The GATE Grind

GATE 2026 XH2 (English) – Question 32

History of English Literature and Literary Studies · Global Perspectives on Literary Studies: Anglophone literatures (British, American, Canadian and other postcolonial literatures) · 1 mark · Multiple choice

“The peasants came like swarms of flies
And buzzed the name of God a hundred times
To paralyze the evil one.”

The above stanza appears in which poem?

  1. “Dawn at Puri”
  2. “Night of the Scorpion”
  3. “Palanquin Bearers”
  4. “Our Casuarina Tree”

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Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: (B) “Night of the Scorpion”

Explanation

These lines are from Nissim Ezekiel's "Night of the Scorpion", where the villagers crowd in, chanting the name of God, after the speaker's mother has been stung.