Instructions

Read the paragraph and answer the questions that follow.

Literary criticism does not necessarily have to choose between textual or verbal and contextual study. The distinction between the two types of linguistic meaning is seen at two levels, formal and textual. Formal meaning in poetry is the level at which stylistic patterns occur but these are not restricted to mere form.

Panini discusses, in a few sutras scattered over his works, the influence of the concept of language in various spheres of suffixes, primary and secondary derivatives and compounds. Poetics is also indebted to grammar for the terms 'Jati' (genus), 'Kriya' (action), 'Guna' (quality) and 'Dravya' (individual/substance) which it uses in connection with certain poetic figures or while dealing with the expressive function of words.

Literary criticism, in the Sanskrit tradition, has been understood to be a sastra by which is meant any systematic, well-formulated body of knowledge. A 'sastraic' exposition is supposed to involve inquiry into the nature of substance, nature of language and the validity of critical statements. Thus, a basic understanding of the grammatical and philosophical issues is a prerequisite for the understanding of critical questions.

Question 89

Which of the following statements are true about the given passage ?
(A) Literary criticism must use either textual or contextual study.
(B) Formal and textual are two levels and help in ascertaining linguistic meaning.
(C) Critical questions cannot be understood without a philosophical and grammatical understanding.
(D) Panini has written in a compact format of Sutras.
(E) Sanskrit has a tradition of literary criticism for a long time.
Choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below :

Solution

We look at each statement one by one:

(A) Literary criticism must use either textual or contextual study.
The passage explicitly says it "does not necessarily have to choose between textual or contextual" , implying it can integrate both. So this is incorrect.

(B) Formal and textual are two levels and help in ascertaining linguistic meaning.
The passage says: "The distinction between the two types of linguistic meaning is seen at two levels, formal and textual." So this is correct.

(C) Critical questions cannot be understood without a philosophical and grammatical understanding.
The passage says: "a basic understanding of the grammatical and philosophical issues is a prerequisite for the understanding of critical questions." So this is a rephrasing and is correct.

(D) Panini has written in a compact format of Sutras.
The passage says: "Panini discusses, in a few sutras scattered over his works..." That confirms the use of sutras (short, aphoristic statements), typical of Panini. However, it doesn't state that he wrote in a compact format. So this is incorrect.

(E) Sanskrit has a tradition of literary criticism for a long time.
The passage says: "Literary criticism, in the Sanskrit tradition, has been understood to be a shastra..." This implies a well-established tradition of literary criticism in Sanskrit. So this is correct.

Hence, the correct answer is option d) (B), (C), and (E) only

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