UGC NET English 2020 Shift II – Detailed Question Paper Analysis & Trend Report

The NTA UGC NET 2020 Shift II English exam continued the evolving trend seen in Shift I: a broad but highly structured coverage of topics, an unexpected emphasis on periodicals and education policies, and a steadily increasing weightage for theory and criticism.

Here’s the full section-wise breakdown and trend analysis of UGC NET English 2020 Shift II and what appeared in the paper.

British Literature – 33 Questions

British Literature maintained its dominant role, with a near-complete timeline from Greek beginnings to modern texts.

🔍 Surprising Shift:Three questions were specifically based on periodicals and magazines — focusing on titles like:

• Boundary 2 (critical theory and postmodernism)

• Signs (feminist theoretical discussion)

• Chrysalis (women-centered journal)

This shows that UGC is no longer asking just about traditional literature, but also about critical and feminist publishing history.

📌 Takeaway: Aspirants must now study journals, periodicals, and critical magazines alongside standard literary movements and authors.

Indian Writing in English – 10 Questions

Indian Writing in English regained a little strength compared to Shift I, but the focus was again unusual.

📌 Topics asked:

• 5 questions related to English education policies in India (similar to Shift I)

• 1 question from a famous autobiography

• 2 questions testing chronology of important Indian works

• 1 question on famous theoretical studies of Indian texts, mentioning:

  • After Amnesia by Meenakshi Mukherjee

  • The Indianization of English by Braj Kachru

  • Masks of Conquest by Gauri Viswanathan

  • Colonial Transactions by Homi Bhabha

📌 Takeaway: Focus on postcolonial theoretical works and English education history is now central to scoring in Indian Literature questions.

American Literature – 2 Questions

A minimal but expected presence, staying with major canonical figures.

📘 Questions covered:

• Ralph Waldo Emerson

• Paul Auster’s New York Trilogy

📌 Takeaway: Focus preparation around key American transcendentalists and modern experimental narratives.

🌍 World Literature & Diaspora – 3 Questions

Limited presence, but featuring major global figures.

📘 Questions included:

• Pablo Neruda

• Jorge Luis Borges’ The Anatomy of Melancholy

• Fyodor Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov

📌 Takeaway: The world section focuses on thematic and philosophical authors, especially those connected to modernism and existentialism.

🧠 Literary Criticism, Theory & Culture – 28 Questions

One of the heaviest sections of the paper yet again.

📌 Topics included:

• Plato, Aristotle

• Longinus, Dryden, Johnson

• Modernism, Structuralism, Post-Structuralism

• Feminist and Postcolonial Theories

📌 No major new theories introduced — all material was classic, expected, and syllabus-centered.

📌 Takeaway: Deep and complete knowledge from Plato to Postmodernism remains essential. Revision of old, "standard" theoretical material is a must.

🔤 Language and Linguistics – 8 Questions

Language and Linguistics continued to be a strong scoring section.

📌 Topics included:

• Historical and ontological status of language

• Metaphor and Simile distinction

• Phatic communication

• Borrowed words from Czech, Norse, German, Portuguese, and French

• Displacement of language

• Concepts of Pidgin and Creole

📌 Takeaway: Basic linguistics combined with historical influences on English language development is important.

🧪 Research Aptitude – 6 Questions

Slightly heavier than Shift I, and very focused.

📌 Topics included:

• MLA format (3 separate questions)

• Empirical research

• Research integrity

• Inductive method

📌 Takeaway: Research methodologies, citation styles, and academic honesty are consistent topics—easy marks if you prepare systematically.

📖 Reading Comprehension – 10 Questions

The RC section followed the now "new-normal" pattern:

🔍 New Structure:

• Three passages instead of two

• Passage 1 – 3 questions

• Passage 2 – 2 questions

• One Poetry Analysis Passage – 5 questions

📌 Takeaway: Handling multiple small passages + poem analysis requires speed + comprehension skills. No long, bulky passage appeared.

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

Section	No. of Questions	Notable Trend
British Literature	33	Periodicals and Feminist Journals emphasized
Indian Writing in English	10	Shift to education policies and theoretical studies
American Literature	2	Emerson, Auster
World Literature & Diaspora	3	Neruda, Borges, Dostoevsky
Literary Criticism & Theory	28	Classic theories dominated
Language and Linguistics	8	Language history and communication theories
Research Aptitude	6	MLA format, research methods
Reading Comprehension	10	Three passages including poem analysis

📘 How Should You Prepare Moving Forward?

• Deepen your foundation in classic literary theories (Plato to Postmodernism)

• Study English Education Policies alongside Indian English writers

• Revise journals, periodicals, feminist literature, and literary criticism movements

• Stay strong in Linguistics basics and research methods

• Practice diverse reading comprehension formats: prose, poetry, and extracts

🎓 Want a structured, pattern-based preparation for UGC NET English?👉 Join our Free UGC NET English Complete Course — designed around real exam trends and updated after every shift.

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