Tata Institute of Social Sciences School of Vocational Education

Theory Exam
BSc/BA in Filmmaking - Semester I

BA in Screenwriting - Semester I

BA in Fashion -Semester I

Subject: Creative Writing Code: FMGE 1104

Day & Date: Tuesday, 2nd February 2021 Time: 10.00 am – 01.00 pm
Session: Morning Duration: 3 hours
Total Marks 100
Instructions:
There are two sections.

Section I has 7 questions, each worth 10 marks. Please answer any 4 out of these 7 questions.
Section II has 7 questions, each worth 20 marks. Please answer any 3 out of these 7 questions.
* Write concise, to-the-point answers. Longer is not necessarily better. Rambling answers that do not
convey an understanding of the subject will be penalized by lower marks. As far as possible, bullet-point
your answers. Please write neatly. After all, someone will have to read your handwriting. Clearly mark
question numbers so the evaluator knows which question you are answering.
Section I
Answer any 4 questions. Each question carries 10 marks.
Section Marks: 40

1. What are the elements of fiction? Explain any two.

2. With respect to a story of your choice from the curriculum answer the following:
a. Who is the narrator?
b. Is s/he a part of the cast of characters, i.e. does s/he affect the story in any way? Give
reasons.
c. Which POV does the narrator use: first, second or third person? What is the effect of this
choice on the story?

3. What is the function of effective dialogue? Comment on gesture and silence in dialogue writing.

4. What is the conflict-crisis-resolution Module in narrative? Explain with a short story of your choice
as an example(from the curriculum).
5. What is a metaphor? How does it differ from a simile? Identify the metaphor and/or simile in the
following example:
She looked tall as a ghost, in one dimension like a bolster case, taller than a bolster case in her
nightgown; silent as a ghost on her bare feet which were the same color as the shadow in which she
stood so that she seemed to have no feet, the twin rows of her toenails lying weightless and faint
and still as two rows of faintly soiled feathers on the floor about a foot below the hem of her
nightgown as if they were not connected with her.
~ William Falkner

6. What is theme? Explain with an example of your choice.

7. How does poetry differ from prose? Also, pick a poem of your choice and talk about its effect on
you.
 Section II

Answer any 3 questions. Each question carries 20 marks.

Section Marks: 60

8. What time period or geographical location is the story ‘surrounded by sleep’ or ‘Sheeshaghat’ set
in? Does this make the story feel more realistic or more fantastical? Why?

9. According to Nobakov, in his essay, Read Like a Writer, what are the three points of view from
which to consider the writer? Explain these three points of view.

10. If you were to use your most profound or most hilarious experience in a piece of writing, which
genre (fiction, nonfiction, poetry, play) would you choose and why?

11. Comment on the use of symbolism in the short story ‘Hills Like White Elephants’. Is it effective?

12. Identify the following –

 Rhyme
 Alliteration
 Assonance in the following excerpt

Wrong will be right,

when Aslan comes in sight,

At the sound of his roar,

sorrows will be no more,

When he bares his teeth,

winter meets its death,

And when he shakes his mane,

we shall have spring again.

13. In less than 200 worlds write the plot of the plot of “The Blue Umbrella“by Ruskin Bond.

14. Imagine a wedding during the pandemic which you are attending, describe it with details using
“five senses’ in not less than 150 words.