Language and Literature
Proverbs, forms of writing, famous books and their authors, and story characters and their creators — all 4 sections from your GK book, with tricks to remember every single one.
2.1 Proverbs
| # | The proverb | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A little knowledge is a dangerous thing | Knowing only a little can be worse than knowing nothing — you act confidently and get it wrong. |
| 2 | A calm sea does not make a good sailor | You only become skilled by facing difficulties. |
| 3 | Half a loaf is better than no bread | Getting something is better than getting nothing. |
| 4 | A fool and his money are soon parted | A foolish person loses money quickly. |
| 5 | A drop of ink may make a million think | A few written words can change many minds. |
| 6 | Strike the iron when it is hot | Act at the right moment. |
| 7 | Be first at the feast and last at the flight | Be eager to enjoy good things, but last to run from trouble. |
| 8 | Familiarity breeds contempt | Knowing someone too well makes you stop respecting them. |
| 9 | Give neither counsel nor salt till you are asked for it | Don't give advice unless asked. |
| 10 | Hasty climbers have sudden falls | Rising too fast often ends in a sudden fall. |
| 11 | Barking dogs seldom bite | People who shout the most usually do the least. |
| 12 | A burnt child dreads the fire | Once hurt by something, you become afraid of it. |
| 13 | Imagination is the highest kite you can fly | Your imagination can take you further than anything. |
| 14 | It is no use crying over spilt milk | Don't be upset about something already done and unchangeable. |
| 15 | It takes two to make a quarrel | A fight needs two people. |
| 16 | There is many a slip between the cup and the lip | Many things can go wrong at the last moment. |
| 17 | Man proposes, God disposes | We make plans, but the outcome isn't in our hands. |
| 18 | A bird in hand is worth two in the bush | What you already have is worth more than what you might get. |
| 19 | Vows made in storm are forgotten | Panic promises are forgotten once danger passes. |
| 20 | Too many cooks spoil the broth | Too many people on one job ruin it. |
It takes two… → to make a quarrel. There is many a slip between… → the cup and the lip. Remember: slip rhymes with lip — if the proverb says "slip," the answer has "lip" in it!
Being careful (5): #1, #10, #12, #16, #19. Right moment (3): #6, #7, #14. People's behaviour (5): #4, #8, #9, #11, #15. Being content (2): #3, #18. Power of small things (3): #5, #13, #20. Life is uncertain (2): #2, #17.
2.2 How to Write
Different forms of writing have special names. In the exam, you're given the definition and must write the exact word — spelling matters!
| What it is | The word | Remember it by |
|---|---|---|
| A long narrative POEM about heroes' deeds | EPIC (4) | The Ramayana is an epic. |
| A long detailed ACCOUNT of heroes | SAGA (4) | Epic = poem, Saga = account. |
| A fictional prose narrative of some length | NOVEL (5) | A long made-up story book. |
| Life story written by the person themself | AUTOBIOGRAPHY (13) | AUTO(self)+BIO(life)+GRAPHY(writing). |
| Written work based on facts | NON-FICTION (10) | Fiction=made up, NON-fiction=true. |
| A lyric poem praising one subject | ODE (3) | The shortest word — only 3 letters. |
| Short story with talking animals teaching a moral | FABLE (5) | Think of the Panchatantra. |
| A day-to-day account of events | JOURNAL (7) | "Jour" means day in French. |
| Story with fairies and goblins | FAIRY TALE (9) | Fairies in the story → fairy tale. |
| A serious play/novel ending sadly | TRAGEDY (7) | Sad ending = tragedy. |
TRAGEDY — T-R-A-G-E-D-Y (many write "TRAGEOY" by mistake). AUTOBIOGRAPHY is 13 letters — break it as AUTO·BIO·GRAPHY. EPIC vs SAGA — EPIC is a POEM, SAGA is an ACCOUNT — both about heroes! ODE vs EPIC — both are poems, but ODE praises one subject; EPIC tells a hero's deeds.
3: ODE. 4: EPIC, SAGA. 5: NOVEL, FABLE. 7: JOURNAL, TRAGEDY. 9: FAIRY TALE. 10: NON-FICTION. 13: AUTOBIOGRAPHY. Count the answer boxes first — it narrows things down instantly!
2.3 Books and Authors
15 famous books — name who wrote each one. Start with the Indian authors, they're the easiest to hold onto!
