Q1:
21st May Shift 2
Vocabulary > Spelling
Easy
Choose the correctly spelled word from the given options:
Correct Answer
Option 1
Correct Answer
CUET English 2026 21st May Shift 2 PYQs
No login required. No pop-ups. We have all previous-year questions with solutions for free!
Q2:
21st May Shift 2
VA > Grammar
Easy
Choose the most appropriate option to fill in the blank in the given sentence: The boy crawled______ the fence to enter the garden.
Correct Answer
Option 2
Correct Answer
Q3:
21st May Shift 2
VA > Grammar
Medium
Choose the most appropriate passive construction for the given sentence: Do you expect your parents to come from Hyderabad today?
Correct Answer
Option 1
Correct Answer
Q4:
21st May Shift 2
VA > Literary Devices
Medium
Choose the correct pair of figures of speech for the given sentence: The silence screamed louder than any voice in the room.
Correct Answer
Option 4
Correct Answer
Q5:
21st May Shift 2
Vocabulary > Word Usage
Medium
Choose the most appropriate option to fill in the blank in the given sentence: The ________analysis of the movie by the upcoming blogger was so to the point that it not only went viral, but also raised the gross collection beyond the expected numbers.
Correct Answer
Option 4
Correct Answer
Q6:
21st May Shift 2
Vocabulary > Word Usage
Easy
Choose the correct option to fill in the blank in the given sentence: He did not __________ to my request.
Correct Answer
Option 2
Correct Answer
Q7:
21st May Shift 2
Vocabulary > Idioms
Medium
Match the idioms given in List-I with their meanings given in List-II. | LIST-I (Idioms) | LIST-II (Meaning) | |---|---| | A. Take something at face value | I. To take something as naturally expected | | B. Take something in stride | II. Assessing all the aspects in order to form an opinion | | C. Take something lying down | III. To accept something exactly the way it appears to be | | D. Take stock of a situation | IV. To endure something unpleasant without fighting back | Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Correct Answer
Option 3
Correct Answer
Q8:
21st May Shift 2
Vocabulary > Antonyms
Easy
Choose the opposite of the word IMPECCABLE from the options given:
Correct Answer
Option 1
Correct Answer
Q9:
21st May Shift 2
Vocabulary > Synonyms
Easy
Choose the correct synonym for the underlined word in the given sentence: He was advised to move to a place that would offer a salubrious climate .
Correct Answer
Option 4
Correct Answer
Q10:
21st May Shift 2
Vocabulary > Synonyms
Medium
Choose the correct words with similar meaning for the underlined word in the given sentence: There is not a single word that is REDUNDANT in the report. A. not needed B. supernumerary C. meagre D. essential
Correct Answer
Option 2
Correct Answer
Q11:
21st May Shift 2
VA > Rearrangement
Medium
Arrange the following parts to make a meaningful sentence: A. the early tests of his vegetarianism to the epic B. the cardinal rule: he shared his struggles C. fasts at the end of his life, Gandhi held on D. across decades of dietary experimentation, from
Correct Answer
Option 3
Correct Answer
Q12:
21st May Shift 2
VA > Literary Devices
Easy
Choose the correct figure of speech used in the given sentence: A bicycle can't stand on its own because it is two tyred.
Correct Answer
Option 1
Correct Answer
Q13:
21st May Shift 2
VA > Grammar
Medium
Choose the most appropriate option to fill in the blank in the given sentence: His behaviour gave me ______ pain.
Correct Answer
Option 3
Correct Answer
Q14:
21st May Shift 2
VA > Grammar
Easy
Choose the most appropriate option to fill in the blank in the given sentence: _____you make a wrong choice with regard to your career, you will regret it for the rest of your life.
