UPSC Prelims 2006 Q58: Art & Culture – Literature & Languages
Who is Wole Soyinka ?
- (a) A well - known economist
- (b) A well - known football player
- (c) A well - known industrialist owning steel plants in many parts of the world.
- (d) A Nobel Prize winner for literature.
Answer: (d) A Nobel Prize winner for literature.
Explanation
Who is Wole Soyinka
| Option | Verdict |
|---|---|
| Economist | No |
| Football player | No |
| Industrialist owning steel plants | No (that describes steel magnates) |
| Nobel Prize winner for literature | Yes — the Nigerian dramatist, awarded the 1986 Nobel Prize in Literature |
Wole Soyinka is a Nigerian playwright, poet and essayist, and the first African to win the Nobel Prize in Literature (1986).
Answer: (d) A Nobel Prize winner for literature.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Incorrect. Wole Soyinka is not an economist.
- (b) Incorrect. He is not a football player.
- (c) Incorrect. He is not an industrialist; steel magnates are a different group.
- (d) CORRECT. Wole Soyinka won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1986.
Key point
Wole Soyinka is the Nigerian writer who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1986, the first African laureate.
Remember
Wole Soyinka: Nobel Prize for Literature, 1986.
Common mistakes
- Mixing him with Chinua Achebe, another famous Nigerian author.
- Not knowing he was the first African Nobel laureate in Literature.
- Confusing the Literature prize with the Peace Prize.
Exam tip
Soyinka (1986) = first African Nobel in Literature; Nigerian playwright.
Sources
- Nobel Prize — The Nobel Prize in Literature 1986 (Wole Soyinka), press release
- Encyclopaedia Britannica — Wole Soyinka