Test Papers / Previous Question Papers of IGNOU DCE2 Feature Writing December 2005

DIPLOMA IN CREATIVE WRITING IN ENGLISH
Term-End Examination

December, 2005

DCE-2 : FEATURE WRITING

Time: 3 hours
Maximum Marks: 100
(Weightage 70%)

Note : This paper has two Sections, A and B. Answer any five questions, choosing at least two from each section. All questions carry equal marks.

SECTION A

1. Write short notes on any two of the following : (200+200 words) (2x10=20)

(i) Electronic aids in interviewing

(ii) A book reviewer's responsibility to his readers

(iii) Relevance of photographs in travel writing

2. While writing about women, what are the guidelines you would follow to make your writing convincing and acceptable? (400 words) (20)

3. What are the qualities desirable in a book-reviewer ? (400 words) (20)

4. A travel writer has to combine many skills. Do you agree ? Give reasons for your answer. (400 words) (20)

5. What are the various factors you should keep in mind while giving shape to an interview article ? (400 words) (20)

SECTION B

6. Write a feature on the advantages/disadvantages of working women vis-a-vis housewives. (400 words) (20)

7. Write out two opening paragraphs, one for a promotional article and the other for a general informative article for any town that you like. (200+200 words) (20)

8. Prepare a questionnaire of fifteen questions you would use to interview the Chief Minister of a state. (20)

9. Write a short feature on the large-scale destruction caused by the Tsunami wave and the measures being adopted for the rehabilitation. (400 words) (20)

10. Read the book review given below and comment on the subject, relevance and style of the book as discussed in the review.(20)

COMIC CENTURY

BY GAUTAM BHATIA

REVIEW BY DILIP BOBB

Mod magazine meets P.G. Wodehouse meets the Goon Show. Normally, this would rate as are commendation since it promises a heady comic cocktail.All three entities represent levels of humour ranging fromthe wacky to the outrageous to the sophisticated. Gautam Bhatia, an architect who also writes books, has shown aflair for drollery in his earlier works, most notably Punjabi Baroque.

This time round, he seems to have been a tad too ambitious. The subtitle, "An Unreliable History of the 20th Century", defines the plot : an attempt to rewrite history as satire. Spike Milligan, a member of the Goon Show, made a similar attempt and this reads suspiciously similar. From Hitler and Mussolini to Marilyn Monroe,Queen Victoria, Picasso and the Wright brothers-withbits of Indian history thrown in for local flavour - Bhatia produces the literary equivalent of a curate's egg : goodin parts, pretty awful in others.

The main flaw lies in the length. It would have worked infinitely better if the book was half the size, but with a more extended narrative on each subject in place of the few paragraphs. We have innumerable sections on Hitler and American characters and culture with not much cohesion. The result is a stream of comic consciousness that loosely corresponds to the two halves of the 20th century but falls somewhere in between, literary speaking. This book starts off with a solid foundation in termsof the plot : a wacky look at major events, characters and cultural influences of the century. It is the edifice that gets too large, unwieldy, inconsistent and Unbalanced, muchlike the architectural style the author himself labelled Punjabi Baroque.