Correct Answer
Option 1
Correct Answer
Q15:
21st May Shift 2
Vocabulary > Antonyms
Easy
Choose the correct antonyms for the word FIDELITY from the options given: A. Falsity B. Treachery C. Loyalty D. Obedience
Correct Answer
Option 1
Correct Answer
Q16:
21st May Shift 2
VA > Grammar
Medium
Fill in the blanks given in List-I with the correct options given in List-II | LIST-I (Sentences) | LIST-II (Words) | |---|---| | A. Rashi will fail ____ she does not work hard. | I. because | | B. He was late to school ______ he got caught in the sudden downpour. | II. in case | | C. I could not recognise her, she has changed a lot ______ I saw her last. | III. if | | D. The teacher said that ____ any of us had any questions on the subject, we should ask her then. | IV. since | Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Correct Answer
Option 2
Correct Answer
Q17:
21st May Shift 2
Vocabulary > Word Usage
Medium
Match the words given in List-I with their expanded forms given in List-II. | LIST-I (Word) | LIST-II (Expanded form) | |---|---| | A. Cache | I. A place where records are kept. | | B. Archives | II. A place where dishes are washed. | | C. Scabbard | III. A hidden store of things. | | D. Scullery | IV. A case in which the blade of the sword is kept. | Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Correct Answer
Option 1
Correct Answer
Q18:
21st May Shift 2
Vocabulary > Idioms
Easy
Choose the correct meaning for the idiom To play to the gallery from the given options:
Correct Answer
Option 2
Correct Answer
Q19:
21st May Shift 2
Vocabulary > Word Usage
Medium
Fill in the blanks given in List-I with the appropriate words given in List-II | LIST-I (Fill in the Blanks) | LIST-II (Words) | |---|---| | A. Since the ______ of the document submitted was not clear, it was rejected. | I. collusion | | B. The ________between the two cars proved very fatal for the passengers. | II. tenure | | C. He is seen interacting more with the staff as his _____ as the chairman is drawing close. | III. tenor | | D. The domestic help in ____ with the robbers staged the robbery in a manner that would cast no aspersion on him. | IV. collision | Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Correct Answer
Option 4
Correct Answer
Q20:
21st May Shift 2
Vocabulary > Word Usage
Medium
Choose the correct word to substitute the given phrase: A government by inexperienced people-
Correct Answer
Option 2
Correct Answer
Q21:
21st May Shift 2
Vocabulary > Phrasal Verbs
Medium
Select the sentence in which the phrasal verb TURN DOWN has been used correctly.
Correct Answer
Option 1
Correct Answer
Q22:
21st May Shift 2
Vocabulary > Synonyms
Easy
Choose the correct words with similar meaning for the word: ADJACENT. A. Verging B. Distant C. Separate D. Juxtaposed
Correct Answer
Option 4
Correct Answer
Q23:
21st May Shift 2
Vocabulary > Phrasal Verbs
Easy
Choose the correct option to fill in the blank in the given sentence: The shopkeeper did not have the toys I was looking ____________.
Correct Answer
Option 3
Correct Answer
Q24:
21st May Shift 2
VA > Rearrangement
Medium
Arrange the following parts to make a meaningful sentence: A. race ahead without stopping to smell B. on a mountain, and in life, it pays to be patient C. the roses and take in the scenery along the way D. and enjoy the journey rather than Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Correct Answer
Option 2
Correct Answer
Q25:
21st May Shift 2
VA > Grammar
Easy
Choose the correct option to fill in the blank in the given sentence: This column _________ twice weekly in the newspaper that I subscribe to.
Correct Answer
Option 3
Correct Answer
Q26:
21st May Shift 2
Vocabulary > Spelling
Easy
Fill in the blank with the correctly spelled word from the options: The warden would give us weekly some money to cover up any _________expenses.
Correct Answer
Option 1
Correct Answer
Q27:
21st May Shift 2
VA > Rearrangement
Medium
Arrange the following parts to make a meaningful sentence: A. well-equipped to deal with the drastic change in forex output B. due to the unpredictable U.S. policies in the areas of C. software exports and information technology D. Indian manufacturers and exporters are Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Correct Answer
Option 4
Correct Answer
Q28:
21st May Shift 2
VA > Grammar
Easy
Choose the most appropriate reported construction for the given sentence: "I will buy the flowers myself." said Mrs. Kapoor
Correct Answer
Option 3
Correct Answer
Q29:
21st May Shift 2
Vocabulary > Phrasal Verbs
Easy
Choose the correct option to fill in the blank in the given sentence: If you will ____me a little longer, I'll answer all the questions.
