Booker Prize Winners — Set 6

Correct Answer: C. English

• **English** = The Booker Prize is exclusively awarded for full-length novels written in this language. • **2014** — The year when the eligibility rules expanded to include any novel published in the UK in English, regardless of the author's nationality. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: 'French': Novels in this language are not eligible for the Booker Prize, though they can be for the International Booker if translated; 'German': Not the language for which the Booker Prize is awarded; 'Spanish': Not the language for which the Booker Prize is awarded.

Correct Answer: A. Ruth Prawer Jhabvala

• **Ruth Prawer Jhabvala** = This individual is unique for having won both the Booker Prize and two Academy Awards. • **1975** — The year Ruth Prawer Jhabvala won the Booker Prize for her novel 'Heat and Dust'. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: 'Arundhati Roy': Won the Booker Prize but not an Oscar; 'Michael Ondaatje': Won the Booker Prize, and his novel was adapted into an Oscar-winning film, but he personally did not win an Oscar; 'Kazuo Ishiguro': Won the Booker Prize, and his novels have been adapted, but he has not won an Oscar.

Correct Answer: A. Disgrace

• **Disgrace** = This novel earned J.M. Coetzee his second Booker Prize, making him the first author to win twice. • **1999** — The year J.M. Coetzee was awarded the Booker Prize for his novel 'Disgrace'. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: 'Life & Times of Michael K': Another novel by J.M. Coetzee, which won his first Booker Prize in 1983; 'Waiting for the Barbarians': A notable novel by Coetzee, but it did not win the Booker Prize; 'The Master of Petersburg': A novel by Coetzee, but not the one that won the Booker Prize in 1999.

Correct Answer: A. The Blind Assassin

• **The Blind Assassin** = Margaret Atwood won the Booker Prize for this novel, which features a multi-layered narrative. • **2000** — The year Margaret Atwood's 'The Blind Assassin' was awarded the Booker Prize. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: 'The Handmaid's Tale': A very famous novel by Atwood, but it was shortlisted, not a winner, in 1986; 'Oryx and Crake': Another acclaimed novel by Atwood, but it was shortlisted in 2003, not the winner in 2000; 'Alias Grace': A novel by Atwood, shortlisted in 1996, but not the winner in 2000.

Correct Answer: B. £50,000

• **£50,000** = This is the current prize money awarded to the winner of the Booker Prize. • **£2,500** — The cash prize amount awarded to each of the shortlisted authors. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: '£25,000': A previous prize amount, but not the current one; '£75,000': Not the current prize money for the Booker Prize winner; '£100,000': Not the current prize money for the Booker Prize winner.

Correct Answer: A. Michael Ondaatje

• **Michael Ondaatje** = This author won the Booker Prize for his acclaimed novel 'The English Patient'. • **1992** — The year Michael Ondaatje's 'The English Patient' won the Booker Prize, shared with Barry Unsworth's 'Sacred Hunger'. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: 'Barry Unsworth': Co-winner in 1992 for 'Sacred Hunger', but not the author of 'The English Patient'; 'Roddy Doyle': Won the Booker Prize in 1993 for 'Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha'; 'Ian McEwan': Won the Booker Prize in 1998 for 'Amsterdam'.

Correct Answer: A. Shehan Karunatilaka

• **Shehan Karunatilaka** = This author is the newest Booker Prize winner from Sri Lanka. • **2022** — The year Shehan Karunatilaka won the Booker Prize for his novel 'The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida'. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: 'Romesh Gunesekera': Shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1998 for 'Reef', but did not win; 'Anuk Arudpragasam': Shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2021 for 'A Passage North', but did not win; 'Michael Ondaatje': A Booker Prize winner of Sri Lankan origin (1992), but not the newest.

Correct Answer: C. 2018

• **2018** = This was the year the 'Golden Man Booker' was awarded to commemorate the prize's 50th anniversary. • **50th anniversary** — The milestone celebrated by awarding the special 'Golden Man Booker' Prize. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: '2008': Not the year the Golden Man Booker was awarded; '2013': Not the year the Golden Man Booker was awarded; '2023': Not the year the Golden Man Booker was awarded, this would be the 55th anniversary.

Correct Answer: A. Kazuo Ishiguro

• **Kazuo Ishiguro** = This Japanese-born British novelist won the Booker Prize for 'The Remains of the Day'. • **1989** — The year Kazuo Ishiguro's novel 'The Remains of the Day' received the Booker Prize. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: 'Julian Barnes': Won the Booker Prize in 2011 for 'The Sense of an Ending', but not for 'The Remains of the Day' in 1989; 'Ian McEwan': Won the Booker Prize in 1998 for 'Amsterdam', not for this novel; 'Julian Fellowes': A screenwriter and novelist, but did not win the Booker Prize for 'The Remains of the Day'.

Correct Answer: B. Geetanjali Shree

• **Geetanjali Shree** = This Indian-origin author won the International Booker Prize for her novel 'Tomb of Sand'. • **2022** — The year Geetanjali Shree was awarded the International Booker Prize for her work. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: 'Arundhati Roy': Won the Booker Prize in 1997 but not the International Booker Prize in 2022; 'Jhumpa Lahiri': A notable Indian-American author, but did not win the International Booker Prize in 2022; 'Meena Kandasamy': A prominent Indian writer, but not the winner of this prize in 2022.