Cambridge IGCSE · Literature in English (0475)

Sujata Bhatt, ‘A Different History’: Practice Questions

5 multiple-choice questions marked as you go, and 5 written questions with worked solutions. All on Sujata Bhatt, ‘A Different History’.

10 questions34 marksFree, no account

Question 1

1 mark

In Sujata Bhatt’s poem ‘A Different History’, why does the speaker explain that it is a sin to "shove a book with your foot" or to "disturb Saraswati"?

Question 2

1 mark

What is the significance of the speaker’s claim that “Pan is not dead” in Bhatt’s ‘A Different History’?

Question 3

1 mark

In Sujata Bhatt’s ‘A Different History’, what is the central conflict explored through the speaker's discussion of the snake god and Western history?

Question 4

1 mark

In the first section of ‘A Different History’, what does the description of the “sin” of mistreating books reveal about the culture being described?

Question 5

1 mark

In Sujata Bhatt’s ‘A Different History’, how does the speaker use the transition between the two sections of the poem to explore the theme of cultural identity?

Question 6

4 marks

How does the treatment of books in the first stanza of 'A Different History' serve to establish a sense of sacredness in everyday objects?

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Question 7

5 marks

In Sujata Bhatt's 'A Different History', how does the speaker use the concept of a 'foreign tongue' to explore the psychological impact of colonialism?

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Question 8

6 marks

In 'A Different History', how does the speaker’s rhetorical question about 'the tree' and 'the god' highlight the tragedy of cultural erasure through colonization?

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Question 9

7 marks

Explore the ways in which Sujata Bhatt presents the complex relationship between culture, history, and language in 'A Different History'.

In your response, you should focus on:
a) How the poet establishes a sense of religious reverence for knowledge and books in the first stanza.
b) The shift in tone as the poem moves into the second stanza to address the "conqueror".
c) The irony and paradox presented in the final lines regarding the adoption of the "torturer's" language.

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Question 10

7 marks

In 'A Different History', Sujata Bhatt explores the tension between ancestral traditions and the legacy of colonial rule.

Analyze how Bhatt conveys these themes by answering the following questions:
a) How does the poet use personification and ritualistic imagery in the first stanza to establish the sanctity of knowledge?
b) Explain the significance of the mythological reference to "Pan" and why the poet describes him as "homeless" in the context of Indian history.
c) To what extent does the metaphor of the "tree" and its "roots" in the final lines suggest a resolution to the conflict between the "conqueror" and the "conquered"?

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