Correct Answer
Option 4
Correct Answer
Q30:
21st May Shift 2
Vocabulary > Word Usage
Medium
Match the words given in List-I with their expanded forms given in List-II | LIST-I (Word) | LIST-II (Expanded form) | |---|---| | A. Entomology | I. The study of animal behaviour | | B. Epigraphy | II. The study of the characteristics of human races | | C. Ethnology | III. The study of insects | | D. Ethology | IV. The study of inscriptions | Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Correct Answer
Option 4
Correct Answer
Q31:
21st May Shift 2
Vocabulary > Idioms
Easy
Choose the correct meaning of the idiom In doldrums from the given options:
Correct Answer
Option 3
Correct Answer
Q32:
21st May Shift 2
Vocabulary > Phrasal Verbs
Easy
Choose the correct word that appropriately replaces the underlined words in the given sentence: The committee decided to call off the celebrations due to the escalation of the situation in the province.
Correct Answer
Option 2
Correct Answer
Q33:
21st May Shift 2
VA > Grammar
Medium
Choose the correct option to fill in the blank in the given sentence: An ordinance declaring President's rule in the state _____________ for immediate compliance after assessing the law and order situation.
Correct Answer
Option 4
Correct Answer
Q34:
21st May Shift 2
Vocabulary > Word Usage
Medium
Fill in the blank with the appropriate word from the given options: Despite an affected________that convinced casual observers that he was indifferent about his painting, the young NIFT graduate cared deeply about his art and laboured at it diligently.
Correct Answer
Option 2
Correct Answer
Q35:
21st May Shift 2
Vocabulary > Word Usage
Easy
Choose the correct option to fill in the blank in the given sentence: She could not bring herself to forget how mean Ravi was to her sister. She _____him on sight
Correct Answer
Option 3
Correct Answer
Q36:
21st May Shift 2
VA > Grammar
Medium
Fill in the blanks given in List-I with the correct words given in List-II. | LIST-I (Fill in the blanks) | LIST-II (Words) | |---|---| | A. I have _________ influence in the political field. | I. a little | | B. There is no milk left. I have given ___ milk I had to the cat. | II. some | | C. I've only read _____ of the book so far. | III. the little | | D. _______ dreams are very disturbing. | IV. little | Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Correct Answer
Option 2
Correct Answer
Q37:
21st May Shift 2
VA > Rearrangement
Easy
Complete the beginning of the sentence given by arranging the following parts into a meaningful sentence: Work is one thing A. and without it B. that is necessary C. to keep the world going D. we all would die Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Correct Answer
Option 3
Correct Answer
Q38:
21st May Shift 2
VA > Grammar
Medium
Choose the most appropriate option to fill in the blank in the given sentence: My daughter probably thinks I am making up the stories about my childhood although she ______says so and continues to listen patiently.
Correct Answer
Option 3
Correct Answer
Q39:
21st May Shift 2
VA > Rearrangement
Medium
Complete the beginning of the sentence given by arranging the following parts into a meaningful sentence: I know it is not nice to compromise but A. if placed in her situation B. you can hardly blame her C. for doing what D. most people would do Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Correct Answer
Option 2
Correct Answer
Q40:
21st May Shift 2
Vocabulary > Antonyms
Medium
Match words given in List-I with their opposites given in List-II | LIST-I (Words) | LIST-II (Antonyms) | |---|---| | A. Dissipate | I. Criticism | | B. Sedentary | II. Forgiving | | C. Adulation | III. Hoard | | D. Vindictive | IV. Energetic | Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Correct Answer
Option 3
Correct Answer
Q41:
21st May Shift 2
VA > Passage
Easy
Attempts to lose weight often end in disappointment. This pattern is extremely common in modern life. Research shows that barely 20% of people manage to maintain lost weight after a year. This failure is not about shaming individuals; it reflects a serious public health risk comparable to smoking. Recent findings in a series of papers named Lacent underline two essential points. First, ultra-processed foods have steadily weakened people's ability to make healthy choices. Second, only strong and coordinated policy measures can rebuild a food environment that supports better habits.
