R K Narayan Quiz

#1. Which famous English author came to India to meet R K Narayan, but could not do so as not enough people had heard of him?

W Somerset Maugham

Viriginia Woolf

P G Wodehouse

Graham Greene

Somerset Maugham, on a trip to Mysore in 1938, had asked to meet Narayan, but not enough people had heard of him to actually effect the meeting. [Wikipedia]

#2. Narayan's first book to get published was

The Guide

The English Teacher

The Bachelor of Arts

Swami and Friends

#3. What was the name of the publishing company started by R K Narayan?

Indian Thought Publications

Rupa Publications

Westland Publications

Pustak Mahal

During the Second World War, being cut off from England, Narayan started his own publishing company, naming it Indian Thought Publications; the publishing company was a success and is still active, now managed by his granddaughter. [Wikipedia]

#4. R K Laxman, R K Narayan's brother, was a famous

editor at Gemini Studios

scientist

movie director

cartoonist

#5. R K Narayan was born on

14 July 1905

12 November 1892

11 October 1910

10 October 1906

#6. Upon which famous English author's recommendation was R K Narayan's first book published?

Graham Greene

Mulk Raj Anand

Thomas Hardy

Rudyard Kipling

Narayan had sent the manuscript of Swami and Friends to a friend at Oxford, and about this time, the friend showed the manuscript to Graham Greene. Greene recommended the book to his publisher, and it was finally published in 1935. [Wikipedia]

#7. One of the following books is not written by R K Narayan. Which one?

The Painter of Signs

The Room on the Roof

Talkative Man

The Financial Expert

#8. The novel "The Man-Eater of Malgudi" is about

a taxidermist

a tiger

a temple elephant

a dancer

The Man-eater of Malgudi, revolves around a taxidermist called Vasu who is incredibly egotistical, caring only for himself and ignoring the needs of others. He also believes that he can do whatever he wants.

#9. In which year did he receive the Padma Bhushan?

1964

1950

1990

1975

#10. Upon what autobiographical event is Narayan's "The English Teacher" based?

The death of his wife Rajam

His days as a college student

The unsuccessful launching of his journal "Indian Thought"

His childhood days with his grandmother

#11. In which of Narayan's books does a tiger recount his story of capture by a circus owner?

The Man-Eater of Malgudi

Gods, Demons and Others

A Horse and Two Goats

A Tiger for Malgudi

#12. Where is Malgudi actually located?

Tamil Nadu

Karnataka

It is a fictional town

Kerala

#13. In R K Narayan's name, what do the initials R K stand for?

Rasipuram Krishnaswami

Ramachandra Krishnamachari

Ramapuram Krishnaswami

Rampada Krishnamachari

#14. This critically acclaimed novel of R K Narayan was adapted into a Hindi film that won seven Filmfare awards. Name the top-selling book.

Waiting for the Mahatma

The man-Eater of Malgudi

Mr Sampath

The Guide

#15. In which year was Narayan nominated to the Rajya Sabha for his contributions to literature?

1980

1965

1992

1971

During his entire six-year term in the Rajya Sabha, Narayan was focused on one issue—the plight of school children, especially the heavy load of school books and the negative effect of the system on a child’s creativity, which was something that he first highlighted in his debut novel, Swami and Friends. His inaugural speech was focused on this particular problem, and resulted in the formation of a committee chaired by Prof. Yash Pal, to recommend changes to the school educational system. [Wikipedia]