Hello,

Yes, many universities and institutions in India conduct entrance examinations for English Literature at the undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) levels, and while the exact syllabus varies by university, most entrance exams assess a blend of literary knowledge, reading comprehension, grammar, and critical thinking. I will give you a general overview.

General Syllabus for English Literature Entrance Exams (UG & PG Levels)

1. Reading Comprehension

Passages from prose, fiction, poetry

Inference-based questions

2. Grammar and Vocabulary

Synonyms, Antonyms, Idioms

Sentence correction, Fill in the blanks

3. Literary Knowledge

Basic knowledge of major authors and works

Literary genres and movements (e.g., Romanticism, Realism)

Common literary terms and figures of speech

4. General Awareness (in Literature)

Indian and Western authors (e.g., Shakespeare, Tagore)

Nobel/Booker Prize winners

Popular adaptations of literary works

For Postgraduate Level

1. British Literature

Chaucer to the 20th century

Drama, Novel, Poetry, and Prose from each age (Renaissance, Victorian, Modern, etc.)

2. American Literature

Key writers (Whitman, Dickinson, Hawthorne, Frost, Faulkner)

Literary movements (Transcendentalism, Harlem Renaissance, etc.)

3. Indian Writing in English

Writers like R.K. Narayan, Arundhati Roy, Anita Desai, Kamala Das

4. Literary Theory and Criticism

Structuralism, Post-structuralism, Feminism, Marxism, Postcolonialism

Critics like Aristotle, Derrida, Foucault, Northrop Frye

5. Contemporary Literary Trends

Eco-criticism, Queer Theory, Diaspora Studies

6. Unseen Passages and Close Reading

Poetic or prose passages followed by analytical questions

7. Grammar and Vocabulary

Especially for tests like CUET PG or EFLU MA

Hope this helps. All the best!