Consider something as simple as yogurt. What seems like a healthy snack is usually packed with modified starches, emulsifiers, sweeteners and colourings. With busy work schedules, few people have time to prepare fresh alternatives, especially those who carry and balance multiple responsibilities. This is where policy can matter. Front-of-package warnings, limits on marketing to children and fiscal measures that prevent large corporations from making profit on public health, society must acknowledge how harmful highly engineered food has become. People need to resist such products. Instead, they must replace them with real cooking.
Ultra-processed foods feel addictive because they are designed to override the body's hunger signals. When people eat them compulsively, it is not simply weakness, it is the outcome of meticulous industrial engineering to hijack human biology. Even something labelled as a "strawberry" may contain dozens of artificial chemicals and no real fruit. While policymakers delay reforms, everyone turns to chips, sweets and cola for comfort during stress and loneliness.
Ultimately, despite the structural issues, personal discipline still plays a crucial role. Choosing healthier food is genuinely challenging- sometimes as demanding as other major acts of self-control in life. We can view the greater empathy. It is no less tough than buying a house or sending a child abroad.
Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a characteristic of ultra-processed foods?
Correct Answer
Option 2
Correct Answer
Q42:
21st May Shift 2
VA > Passage
Medium
Attempts to lose weight often end in disappointment. This pattern is extremely common in modern life. Research shows that barely 20% of people manage to maintain lost weight after a year. This failure is not about shaming individuals; it reflects a serious public health risk comparable to smoking. Recent findings in a series of papers named Lacent underline two essential points. First, ultra-processed foods have steadily weakened people's ability to make healthy choices. Second, only strong and coordinated policy measures can rebuild a food environment that supports better habits.
Consider something as simple as yogurt. What seems like a healthy snack is usually packed with modified starches, emulsifiers, sweeteners and colourings. With busy work schedules, few people have time to prepare fresh alternatives, especially those who carry and balance multiple responsibilities. This is where policy can matter. Front-of-package warnings, limits on marketing to children and fiscal measures that prevent large corporations from making profit on public health, society must acknowledge how harmful highly engineered food has become. People need to resist such products. Instead, they must replace them with real cooking.
Ultra-processed foods feel addictive because they are designed to override the body's hunger signals. When people eat them compulsively, it is not simply weakness, it is the outcome of meticulous industrial engineering to hijack human biology. Even something labelled as a "strawberry" may contain dozens of artificial chemicals and no real fruit. While policymakers delay reforms, everyone turns to chips, sweets and cola for comfort during stress and loneliness.
Ultimately, despite the structural issues, personal discipline still plays a crucial role. Choosing healthier food is genuinely challenging- sometimes as demanding as other major acts of self-control in life. We can view the greater empathy. It is no less tough than buying a house or sending a child abroad.
According to the passage front-of-package warnings and marketing restrictions are important as-
Correct Answer
Option 2
Correct Answer
Q43:
21st May Shift 2
VA > Passage
Medium
Attempts to lose weight often end in disappointment. This pattern is extremely common in modern life. Research shows that barely 20% of people manage to maintain lost weight after a year. This failure is not about shaming individuals; it reflects a serious public health risk comparable to smoking. Recent findings in a series of papers named Lacent underline two essential points. First, ultra-processed foods have steadily weakened people's ability to make healthy choices. Second, only strong and coordinated policy measures can rebuild a food environment that supports better habits.
Consider something as simple as yogurt. What seems like a healthy snack is usually packed with modified starches, emulsifiers, sweeteners and colourings. With busy work schedules, few people have time to prepare fresh alternatives, especially those who carry and balance multiple responsibilities. This is where policy can matter. Front-of-package warnings, limits on marketing to children and fiscal measures that prevent large corporations from making profit on public health, society must acknowledge how harmful highly engineered food has become. People need to resist such products. Instead, they must replace them with real cooking.