🇮🇳 Indian authors first
| Book | Author | Remember it by |
|---|---|---|
| The Guide | R. K. Narayan | Wrote about the town of Malgudi. |
| The God of Small Things | Arundhati Roy | Won the Booker Prize. |
| Gitanjali | Rabindranath Tagore | Won the Nobel Prize for it. |
| Anand Math | Bankim Chandra Chatterjee | Gave India the song Vande Mataram. |
| Discovery of India | Jawaharlal Nehru | India's first PM wrote about India. |
| The Inheritance of Loss | Kiran Desai | Also a Booker Prize winner. |
🌍 The rest of the world
| Book | Author | Remember it by |
|---|---|---|
| Origin of Species | Charles Darwin | Explained evolution — a science book. |
| Don Quixote | Miguel de Cervantes | Spanish story of a man fighting windmills. |
| Frankenstein | Mary Shelley | Written by a woman — surprises people! |
| A Farewell to Arms | Ernest Hemingway | A war novel. |
| Jane Eyre | Charlotte Bronte | NOT Jane Austen! |
| Tristram Shandy | Laurence Sterne | An unusual old English novel. |
| War and Peace | Count Leo Tolstoy | A huge Russian novel. |
| Pride and Prejudice | Jane Austen | English romance. |
| The Trial | Franz Kafka | A short strange title, odd name. |
Jane Eyre is the BOOK, written by Charlotte Bronte. Jane Austen is the AUTHOR, who wrote Pride and Prejudice. Jane is in the title of one and the name of the other!
Indian poet and philosopher who founded Shantiniketan. He wrote the national anthems of BOTH India AND Bangladesh. He was the first Asian to win a Nobel Prize (1913)!
2.4 Characters and Creators
The reverse of 2.3! You're given a character from a story, and you write who created them.
| # | Character | Creator | From… |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hector | Homer | The Trojan warrior in the Iliad. |
| 2 | Dr. Watson | Arthur Conan Doyle | Sherlock Holmes's friend. |
| 3 | David Copperfield | Charles Dickens | Victorian England. |
| 4 | Gora | Rabindranath Tagore | An Indian character. |
| 5 | James Bond | Ian Fleming | The famous 007 spy. |
| 6 | Surpanakha | Valmiki | Ravana's sister in the Ramayana. |
| 7 | Tess | Thomas Hardy | Tess of the d'Urbervilles. |
| 8 | Zhivago | Boris Pasternak | Doctor Zhivago. |
| 9 | Cleopatra | William Shakespeare | Antony and Cleopatra. |
| 10 | Dushyanta | Kalidasa | The king in Shakuntala. |
| 11 | Bertie Wooster | P. G. Wodehouse | With butler Jeeves. |
| 12 | Anna Karenina | Leo Tolstoy | Another Russian novel! |
| 13 | Alice | Lewis Carroll | Alice in Wonderland. |
| 14 | King Arthur | Tennyson | Knights of the Round Table. |
🇮🇳 Indian: Gora→Tagore, Surpanakha→Valmiki, Dushyanta→Kalidasa. 🇷🇺 Russian: Zhivago→Pasternak, Anna Karenina→Tolstoy. 🇬🇷 Greek: Hector→Homer (same first letter H!). Rest are English.
Leo Tolstoy wrote both Anna Karenina AND War and Peace. Tagore wrote both Gora AND Gitanjali. Since they each appear twice in your syllabus, they're extra likely exam questions!
"The Yellow Kid" by R. F. Outcault was the first comic strip, published in New York in 1896.
Practice like the real exam
2.1 Proverbs
spoil the broth
is worth two in the bush
(b) contempt
Don't waste time being upset about something that has already happened and cannot be undone.
True
2.2 How to Write
FABLE
AUTOBIOGRAPHY
(b) epic — saga is an account, not a poem.
NON-FICTION
False. A tragedy ends sadly, often with the death of the main character.
2.3 Books and Authors
Rabindranath Tagore
Mary Shelley
(b) Charlotte Bronte
Rabindranath Tagore
Anand Math, by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee.
Charles Darwin — wrote Origin of Species, explaining evolution.
2.4 Characters and Creators
Lewis Carroll (Alice in Wonderland)
Valmiki (from the Ramayana)
(a) Ian Fleming
Dr. Watson — created by Arthur Conan Doyle.
New York; 1896
Gora by Tagore; Dushyanta by Kalidasa.
Flashcards
Cards you get wrong — say them again tomorrow, then again three days later. That's how they stick.
You did it! 🎉
🏁 GK Chapter 1 · Sections 2.1–2.4 · Niyati, Class 6