Question

Arrange the following texts in the order they were written, from the earliest to the latest.
(A). The Inheritance of Loss
(B). The Guide
(C). Swami and Friends
(D). The Shadow Lines
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

• A. (D), (B), (C), (A).
• B. (A), (B), (C), (D).
• C. (B), (A), (D), (C).
• D. (C), (B), (D), (A).

Hint:

Even if you don't know exact dates, you can often deduce the order by associating authors with literary periods. R. K. Narayan is a foundational, pre-independence/early post-independence writer. Amitav Ghosh is a key figure of late 20th-century postcolonial writing. Kiran Desai is a contemporary 21st-century author.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
The task is to arrange four prominent Indian English novels based on their release dates, from the oldest to the newest.

Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
Determining the publication year of each novel:
\[\begin{array}{rl} \bullet & \text{(C) Swami and Friends by R. K. Narayan: 1935. Narayan's first novel.} \\ \bullet & \text{(B) The Guide by R. K. Narayan: 1958. A renowned later novel by Narayan.} \\ \bullet & \text{(D) The Shadow Lines by Amitav Ghosh: 1988. An important post-independence novel.} \\ \bullet & \text{(A) The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai: 2006. A 21st-century Booker Prize winner.} \\ \end{array}\]Therefore, the chronological order is: (C) $\rightarrow$ (B) $\rightarrow$ (D) $\rightarrow$ (A).

Step 3: Final Answer:
The correct answer is (D).