Solved Urdu literature MCQs on classic dastans and early novels, Nazir Akbarabadi, Mir Dard, Sauda, Mir Anees and Daagh, and modern writers such as Ashfaq Ahmed, Rajinder Singh Bedi and Ahmad Faraz, for PPSC, FPSC and lecturer tests.
This set covers classic Urdu prose such as Fasana-e-Ajaib and Fasana-e-Azad, poets including Nazir Akbarabadi, Mir Dard, Sauda, Mir Anees and Daagh, and modern writers such as Ashfaq Ahmed, Rajinder Singh Bedi, Ahmad Faraz and Ada Jafri.
Many questions ask for an author's first collection or the genre they mastered, such as the marsiya or the qasida. Learn each writer with their genre and one or two key works.
Correct answer: A. Rajab Ali Beg Suroor
Rajab Ali Beg Suroor wrote Fasana-e-Ajaib (1824) in rhymed, decorated prose, partly in response to the simple Delhi style of Mir Amman's Bagh-o-Bahar.
Read detailsCorrect answer: B. Ratan Nath Sarshar
Pandit Ratan Nath Sarshar first published Fasana-e-Azad in instalments in the newspaper Avadh Akhbar in the 1870s; it gives a lively picture of Lucknow life.
Read detailsCorrect answer: C. Deputy Nazir Ahmad
Deputy Nazir Ahmad, author of Mirat-ul-Uroos, wrote Taubat-un-Nasuh (1873) to teach moral and religious values through a family story.
Read detailsCorrect answer: B. Sir Syed Ahmad Khan
Sir Syed Ahmad Khan published Asar-us-Sanadid in 1847, describing Delhi's monuments and the scholars and artists of the city.
Read detailsCorrect answer: D. Patras Bokhari
Patras Bokhari (Ahmed Shah Bokhari) wrote only a small collection of humorous essays, including "Lahore ka Jughrafia" and "Kutte", yet it ranks among the finest humour in Urdu.
Read detailsCorrect answer: A. Ashfaq Ahmed
Ashfaq Ahmed's "Gadaria" tells of a teacher, Daoo Ji, and his student; Ashfaq Ahmed is also remembered for his television talks "Zavia".
Read detailsCorrect answer: C. Rajinder Singh Bedi
Rajinder Singh Bedi's Ek Chadar Maili Si, set in rural Punjab, won the Sahitya Akademi Award and was later made into a film.
Read detailsCorrect answer: A. Ghulam Abbas
Ghulam Abbas's "Anandi" shows how the expelled settlement grows into a new town, a sharp satire on society; it was filmed as Mandi.
Read detailsCorrect answer: C. Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi
Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi, poet and short-story writer, edited Funoon from Lahore for decades and encouraged many young writers.
Read detailsCorrect answer: D. Ahmad Faraz
Ahmad Faraz published Tanha Tanha in 1958. He became one of the most popular ghazal poets of Pakistan, known for both romantic and resistance poetry.
Read detailsCorrect answer: D. Nazir Akbarabadi
Nazir Akbarabadi (1735–1830) wrote about fairs, festivals, seasons and ordinary life in simple language, unlike most court poets of his time.
Read detailsCorrect answer: A. Daagh Dehlvi
Iqbal corrected his early poetry by post with Nawab Mirza Khan Daagh Dehlvi, a master of the ghazal known for his idiomatic, flowing language.
Read detailsCorrect answer: B. Marsiya
Mir Babar Ali Anees raised the marsiya, an elegy on the martyrs of Karbala, to great artistic heights; his contemporary Mirza Dabir also excelled in it.
Read detailsCorrect answer: A. Sufi (mystical) poetry
Khwaja Mir Dard was a Sufi of the Naqshbandi order, and his short, sincere ghazals are among the finest mystical poetry in Urdu.
Read detailsCorrect answer: B. Qasidas and satire (hajv)
Sauda, a contemporary of Mir Taqi Mir, is regarded as one of the greatest Urdu qasida writers and wrote sharp satirical poems about the society of his time.
Read detailsCorrect answer: D. Shafiq-ur-Rehman
Shafiq-ur-Rehman, an army doctor, wrote gentle, witty humour; his books Hamaqatein and Mazeed Hamaqatein remain popular with readers of all ages.
Read detailsCorrect answer: C. Krishan Chander
Krishan Chander used a talking donkey that wanders through Delhi to mock bureaucracy and social hypocrisy.
Correct answer: B. Abdul Haleem Sharar
Abdul Haleem Sharar was a pioneer of the historical novel in Urdu; Firdaus-e-Bareen is set around Hasan bin Sabbah and his mountain fortress of Alamut.
Read detailsCorrect answer: D. Main Saaz Dhoondti Rahi
Main Saaz Dhoondti Rahi (1950) was Ada Jafri's first collection; her later book Shehr-e-Dard won the Adamjee Literary Award. Khushbu is by Parveen Shakir.
Read detailsCorrect answer: C. Autobiographical novel and memoir
Ali Pur ka Aili is an autobiographical novel and Alakh Nagri its memoir sequel, which describes his experiences with Qudratullah Shahab and others.
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