UPPSC Assistant Teacher ‘LT Grade’ English Syllabus
Main Takeaway: This expanded syllabus provides granular subtopics, pedagogical aims, question–type specifications, weightage breakdowns, recommended supplementary readings, and sample evaluation methods for each section—Prose & Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Grammar & Usage—ensuring thorough preparation for the UPPSC LT Grade Assistant Teacher examination.
1. Prose & Fiction
1.1 Prescribed Text Analysis
For each text, candidates must master:
- Contextual Background: Author biography, historical/social milieu, literary movement.
- Structural Breakdown: Genre conventions, narrative structure, point of view.
- Thematic Exploration: Major themes, motifs, symbols, and their development.
- Stylistic Devices: Diction, rhetorical figures, tone, irony, satire.
- Critical Interpretations: Two contrasting critical perspectives (e.g., feminist, postcolonial).
Detailed Subtopics & Weightage
| Text & Author | Subtopics (each 2–3 marks) | Weightage (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Bacon: “Of Studies” | Classification of studies; purpose vs. pleasure; style analysis; applicability in modern context. | 4 |
| Addison & Steele: “Spectator” essays | Periodical prose; social satire; characterization of “Mr. Spectator”; moral instruction. | 5 |
| Lamb: Selected essays | Personal voice; humour vs. pathos; digressive style; cultural references. | 5 |
| Maugham: “The Necklace” | Irony of fate; narrative irony; character analysis; society’s materialism. | 5 |
| Orwell: Animal Farm | Allegory of revolution; character symbolism; narrative irony; language registers. | 6 |
| Tagore: Gitanjali (Selections) | Mystical imagery; devotional diction; translation variations; unity of nature and spirituality. | 6 |
| Desai: “Flight” | Character psychology; stream-of-consciousness technique; family dynamics. | 4 |
| Narayan: “The Guide” | Social realism; narrator’s reliability; moral ambiguity; Indian ethos. | 5 |
| Woolf: “A Room of One’s Own” | Feminist argument; narrative structure; essayistic rhythms; gender and authorship. | 5 |
| Rao: Kanthapura (excerpts) | Village social hierarchy; use of folklore forms; postcolonial discourse; linguistic hybridity. | 5 |
| Achebe: Things Fall Apart (excerpts) | Igbo cosmology; clash of cultures; narrative voice; role of proverbs. | 5 |
| Total | 55 |
1.2 Pedagogical Aims & Methods
- Close Reading Workshops: Annotating print texts, group commentary sessions.
- Comparative Essays: Provision of passage pairs for thematic comparison.
- Seminar Presentations: Small-group debates on critical interpretations.
- Project Work: Creative re-writings, dramatized enactments, multimedia storyboards.
1.3 Evaluation Formats
- Short Answer Questions (2–5 lines): Definitions, device identification (20%).
- Long Answer Questions (200–250 words): Critical analyses, thematic essays (35%).
- Passage-Based MCQs: Contextual vocabulary, inference judgments (15%).
- Oral/Viva Voce: Textual recitation, defence of an argument (10%).
- Project Submission: Portfolios of group projects (20%).
2. Poetry
2.1 Canonical & Modern Verse Analysis
For each poem:
- Form & Meter: Scansion; stanzaic pattern; rhyme scheme.
- Imagery & Symbolism: Visual, auditory, tactile images; metaphor and simile.
- Theme & Tone: Central idea; poet’s attitude; historical resonance.
- Critical Glosses: One classical and one contemporary critical note.
