IGNOU MEG 3 Solved Question Paper | December 2020
- Last Updated On August 12, 2025
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Welcome to our blog, In this post, we’re sharing the IGNOU MEG 3 Solved Question Paper of December 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.
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Question 1
1. Discuss the role of comic characters in Tom Jones with suitable examples.
In Tom Jones, Henry Fielding makes extensive use of comic characters to enrich the narrative, satirize societal norms, and offer insight into human nature. The comic characters do more than merely provide humour—they serve to illuminate the moral landscape of the novel and reflect the absurdities of eighteenth-century English society.
One of the most significant comic characters is Squire Western, whose blustering patriotism, obsession with hunting, and fierce temper make him both entertaining and memorable. His exaggerated speech patterns, rural dialect, and single-mindedness provide comic relief while simultaneously representing the stubborn, outdated values of the landed gentry. He is obsessed with tradition and property, often opposing his daughter Sophia’s desires simply to assert paternal authority. Yet, his deep, albeit comically expressed, love for his daughter adds a human dimension to his character.
Partridge, the simple schoolmaster who accompanies Tom on his journey, serves as another source of humour. His ignorance, verbosity, and tendency to misinterpret events provide a constant comedic counterpoint to the more serious developments in the plot. Partridge’s ridiculous fear of ghosts and superstitions, particularly during the trip to London, adds levity while subtly critiquing the lack of rational thinking among the supposedly educated lower-middle class. Despite his flaws, he remains a loyal and endearing figure, reinforcing the theme of loyalty and friendship.
Mrs. Honour, Sophia’s maid, is another comic figure who reflects class tensions and social climbing. Her exaggerated manners and constant gossip make her a caricature of servant-class ambition. Yet, her comic moments also offer insights into the limited opportunities available to women of her rank and the desire for upward mobility.
Even Thwackum and Square, though primarily portrayed as hypocritical figures representing flawed moral and religious philosophies, often become subjects of ridicule. Their pedantic arguments, self-righteousness, and inability to apply their principles consistently expose the absurdity of rigid, theoretical moral systems detached from practical reality.
These comic characters are not merely ornamental; they serve critical functions. They highlight Fielding’s satirical purpose, mocking the pretensions of various social classes and moral philosophies. The humour they provide also balances the more serious themes of love, virtue, and justice, making the novel both entertaining and thought-provoking.
Question 2
2. How do the various characters justify the title of the novel, Pride and Prejudice ? Illustrate.
The title Pride and Prejudice encapsulates the central themes of Jane Austen’s novel, highlighting the emotional and psychological barriers that the characters must overcome to achieve personal growth and happiness. Various characters in the novel, particularly Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy, embody and struggle with these traits, making the title both apt and significant.
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Question 3
3. Comment on the setting of Wuthering Heights. Give a reasoned answer.
The setting of Wuthering Heights plays a central role in shaping the novel’s atmosphere, themes, and character development. Emily Brontë creates a vivid and symbolic landscape that mirrors the emotional and psychological states of her characters. The two main physical locations—Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange—represent contrasting worlds, with the wild, tumultuous moors providing a backdrop for the intense passions and conflicts that define the narrative.
Wuthering Heights, the primary location of the novel, is set in a remote, windswept area of the Yorkshire moors. The very name “Wuthering” suggests turbulence and storminess, which is reflected in both the weather and the people who inhabit it. The house is described as old, dark, and strong, exposed to the harsh elements and symbolic of a raw, untamed, and primitive way of life. The characters associated with the Heights—Heathcliff, Catherine Earnshaw, Hindley—exhibit fierce passions, violent tempers, and a deep connection to nature. The setting reinforces the elemental emotions they express: love, revenge, jealousy, and rage.
In contrast, Thrushcross Grange represents civilization, refinement, and social decorum. Located in a more sheltered and cultivated part of the moors, it is aesthetically pleasing and elegant. The Linton family, who reside at the Grange, embody a more cultured and genteel lifestyle. The setting of the Grange contrasts sharply with the chaos of the Heights, creating a symbolic divide between emotion and reason, wildness and civility, nature and culture.
The moors themselves act as a powerful metaphor throughout the novel. They are vast, open, and wild, much like the intense, free-spirited love between Heathcliff and Catherine. The moors serve as a place of escape and connection for the lovers, particularly in their youth, and reflect their rejection of societal norms. Even in death, the idea of Catherine and Heathcliff being united on the moors evokes a sense of spiritual reunion and eternal passion.
Brontë’s use of gothic elements in the setting further enhances the novel’s dark and brooding tone. The isolation of the Heights, the eerie weather, and the presence of ghosts contribute to the atmosphere of mystery and dread.
Question 4
4. Trace the elements of a fairy tale used and re-invented in Great Expectations.
Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations incorporates numerous elements of the traditional fairy tale, but these are re-invented to suit the complex psychological and social realities of Victorian England. The novel opens with the familiar structure of a rags-to-riches story, where a poor orphan, Pip, dreams of becoming a gentleman. However, Dickens subverts many classic fairy tale tropes to deliver a more nuanced, often darker, narrative that critiques social mobility, class prejudice, and moral development.
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Question 5
5. What do you think are the main themes of Middlemarch ? Discuss with reference to the characters in the novel.
George Eliot’s Middlemarch is a richly layered novel that explores numerous themes through a wide array of characters and interwoven plots. Among the most significant themes are the limits of idealism, marriage and relationships, social reform and progress, and the role of women in society. These themes are expressed through the personal and social journeys of characters such as Dorothea Brooke, Tertius Lydgate, Rosamond Vincy, and others.
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Question 6
6. How does the structure of Heart of Darkness contribute to the meaning ? Illustrate.
Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness is structured as a frame narrative, a story within a story, which significantly deepens its meaning and impact. The outer frame is provided by an unnamed narrator who listens to Marlow, the inner narrator, recount his journey into the Congo and his encounter with the enigmatic Mr. Kurtz. This layered structure is not just a stylistic choice but an essential device that underscores the novel’s central themes of ambiguity, colonial critique, and the elusiveness of truth.
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