UGC NET English Shift 2 - Complete Solution - W.B. Yeats, Michel de Montaigne, Charles Dickens, Shakespeare Questions

Sep 21, 2026

UGC NET English Shift 2 practice material presents reading passages and poems followed by multiple-choice questions. The first passage uses Michel de Montaigne’s reflections on solitude, addressing themes, the mistake people make, and the persistence of life’s worries. Subsequent sections include W. B. Yeats’s “A Prayer for Old Age,” Shakespeare’s King Lear excerpts, and a Charles Dickens extract about Dombey and Son. The paper also tests literary concepts and vocabulary through definitions and author identification questions, including word categories and homophones.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages42

Reading Time1 h 46 min

AccessFree to download

Reading Passage Questions

Michel de Montaigne: “Of Solitude”

W. B. Yeats: “A Prayer for Old Age”

Charles Dickens: Dombey and Son extract

Shakespeare: King Lear extract

Language and Literature MCQs

Literary device identification

Vocabulary and word-meaning questions

Author and work matching

NTA UGC NET-2021 ENGLISH PREPARED BY-AKSRajveer (Literature Lovers YouTube) UGC NET SET UP TGT PGT LT GRADE DSSSB NVS KVS ENGLISH LITERATURE BY AKSRajveer UGC NET ENGLISH SHIFT 2 DEC 2020 AND JUNE 2021 COMPLETE SOLUTION-BYAKSRajveer ( Literature Lovers YouTube) Mobile No-9125090515, 7080825282 Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow: [T]he aim of all [solitude...is](solitude...is) the same: to live more at leisure and at one’s ease. But people do not always look for the right way. Often they think they have left business, and they have only changed it. There is scarcely less trouble in governing a family than in governing an entire state: whatever the mind is wrapped up in it, it is all wrapped up in it, and domestic occupations are no less importunate for being less important. Furthermore, by getting rid of the court and the marketplace we do not get rid of the principal worries of our life Ambition, avarice, irresolution, fear and lust do not leave us when we change our country They often follow us even into the cloisters and schools of philosophy. Neither deserts, nor rocky caves, nor hair shirts, nor fastings will free us of them. --Michel de Montaigne,“Of solitude” 1.Which of the following best captures the theme of the passage? A.. Ruling a state is easier than managing a family., B..Solitude is one condition of peace with one self C.. The court and the marketplace must be got rid of, . D.Try what one may, no one can ever be at ease 2.The mistake human beings make is to: A.abjure solitude when desirable., UGC NET SET UP TGT PGT LT GRADE DSSSB NVS KVS ENGLISH LITERATURE BY AKSRajveer B . abstain from restraining the mind, . C. abstain from the love of leisure., D. exaggerate the value of family. 3.The “principal worries of our life” follow us if we: A. detach our self from family life. B. are deep into buying and selling. C. mentally abstain from hustle and bustle. D. are in to schools of philosophy. Choose the correct answer from the options given below: A- .A and C only B- B and C only C- B and D only D- C and D only 4. Read the following poem and answer the questions that follow: A Prayer for Old Age God guard me from those thoughts men think In the mind alone; He that sings a lasting song Thinks in a marrow-bone; From all that makes a wise old man That can be praised of all; O what am I that I should not seem For the song's sake a fool? I pray--for fashion's word is out And prayer comes round again--That I may seem, though I die old, A foolish, passionate man. -W. B.Yeats In the second stanza the poet thinks of: A. what all earns all others’ praise B. what all makes a wise old man. C . what he does not want to appear. UGC NET SET UP TGT PGT LT GRADE DSSSB NVS KVS ENGLISH LITERATURE BY AKSRajveer 3 D. what he thinks he is, a fool. 5. Which one of the following best captures what we infer about the poet? A. He believes in the efficacy of prayer. B. He is a foolish young man who thinks wisely. C . He is an old man wise as old are. D. He is old but happy in not being wise 6. Thoughts true for all time are. A. born of God’s care. B. felt deep inside the self. C. for all human hearts. D. imbued with logic of mind. 7. Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow: The earth was made for Dombey and Son to trade in, and the sun and moon were made to give them light. Rivers and seas were formed to float their ships; rainbows gave them promise of fair weather; winds blew for or against their enterprises; stars and planets circled in their orbits, to preserve inviolate a system of which they were the centre. Common abbreviations took new meanings in his eyes, and had sole reference to them: A. D. had no concern with anno Domini, but stood for anno Dombey—and Son. -Charles Dickens, Dombey and Son The whole description is an example of: A.analogy. B . aporia. C . image. UGC NE

FAQs

What theme does the Montaigne passage emphasize in the UGC NET English Shift 2 questions?

It focuses on how solitude relates to living with ease and how people fail to find the right way, even when they change circumstances.

How is the poem “A Prayer for Old Age” used in the questions?

Questions ask what the poet considers in the second stanza and what can be inferred about the poet’s attitude toward aging and wisdom.

What literary concept is tested using the Dickens extract about Dombey and Son?

The questions require identifying the type of description (e.g., the passage is treated as an example of a specific literary figure such as analogy) and then asking about the meaning of the “system” referred to.

Sep 21, 2026

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