Subtopics & Weightage
| Poet & Poem | Subtopics | Weightage (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Shakespeare: Sonnets (1–154) | Sonnet form; volta; thematic progression; Elizabethan context. | 6 |
| Milton: “Paradise Lost” (passages) | Epic conventions; theological themes; Miltonic blank verse; grand style. | 5 |
| Donne: Holy Sonnets | Metaphysical conceits; paradox; religious imagery; tonal shifts. | 5 |
| Pope: “Essay on Man” | Heroic couplet; philosophical arguments; optimism vs. determinism; neoclassical taste. | 4 |
| Wordsworth: “Tintern Abbey” | Nature/metaphor; Romantic self; blank verse; memory. | 4 |
| Shelley: “Ode to the West Wind” | Ode structure; political symbolism; terza rima; elements. | 4 |
| Keats: “Ode on a Grecian Urn” | Negative capability; ekphrasis; ode form; timelessness. | 4 |
| Tennyson: “Ulysses” | Dramatic monologue; heroic ethos; thematic contradiction; blank verse. | 4 |
| Browning: “My Last Duchess” | Dramatic monologue; irony; persona; patronage of art. | 4 |
| Arnold: “Dover Beach” | Lyric form; Victorian faith crisis; tone and meter. | 3 |
| Yeats: “Sailing to Byzantium” | Symbolist imagery; quest motif; aubade form. | 3 |
| Eliot: “Prufrock” | Modernist fragmentation; enjambment; urban alienation. | 3 |
| Auden: “The Shield of Achilles” | Irony; myth vs. modernity; political commentary. | 3 |
| Frost: “Mending Wall” | Rural idiom; blank verse; tradition vs. change. | 3 |
| Tagore: Selected Poems | Bengali lyricism; nature imagery; spiritual overtones. | 3 |
| Ezekiel: “Night of the Scorpion” | Narrative sonnet; rural superstition; irony; cultural context. | 3 |
| Das: “An Introduction” | Free verse; confessional tone; feminist selfhood. | 3 |
| Hughes: “Theme for English B” | Jazz rhythm; racial identity; free verse form. | 3 |
| Larkin: “Church Going” | Post-war tone; enjambment; reflective irony. | 3 |
| Total | 70 |
2.2 Teaching Strategies
- Scansion Drills: Interactive meter identification exercises.
- Imagery Mapping: Visual charts linking image clusters to themes.
- Comparative Analysis: Cross-period theme mapping tables.
- Peer Review Workshops: Poem explication and critique sessions.
2.3 Question–Type Breakdown
- Identification Questions: Name the meter/form; define a term (20%).
- Analytical Responses (100–150 words): Image/function, tone analysis (30%).
- Critical Essays (250–300 words): Comparative theme essays (30%).
- MCQs (Contextual line-based): Inference, vocabulary-in-context (20%).
3. Drama
3.1 Play Study Components
For each play:
- Genre & Structure: Tragic/comic conventions; five-act structure.
- Character Sketches: Protagonist/antagonist arcs; foil characters.
- Themes & Motifs: Power, identity, morality, social critique.
- Staging & Performance: Key stage directions; historical performance context.
- Dramatic Techniques: Soliloquy, asides, irony, comic relief.
Subtopics & Weightage
| Play & Playwright | Subtopics | Weightage (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Macbeth | Tragic flaw; supernatural elements; equivocation; blank verse. | 6 |
| Twelfth Night | Mistaken identity; festive comedy; subplots; music and song. | 5 |
| Every Man in His Humour | Humour theory; social satire; character types; classical unities. | 4 |
| All for Love | Heroic drama; rhyme scheme; intertextuality with Antony and Cleopatra. | 4 |
| Pygmalion | Class and language; transformation motif; problem-play conventions. | 5 |
| Loyalties | Ethical conflict; dialogue realism; middle-class ethos. | 4 |
| The Birthday Party | Theatre of menace; pauses; power dynamics; absurdist elements. | 4 |
| Death of a Salesman | Modern tragedy; flashback; American Dream critique; stagecraft. | 5 |
| Hayavadana | Myth and modernity; folk-theatre devices; narrative fragmentation. | 4 |
| Total | 41 |
3.2 Instructional Approaches
- Scene Workshops: Role-play key scenes; directorial notes.
- Character Diaries: Write protagonist/antagonist inner monologues.
- Staging Exercises: Mock set-design sketches; costume/historical research.
- Critical Response Papers: Review performance recordings; critique direction.
