Tips for UGC- NET English Examination

  Approaches to UGC- NET English Examination

Some of the most widely administered tests for Teaching Job in India include the UGC- NET, SET, State level teachers’ recruitment programmers like SSC etc. UGC- NET use standardized tests to assess literature achievement, to determine lecturer placement, and to reach specific skill- oriented men. PG students wishing to prefer lectureship continue their efforts after PG generally take these tests, since most INDIAN colleges and universities require test results in applications for lectureship. The most common of these tests include the general aptitude and knowledge of a specific subject.

Now look at the syllabi first

 I have omitted the general objective paper which was more like a filter earlier .But , Now, it is equally important to score marks. So add maximum, study it forcefully.

UGC National Eligibility Test English Syllabus

Subject: English  

Note:

There will be two question papers, Paper – II and Paper – III 

Paper – II 

Note: It will cover 50 Objective Type Questions (Multiple choice, Matching type, True / False, Assertion – Reasoning type) carrying 100 marks.

Questions Covers:

1. Chaucer to Shakespeare
2. Jacobean to Restoration Periods
3. Augustan Age : 18th Century Literature
4. Romantic Period
5. Victorian Period
6. Modern Period
7. Contemporary Period
8. American and other non – British Literatures
9. Literary Theory and Criticism
10. Rhetoric and Prosody

Paper – III 

(The Commission decided that Paper-III be converted into objective type from the ensuing examination scheduled in June 2012. Further, the Commission also recommended that the action may also be initiated for the development of question banks.There should be 75 objective questions all of which are compulsory covering all the periods of History of English Literature and critical approaches.

These objective tests, I think, are designed to assess current performance in an academic area of a student. Your achievement is viewed as an indicator of previous learning; it will also be used to predict future academic success. A such  test administered in a UGC setting would typically include separate measures of Literature, language skills and reading comprehension, arithmetic literary data computation and problem solving, Linguistics, and social studies. In Such a case Electives are not so selective; rather whole literary circle is the syllabi, I think.

Link @ UGC)

Now as you are a literature student , even though the format is objective, what you need to do is to do your studies well with a vision:

Let’s talk about some basic things:

The scope of literature

There’s enormous diversity in literature as this partial list of genres demonstrates: poetry, drama, novel, story, essay etc. They can be grouped farther. For example, in the case of fiction----- satirical, biographical, religious, romantic, the novel of manners, naturalistic, allegorical, political, utopian, historical, regional, national epic, ethnic, family saga, experimental, and proletarian or protest. Popular (mass-market) fiction genres include Western, science fiction, detective, romance, and horror/occult. List is not yet conclusive.

Why read literature?

We read for entertainment and/or instruction, to delight and/or enlighten through the various expressions of the imagination according to some critics. Few find them as the art of exploring and explaining the human experience. Popular or commercial literature may also aim to shock, amaze, or provide us with an escape from reality into another world. Now as a reader you need to explain, extract and exhibit the threads of meaning in the literary piece:

As a reader there are two approaches to reach the meaning:

      Readers--> Aesthetics --> Meaning

      Readers--> Society-->Writers ' Identity --> Meaning

In the first one you have to reach the aesthetic level of the created work with such spiritual acclaim as that of the author. You need to be Jogi!

 In the second category it is quite cheaper and easier way of reaching the goal. It is the ladder of knowing myself--> where am I --> who are you( the character/ the author)--> The relation between you and me --> the meaning of the text.

Let’s Listen:

      Figure out the point of view, or perspective, the writer is using

   --> Third-person omniscient-- In third-person, the author like god like stature filters everything through a single character’s perceptions. Example: Thomas Hardy‘s novels.

  -->First person-- the author lets a character tell the story. Example: Rabindranath Tegore’s Hungry Stone.

      The author’s style— note author’s use of literary devices -- figures of speech, such as metaphors and similes; symbolism; major images; motifs (repetition of images), humour, innovativeness etc.

Enjoying literature

Are you reading Macbeth? Okay let’s watch the film, listen others who have read or watched, search the history of Macbeth, get an idea of Shakespeare and Elizabethan theatre, and so on. You can enjoy literary piece more if you have some knowledge of its different types, techniques, and styles.

English Study Tips

      Literature is not an isolated field of studies. You have to know the historical and social context in which that piece of literature was created. Art, music, film, anthropology and philosophy who is not there! 

      Take a note of the author's biography for the totality of the comprehension and application.

      Names, places, and dates are to be computed which I personally fear most.

Guide for Writing Papers in Net Examination:

Not much needs to be said that would distinguish writing in English literature from writing in most other college courses. Good writing is good writing, and the chief characteristic of good writing is clarity.

Warning!

      Clarity does not mean wordiness. So tell what you know in short, lucid and logical sentences.

      Effective argumentation is a must in your answer but it should be a mixed result of what you feel and what you know.

      Demonstrate understanding of literary texts through personal and creative interpretation as well as analytical criticism

      Recent, relevant, and reputable reference are also key earners of marks. So be up to date on related topic.

      The present tense is generally used to describe the events within a literary work; the past tense is used to describe what the author did. So write in present tense to gain more scope of animated verbs. 

Other signs

      Manage your time properly

      Chose your topics correctly so that boring can't be pouring in you!

      In answering objective questions implement your logical assertions.

Good Luck!

Ardhendu De

UGC-NET Junior Research Fellowship & Lectureship Exam: Teaching & Research Aptitude (Paper - 1)

English: For UGC-NET/SLET And Other Competitive Examinations - See more at: http://ardhendude.blogspot.in/2011/06/tips-for-ugc-net-english-examination.html#sthash.NdIB8rVa.dpuf

UGC-NET Junior Research Fellowship & Lectureship Exam: Teaching & Research Aptitude (Paper - 1) - See more at: http://ardhendude.blogspot.in/2011/06/tips-for-ugc-net-english-examination.html#sthash.NdIB8rVa.dpuf