Ultra-processed foods feel addictive because they are designed to override the body's hunger signals. When people eat them compulsively, it is not simply weakness, it is the outcome of meticulous industrial engineering to hijack human biology. Even something labelled as a "strawberry" may contain dozens of artificial chemicals and no real fruit. While policymakers delay reforms, everyone turns to chips, sweets and cola for comfort during stress and loneliness.
Ultimately, despite the structural issues, personal discipline still plays a crucial role. Choosing healthier food is genuinely challenging- sometimes as demanding as other major acts of self-control in life. We can view the greater empathy. It is no less tough than buying a house or sending a child abroad.
What is the central concern of the passage?
Correct Answer
Option 2
Correct Answer
Q44:
21st May Shift 2
VA > Passage
Medium
Attempts to lose weight often end in disappointment. This pattern is extremely common in modern life. Research shows that barely 20% of people manage to maintain lost weight after a year. This failure is not about shaming individuals; it reflects a serious public health risk comparable to smoking. Recent findings in a series of papers named Lacent underline two essential points. First, ultra-processed foods have steadily weakened people's ability to make healthy choices. Second, only strong and coordinated policy measures can rebuild a food environment that supports better habits.
Consider something as simple as yogurt. What seems like a healthy snack is usually packed with modified starches, emulsifiers, sweeteners and colourings. With busy work schedules, few people have time to prepare fresh alternatives, especially those who carry and balance multiple responsibilities. This is where policy can matter. Front-of-package warnings, limits on marketing to children and fiscal measures that prevent large corporations from making profit on public health, society must acknowledge how harmful highly engineered food has become. People need to resist such products. Instead, they must replace them with real cooking.
Ultra-processed foods feel addictive because they are designed to override the body's hunger signals. When people eat them compulsively, it is not simply weakness, it is the outcome of meticulous industrial engineering to hijack human biology. Even something labelled as a "strawberry" may contain dozens of artificial chemicals and no real fruit. While policymakers delay reforms, everyone turns to chips, sweets and cola for comfort during stress and loneliness.
Ultimately, despite the structural issues, personal discipline still plays a crucial role. Choosing healthier food is genuinely challenging- sometimes as demanding as other major acts of self-control in life. We can view the greater empathy. It is no less tough than buying a house or sending a child abroad.
Choose the word with a similar meaning to the underlined word from the given options. Ultra-processed foods are addictive because they are designed to override the body's natural hunger.
Correct Answer
Option 3
Correct Answer
Q45:
21st May Shift 2
VA > Passage
Easy
Attempts to lose weight often end in disappointment. This pattern is extremely common in modern life. Research shows that barely 20% of people manage to maintain lost weight after a year. This failure is not about shaming individuals; it reflects a serious public health risk comparable to smoking. Recent findings in a series of papers named Lacent underline two essential points. First, ultra-processed foods have steadily weakened people's ability to make healthy choices. Second, only strong and coordinated policy measures can rebuild a food environment that supports better habits.
Consider something as simple as yogurt. What seems like a healthy snack is usually packed with modified starches, emulsifiers, sweeteners and colourings. With busy work schedules, few people have time to prepare fresh alternatives, especially those who carry and balance multiple responsibilities. This is where policy can matter. Front-of-package warnings, limits on marketing to children and fiscal measures that prevent large corporations from making profit on public health, society must acknowledge how harmful highly engineered food has become. People need to resist such products. Instead, they must replace them with real cooking.
Ultra-processed foods feel addictive because they are designed to override the body's hunger signals. When people eat them compulsively, it is not simply weakness, it is the outcome of meticulous industrial engineering to hijack human biology. Even something labelled as a "strawberry" may contain dozens of artificial chemicals and no real fruit. While policymakers delay reforms, everyone turns to chips, sweets and cola for comfort during stress and loneliness.
Ultimately, despite the structural issues, personal discipline still plays a crucial role. Choosing healthier food is genuinely challenging- sometimes as demanding as other major acts of self-control in life. We can view the greater empathy. It is no less tough than buying a house or sending a child abroad.
