1
"Asrar-e-Khudi" (Secrets of the Self) is a Persian poetry collection by:
Correct answer: D. Allama Iqbal
Published in 1915, Asrar-e-Khudi sets out Iqbal's philosophy of Khudi (selfhood).
easy
Urdu Literature 2: Iqbal, Faiz and Classic Prose MCQs
Solved Urdu literature MCQs on Iqbal's Persian works and famous poems, Faiz, Jalib, Nasir Kazmi, Hali and Shibli, Ghalib's letters, travelogues and fiction.
23 MCQsUpdated 27 October 2026
This set continues the study of Urdu literature with Allama Iqbal's Urdu and Persian works, Faiz Ahmed Faiz and his honours, modern poets such as Nasir Kazmi and Jaun Elia, Sir Syed's reform journalism, and great biographies and classic prose.
Literature questions usually pair a book with its author or a poet with a title. Learn each writer with their best-known works, and note which of Iqbal's books are in Urdu and which in Persian.
- 2
Allama Iqbal wrote "Payam-e-Mashriq" as a response to the work of which German poet?
Correct answer: C. Goethe
Payam-e-Mashriq (Message of the East, 1923) was Iqbal's answer to Goethe's West-östlicher Divan.
hard - 3
"Javid Nama", in which the poet journeys through the heavens guided by Rumi, was written by:
Correct answer: C. Allama Iqbal
Iqbal's Persian masterpiece Javid Nama (1932) is named after his son Javid.
medium - 4
"The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam" is a collection of lectures by:
Correct answer: B. Allama Iqbal
Iqbal delivered these English lectures in the late 1920s and published them in 1930.
medium - 5
The famous poems "Shikwa" and "Jawab-e-Shikwa" were written by:
Correct answer: C. Allama Iqbal
In Shikwa (Complaint) the poet complains to Allah about the state of Muslims; Jawab-e-Shikwa gives the reply.
easy - 6
"Saare Jahan Se Achha" (Tarana-e-Hind) was written by:
Correct answer: A. Allama Iqbal
Iqbal wrote it in 1904. He later wrote Tarana-e-Milli ("Cheen-o-Arab Hamara") with a pan-Islamic theme.
medium - 7
Faiz Ahmed Faiz received which international prize in 1962?
Correct answer: B. Lenin Peace Prize
Faiz was awarded the Lenin Peace Prize by the Soviet Union in 1962.
medium - 8
Faiz Ahmed Faiz's collection "Zindan Nama" is associated with his time in:
Correct answer: D. Prison
Zindan means prison. Faiz wrote many of these poems while imprisoned in the 1950s. "Dast-e-Saba" also dates from this period.
Read detailsmedium - 9
The revolutionary poem "Dastoor" is by which poet, known for his resistance poetry?
Correct answer: D. Habib Jalib
Habib Jalib wrote "Dastoor" against Ayub Khan's 1962 constitution and became known as a poet of the people.
medium - 10
"Barg-e-Nai" was the first poetry collection of:
Correct answer: D. Nasir Kazmi
Nasir Kazmi's Barg-e-Nai (1952) made him one of the leading ghazal poets after independence.
hard - 11
"Shayad" was the first published poetry collection of:
Correct answer: B. Jaun Elia
Jaun Elia published his first collection, Shayad, in 1991, late in his life.
hard - 12
Akbar Allahabadi is best known for his:
Correct answer: A. Humorous and satirical poetry
Akbar Allahabadi used wit and satire to criticize blind imitation of Western ways in colonial India.
medium - 13
Sir Syed Ahmad Khan launched which magazine to promote social and religious reform?
Correct answer: D. Tahzib-ul-Akhlaq
Tahzib-ul-Akhlaq, started in 1870, spread Sir Syed's ideas on education and reform. Al-Hilal was Abul Kalam Azad's paper.
Read detailsmedium - 14
"Seerat-un-Nabi", a major biography of the Holy Prophet (PBUH), was begun by Shibli Nomani and completed by:
Correct answer: B. Syed Sulaiman Nadvi
Shibli Nomani died before finishing it, and his student Syed Sulaiman Nadvi completed the work.
medium - 15
Altaf Hussain Hali's "Hayat-e-Javed" is a biography of:
Correct answer: A. Sir Syed Ahmad Khan
Hali wrote Hayat-e-Javed on Sir Syed. His "Yadgar-e-Ghalib" is about Mirza Ghalib.
medium - 16
"Yadgar-e-Ghalib", a biography of Mirza Ghalib, was written by:
Correct answer: D. Altaf Hussain Hali
Hali was Ghalib's student, and his Yadgar-e-Ghalib (1897) remains a key source on the poet's life.
medium - 17
"Ood-e-Hindi" and "Urdu-e-Mualla" are collections of the letters of:
Correct answer: A. Mirza Ghalib
Ghalib's informal, conversational letters changed Urdu prose and are prized as literature.
medium - 18
Which early poet is often called the father of Urdu poetry (Baba-e-Rekhta)?
Correct answer: C. Wali Dakkani
Wali Dakkani's diwan, which reached Delhi around 1700, inspired poets there to write in Urdu (Rekhta).
hard - 19
Amir Khusrau, the poet and musician credited with early Hindavi verse, is known by which title?
Correct answer: B. Tooti-e-Hind
Amir Khusrau (13th–14th century) is called Tooti-e-Hind (the Parrot of India) for his eloquence.
medium - 20
The "Imran Series" of detective novels was written by:
Correct answer: A. Ibn-e-Safi
Ibn-e-Safi created the hugely popular Imran Series and the Jasoosi Duniya series.
medium