3.3 Assessment Format
- Scene Analysis (150 words): Themes, character intention (25%).
- Structured Essay (300 words): Comparative genre study (35%).
- MCQs on Dramatic Terms (e.g., soliloquy): (15%).
- Viva on Performance Concepts: (10%).
- Project–Set Design/Production Report: (20%).
4. Grammar & Usage
4.1 Detailed Topics & Sub-Skills
| Topic | Sub-skills & Tasks | Sample Task Types |
|---|---|---|
| Sentence Transformation | Affirmative/negative; simple/compound/complex; conditional sentences | Rewrite; combine; transform |
| Voice & Speech | Active/passive; direct/indirect; reporting questions/commands | Convert; punctuate; correct |
| Tenses & Concord | All 16 English verb–tenses; sequence of tenses; subject–verb agreement | Fill-in-blanks; error correction |
| Prepositions | Idiomatic usage; phrasal verbs; prepositional phrases | Cloze tests; sentence completion |
| Modals & Auxiliaries | Degrees of certainty; obligation vs. permission; negation | Error spotting; rewrite |
| Articles & Determiners | Definite/indefinite; zero article; demonstratives | Gap filling; explanation |
| Parts of Speech & Clauses | Gerunds, infinitives; relative clauses; noun/adj/adv clauses | Identify; correct; expand |
| Vocabulary & Collocations | Synonyms/antonyms; academic vocabulary; phrasal collocations | Matching; sentence-use |
| Idioms & Phrasal Verbs | Common idioms; separable/inseparable PVs | MCQs; sentence usage |
| Comprehension | Unseen passages (150–200 words); inference; summary; tone; vocabulary | MCQs; short answers |
| Precis Writing | Identifying main ideas; summarising in one-third length; coherence | Produce précis; mark omissions |
| Letter & Report Writing | Formal/informal; notice; memo; email; small report | Draft letters; peer feedback |
| Translation | English↔Hindi; preserve semantic, stylistic, register | Translate extract; justify choices |
4.2 Pedagogical Techniques
- Error Analysis Workshops: Peer-review of written exercises.
- Timed Grammar Quizzes: 10-minute drills on focused topics.
- Interactive Platforms: Vocabulary flashcards; mobile apps for phrasal verbs.
- Writing Clinics: One-on-one feedback on précis and letters.
4.3 Evaluation Scheme
- MCQs & Fill-in-Blanks: 30%
- Short-Answer Exercises: 20%
- Error-Correction & Transformations: 20%
- Writing Tasks (Letter/Precis): 20%
- Oral Grammar Drill (Viva): 10%
5. Recommended Supplementary Resources
| Resource Type | Title & Author | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Critical Companion | A Critical Introduction to English Literature | Theoretical frameworks; critical perspectives. |
| Grammar Reference | A Practical English Grammar (Thomson & Martinet) | Clear explanations; practice exercises. |
| AP Stil & Usage Guide | Fowler’s Modern English Usage | Advanced usage notes; stylistic guidance. |
| Literary History | The Norton Anthology of English Literature | Comprehensive background; selections. |
| Drama Theory | The Cambridge Introduction to Theatre | Genre theory; performance analysis. |
| Online Corpus Tools | COCA; BNC | For authentic context and usage frequency. |
Preparation Strategy (Extended):
- Integrated Timetable: Allocate weekly slots for each section—Literature (Mon–Wed), Grammar (Thu–Fri), Revision & Mock Tests (Sat).
- Milestone Assessments: Monthly full-length mocks with detailed performance analytics.
- Group Study Sessions: Peer teaching and error-spotting clubs.
- Expert Workshops: Guest lectures on postcolonial criticism, feminist readings, drama direction.
- Self-Reflection Journals: Maintain daily logs of challenging concepts and progress reviews.
This comprehensive, deeply detailed syllabus—with clear weightages, subtopics, pedagogical methods, and assessment formats—offers a structured roadmap for aspirants to excel in the UPPSC LT Grade Assistant Teacher English examination.