In the passage, the phrase "engineered to hijack human biology" refers to:
Correct Answer
Option 2
Correct Answer
Q46:
21st May Shift 2
VA > Passage
Easy
Perceptions of time have shifted greatly over the years and many of the novels I have read recently reflect a renewed concern with their passage. Anthony Powell's Cycle A Dance to the Music of Time is one example. Its title, taken from Poussin's painting, evokes the universal inability to control life's unfolding rhythm. Powell's work even includes a brief portrait of my predecessor in History Today, Peter Quennell.
Yet the novel that illuminates our era most, indeed, time itself - is one I revisited after more than a decade, Thomas Mann's The Magic Mountain. It was written in a crisis and doubt. It was published in1942 between two European catastrophes and after a pandemic. The very idea of fixed time had been unsettled by Einstein's 1905 Theory of Relativity, which gave scientific weight to earlier philosophical explorations.
The novel follows Hans Castrop, a young marine engineer with a modest private income. He visits his tubercular cousin at the International Sanatorium above Davos. "Can one narrate time itself?", Castrope wonders. Planning to stay for three weeks, he instead remains for seven years. Life in the sanatorium alters his sense of time's tempo. Why hurry back to work when one can wander the mountains with cosmopolitans, pursue romance and explore art, the occult and the natural world? Doctors are happy to offer medical justification for his extended retreat and to separate him from his money but withdrawal has limits. Reality, Mann suggested, can be postponed only so long. The novel ultimately raises a question that resonates strongly today. Reality can not be put off forever.
What causes Hans Castrop to extend his stay at the sanatorium from weeks to years?
Correct Answer
Option 3
Correct Answer
Q47:
21st May Shift 2
VA > Passage
Medium
Perceptions of time have shifted greatly over the years and many of the novels I have read recently reflect a renewed concern with their passage. Anthony Powell's Cycle A Dance to the Music of Time is one example. Its title, taken from Poussin's painting, evokes the universal inability to control life's unfolding rhythm. Powell's work even includes a brief portrait of my predecessor in History Today, Peter Quennell.
Yet the novel that illuminates our era most, indeed, time itself - is one I revisited after more than a decade, Thomas Mann's The Magic Mountain. It was written in a crisis and doubt. It was published in1942 between two European catastrophes and after a pandemic. The very idea of fixed time had been unsettled by Einstein's 1905 Theory of Relativity, which gave scientific weight to earlier philosophical explorations.
The novel follows Hans Castrop, a young marine engineer with a modest private income. He visits his tubercular cousin at the International Sanatorium above Davos. "Can one narrate time itself?", Castrope wonders. Planning to stay for three weeks, he instead remains for seven years. Life in the sanatorium alters his sense of time's tempo. Why hurry back to work when one can wander the mountains with cosmopolitans, pursue romance and explore art, the occult and the natural world? Doctors are happy to offer medical justification for his extended retreat and to separate him from his money but withdrawal has limits. Reality, Mann suggested, can be postponed only so long. The novel ultimately raises a question that resonates strongly today. Reality can not be put off forever.
Why does The Magic Mountain gain renewed relevance for contemporary readers, according to the passage?
Correct Answer
Option 3
Correct Answer
Q48:
21st May Shift 2
VA > Passage
Easy
Perceptions of time have shifted greatly over the years and many of the novels I have read recently reflect a renewed concern with their passage. Anthony Powell's Cycle A Dance to the Music of Time is one example. Its title, taken from Poussin's painting, evokes the universal inability to control life's unfolding rhythm. Powell's work even includes a brief portrait of my predecessor in History Today, Peter Quennell.
Yet the novel that illuminates our era most, indeed, time itself - is one I revisited after more than a decade, Thomas Mann's The Magic Mountain. It was written in a crisis and doubt. It was published in1942 between two European catastrophes and after a pandemic. The very idea of fixed time had been unsettled by Einstein's 1905 Theory of Relativity, which gave scientific weight to earlier philosophical explorations.
