UGC-NET-English

✅ A. English literature was first offered as a subject of study at King's College, London in 1831.
Correct.

King's College, London, founded in 1829, began offering English literature as a subject in 1831, making it one of the first institutions to introduce it formally.

At this time, English was still seen as secondary to classical languages (Greek and Latin) at universities like Oxford and Cambridge.

❌ B. English was first offered as a subject of study in England only in 1828 in the universities of Oxford and Cambridge.
Incorrect.

In 1828, English was not yet offered as an academic subject in Oxford and Cambridge.

These institutions continued to focus primarily on the classics (Greek and Latin) until the late 19th century.

English as an academic discipline emerged outside these elite universities initially, notably in places like King's College, London.

✅ C. Though taught as a medium of instruction and a subject of study in India since 1850s, Oxford and Cambridge did not allow the new subject of English literature to be taught till the end of the nineteenth century.
Correct.

English was introduced in colonial India as a medium of instruction (as per Macaulay’s Minute, 1835) and became a subject in schools and colleges by the 1850s.

However, Oxford and Cambridge did not include English literature as a formal subject until the end of the 19th century (Oxford: 1894, Cambridge: 1911).

❌ D. In 1931, English replaced the study of classics in Greek and Latin (the language of the Church) in Oxford and Cambridge.
Incorrect.

By 1931, English literature had already been introduced in both universities.

But it did not fully replace the study of classics, which continued and still exists today in those institutions.

The shift away from classics was gradual, not abrupt or entirely replaced by English in 1931.

✅ E. Till the end of the nineteenth century literature meant only the study of great books in classical languages like Greek and Latin in Oxford and Cambridge.
Correct.

Before the late 1800s, "literature" in elite universities referred primarily to classical texts (Greek and Latin), not vernacular or English literature.

The academic study of English literature was seen as less prestigious until the subject gained acceptance around the turn of the century.

✔️ Therefore, the correct statements are: A, C, and E → Option 1: ACE