IGNOU MEG 3 Solved Question Paper | June 2020
- Last Updated On August 12, 2025
Table of Contents
Welcome to our blog, In this post, we’re sharing the IGNOU MEG 3 Solved Question Paper of June 2020 examination, focusing on British Novel.
This guide is here to help you prepare for your exams with clear answers and explanations. Whether you’re just starting or revising for your exams, this resource will make studying easier and more effective.
In this post, we’ll discuss all the answers including the short and long answer questions.
You can also download all previous year question papers of MEG 3 from our website.
Prepare Faster
Prepare Better
Question 1
1. Discuss the representation of female characters in Tom Jones.
In Henry Fielding’s Tom Jones, the representation of female characters reflects both the complexities of eighteenth-century gender roles and Fielding’s nuanced understanding of women’s place in society. The novel offers a variety of female figures—ranging from the virtuous to the manipulative—who collectively reveal much about the social expectations, limitations, and contradictions women faced during the period.
At the center is Sophia Western, the novel’s heroine, who represents the ideal of female virtue, grace, and sensibility. She is beautiful, intelligent, and morally upright, yet not without agency. Unlike many passive heroines of the time, Sophia asserts her independence—especially when she runs away from home to escape a forced marriage to Blifil. Her willingness to defy patriarchal control over her marital fate marks her as a character who blends traditional femininity with a quiet strength. Fielding praises her modesty and moral clarity, using her as a benchmark for true virtue in a society riddled with hypocrisy.
In contrast, Lady Bellaston is a portrayal of female sexuality and power used manipulatively. As a wealthy, older woman who tries to seduce and control Tom, she defies the conventional expectations of demure womanhood. However, Fielding paints her in a largely negative light, perhaps as a cautionary figure who uses her influence immorally. Her character challenges the notion that only men are entitled to sexual freedom, but the narrative punishes her for this transgression, reflecting the gender double standards of the time.
Another noteworthy figure is Mrs. Honour, Sophia’s maid, who provides comic relief but also highlights class and gender dynamics. She is outspoken and loyal, often acting as Sophia’s confidante and protector. Her character shows that even women in subordinate social roles can possess wisdom and influence, albeit indirectly.
Bridget Allworthy, Tom’s biological mother, is portrayed with ambiguity. Her secretive behavior and emotional vulnerability lead to a major turning point in the plot. Fielding presents her as a woman torn between social pressures and personal desires, showcasing the restrictive morality imposed on women, especially regarding sexuality and honor.
Overall, Fielding’s female characters are far from monolithic. Through them, he engages with themes of virtue, agency, power, and social expectation. While the novel does not fully escape the gender norms of its time, it offers a relatively progressive view by presenting women as multi-dimensional, with desires, strengths, and flaws. The representation of female characters in Tom Jones thus reflects both the constraints and complexities of eighteenth-century womanhood.
Question 2
2. Attempt a feminist reading of Pride and Prejudice.
A feminist reading of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen reveals a keen critique of the gender inequalities and patriarchal structures that shaped women’s lives in early 19th-century England. While the novel is often celebrated as a romantic tale, beneath its surface lies a sophisticated commentary on the limited choices available to women and the social pressures that governed female behavior.
For Full Answer Click Here
Prepare Faster
Prepare Better
Question 3
3. How does the narrative technique of Wuthering Heights affect the impact of the novel? Illustrate.
Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights employs a complex and layered narrative technique that significantly shapes the reader’s understanding of the story, the characters, and its central themes. Rather than relying on a single omniscient narrator, the novel unfolds through a frame narrative structure, primarily conveyed by two distinct voices: Mr. Lockwood, a refined outsider, and Nelly Dean, the housekeeper who has been an eyewitness to most of the events.
The outer frame of the story is presented through Mr. Lockwood, a gentleman tenant at Thrushcross Grange, who begins the novel by recording his impressions of Wuthering Heights and its strange inhabitants. His perspective is limited and biased, often confused by the gothic atmosphere and unable to understand the intense emotional currents flowing beneath the surface. His account introduces a sense of distance and mystery, setting the tone for the novel’s eerie, supernatural quality. Lockwood’s lack of understanding prompts questions in the reader’s mind and compels deeper engagement with the inner narrative.
The majority of the novel, however, is narrated by Nelly Dean, a long-time servant who has been closely involved with both the Earnshaw and Linton families. Her narration, told to Mr. Lockwood, acts as the core narrative and provides intimate insights into the characters and events. However, Nelly is not a neutral observer. Her personal judgments, class prejudices, and emotional investments color the story. For example, her opinions about Catherine, Heathcliff, and other characters are sometimes unreliable or emotionally biased, leading to questions about the truthfulness and objectivity of the narrative.
This unreliable narration deepens the novel’s emotional intensity and moral ambiguity. Readers are compelled to interpret the events for themselves, piecing together character motivations and histories from the biased perspectives offered. The multiplicity of voices and perspectives allows Brontë to explore themes of obsession, revenge, love, and the supernatural more profoundly, as they are reflected differently depending on the narrator.
The use of retrospection in the narrative also heightens the impact of the novel. Because most of the events are recounted after they have taken place, the story is imbued with a sense of fate and inevitability, reinforcing the tragic elements of the novel.
In conclusion, the narrative technique of Wuthering Heights—through its dual narrators, frame structure, and unreliable perspective—adds complexity, mystery, and psychological depth to the novel. It not only enhances the gothic and tragic atmosphere but also invites the reader to actively engage with the text, interpret motives, and question moral positions.
Question 4
4. Can Great Expectations be seen as a Bildungsroman? Elaborate.
Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations is widely regarded as a classic example of a Bildungsroman, or a coming-of-age novel. The term Bildungsroman refers to a literary genre that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist from youth to adulthood, in which character development is the central theme. In Great Expectations, Pip’s journey from an innocent orphan boy to a mature and self-aware man reflects the essential characteristics of this genre.
For Full Answer Click Here
Question 5
5. How does the community operate as a moral voice in Middlemarch?
In Middlemarch, George Eliot presents a vivid portrayal of provincial English life, and one of the novel’s most significant thematic undercurrents is the role of the community as a collective moral force. The town of Middlemarch itself is almost a character, influencing and shaping the destinies of the individuals who live within it. The moral voice of the community operates through public opinion, social norms, and a collective consciousness that rewards or punishes characters based on accepted values.
For Full Answer Click Here
Question 6
6. Bring out the symbolic significance of the title of the novel Heart of Darkness.
The title Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad is deeply symbolic and central to the thematic core of the novel. At its most immediate level, the title refers to the impenetrable African jungle—the physical heart of the continent through which the narrator, Marlow, travels. However, more significantly, it represents the metaphorical darkness that resides within human nature, colonialism, and civilization itself.
For Full Answer Click Here