The novel follows Hans Castrop, a young marine engineer with a modest private income. He visits his tubercular cousin at the International Sanatorium above Davos. "Can one narrate time itself?", Castrope wonders. Planning to stay for three weeks, he instead remains for seven years. Life in the sanatorium alters his sense of time's tempo. Why hurry back to work when one can wander the mountains with cosmopolitans, pursue romance and explore art, the occult and the natural world? Doctors are happy to offer medical justification for his extended retreat and to separate him from his money but withdrawal has limits. Reality, Mann suggested, can be postponed only so long. The novel ultimately raises a question that resonates strongly today. Reality can not be put off forever.
Which scientific concept influenced changing perceptions of time, as highlighted in the passage?
Correct Answer
Option 3
Correct Answer
Q49:
21st May Shift 2
VA > Passage
Medium
Perceptions of time have shifted greatly over the years and many of the novels I have read recently reflect a renewed concern with their passage. Anthony Powell's Cycle A Dance to the Music of Time is one example. Its title, taken from Poussin's painting, evokes the universal inability to control life's unfolding rhythm. Powell's work even includes a brief portrait of my predecessor in History Today, Peter Quennell.
Yet the novel that illuminates our era most, indeed, time itself - is one I revisited after more than a decade, Thomas Mann's The Magic Mountain. It was written in a crisis and doubt. It was published in1942 between two European catastrophes and after a pandemic. The very idea of fixed time had been unsettled by Einstein's 1905 Theory of Relativity, which gave scientific weight to earlier philosophical explorations.
The novel follows Hans Castrop, a young marine engineer with a modest private income. He visits his tubercular cousin at the International Sanatorium above Davos. "Can one narrate time itself?", Castrope wonders. Planning to stay for three weeks, he instead remains for seven years. Life in the sanatorium alters his sense of time's tempo. Why hurry back to work when one can wander the mountains with cosmopolitans, pursue romance and explore art, the occult and the natural world? Doctors are happy to offer medical justification for his extended retreat and to separate him from his money but withdrawal has limits. Reality, Mann suggested, can be postponed only so long. The novel ultimately raises a question that resonates strongly today. Reality can not be put off forever.
Which of the following concepts has Not been discussed in the given passage concerning the novels mentioned?
Correct Answer
Option 4
Correct Answer
Q50:
21st May Shift 2
VA > Passage
Medium
Perceptions of time have shifted greatly over the years and many of the novels I have read recently reflect a renewed concern with their passage. Anthony Powell's Cycle A Dance to the Music of Time is one example. Its title, taken from Poussin's painting, evokes the universal inability to control life's unfolding rhythm. Powell's work even includes a brief portrait of my predecessor in History Today, Peter Quennell.
Yet the novel that illuminates our era most, indeed, time itself - is one I revisited after more than a decade, Thomas Mann's The Magic Mountain. It was written in a crisis and doubt. It was published in1942 between two European catastrophes and after a pandemic. The very idea of fixed time had been unsettled by Einstein's 1905 Theory of Relativity, which gave scientific weight to earlier philosophical explorations.
The novel follows Hans Castrop, a young marine engineer with a modest private income. He visits his tubercular cousin at the International Sanatorium above Davos. "Can one narrate time itself?", Castrope wonders. Planning to stay for three weeks, he instead remains for seven years. Life in the sanatorium alters his sense of time's tempo. Why hurry back to work when one can wander the mountains with cosmopolitans, pursue romance and explore art, the occult and the natural world? Doctors are happy to offer medical justification for his extended retreat and to separate him from his money but withdrawal has limits. Reality, Mann suggested, can be postponed only so long. The novel ultimately raises a question that resonates strongly today. Reality can not be put off forever.
What central idea connects Anthony Powell's works as described in the passage?
Correct Answer
Option 2
Correct Answer
CUET English 2026 21st May Shift 2 - Past Year Questions
Practice with our comprehensive collection of CUET English 2026 21st May Shift 2 Past Year Questions (PYQs) with detailed solutions. No login required. We have created handwritten solutions for all CUET English questions for free!