UGC NET English 2020 Shift I – Detailed Question Analysis & Trend Breakdown

Nerd's Table
Apr 23
3 min read

Updated: 5 days ago

The NTA UGC NET English Shift I exam in 2020 offered a few surprises and some sharp deviations from traditional patterns. From a sudden drop in Indian Writing questions to a surge in literary theory and an unusual number of questions from journalism, this paper gives us a lot to reflect on. Here’s a section-wise analysis based on the number of questions asked and the trends we observed:

🇬🇧 British Literature – 35 Questions

As expected, British Literature dominated the paper, but with a twist.

🔍 Notable Shift:There were 4 questions specifically from Journalism and Print Culture—focusing on printing, magazines, and periodicals—which is a significant increase from the usual 1 or at most 2. This suggests an expanding focus on literary dissemination and historical literary journalism.

📌 Takeaway: Aspirants must now prepare periodicals and print history (e.g., The Spectator, The Tatler, printing press evolution, etc.) with equal seriousness as core literary texts.

🇮🇳 Indian Writing in English – Only 7 Questions

This was one of the most unexpected sections in the paper.

🔍 Unusual Observation:

Out of the 7 questions, 5 were based not on literary works, but on policies and foundations of English education in India—such as Macaulay’s Minute, colonial policies, and institutional English development.
Surprisingly, there was almost no representation of actual Indian literary authors or texts.

📌 Takeaway: Candidates must not skip the historical and policy-based foundation of English in India as a literary phenomenon. It’s no longer a “one-question” topic.

🇺🇸 American Literature – 2 Questions

A minimal presence this time, but still notable.

📘 Questions asked:

Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau
Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov

📌 Takeaway: Only major canonical texts were touched. Prioritize foundational works, especially politically or structurally significant ones.

🌍 World Literature & Diaspora – 2 Questions

A limited presence with highly focused topics.

📘 Questions covered:

Epic Theatre (likely Brechtian context)
Fyodor Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov

📌 Takeaway: Questions target major thematic texts and techniques. Prepare global literary techniques and cross-cultural classics.

🧠 Criticism, Theory & Culture Studies – 29 Questions

This section has now become the core weight-bearing pillar of the NET English paper.

📌 Covers:

Literary theory (from Aristotle to Adorno)
Structuralism and post-structuralism
Cultural studies
Contemporary theorists

📌 Takeaway: Mastering this section is non-negotiable. It’s the one area where depth + clarity = guaranteed marks.

🔤 Language & Linguistics – 10 Questions

A consistently strong section this year, with good variety.

📌 Topics included:

Loan words from Indian languages
Paralanguage and metalanguage
Langue and parole (Saussure)
Sign/Semiotics, particularly Saussure’s Course in General Linguistics
Chomsky and dictum theory

📌 Takeaway: This is now a 10-mark opportunity. Semiotics and linguistic theory are no longer secondary—they’re central.

🧪 Research Aptitude – 5 Questions

Moderate difficulty, textbook-based.

📌 Covered:

Hypothesis formulation
Plagiarism
MLA formatting rules
Inductive method

📌 Takeaway: These are scoring areas if your basics are strong. Easy wins if revised properly.

📖 Reading Comprehension – 10 Questions

The standard 10 questions were present, but the structure was different.

🔍 New Pattern:

Three passages were given, rather than the usual two.
One was an extract from a literary text, one prose, and one poetry.
This adds a layer of complexity and tests your reading speed and interpretive skill.

📌 Takeaway: Time management and diverse reading practice are crucial for scoring full marks here.

🎯 Final Thoughts: Key Takeaways from UGC NET 2020 Shift I (English)

Section	No. of Questions	Notable Trend
British Literature	35	Journalism focus increased
Indian Writing in English	7	Shifted to colonial English policies
American Literature	2	Canonical texts only
World Literature & Diaspora	2	Focus on technique & philosophy
Criticism, Theory & Culture	29	Core section
Language and Linguistics	10	Semiotics & Saussure
Research Aptitude	5	Application-based
Reading Comprehension	10	Three diverse passages