those
who doubted her.)