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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Which relative urges Mr. Biswas to find a job after several months spent recuperating at Hanuman House?

2. What physical reaction does Mr. Biswas have to stress?

3. What treatment does the doctor recommend for Mr. Biswas?

4. What was the purchase price of Mr. Biswas' house?

5. In the beginning of Chapter 2, who buys the Bipti's property?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the Tulsi family.

2. What motivates Mr. Biswas to choose the house for his family?

3. What role does Seth play in assisting Mr. Biswas to recover from his illness?

4. Describe Mr. Biswas' emotional state during his illness.

5. What explanation does Shama give for the store's financial problems?

6. Describe the events leading up to the destruction of Savi's dollhouse.

7. How does Mr. Biswas' father die?

8. Describe Mr. Biswas.

9. How does the Tulsi family care for Mr. Biswas during his illness?

10. Describe Mr. Biswas' room in Green Vale.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the influence that English literature and education has on the characters in the book. Choose three characters and describe how an English-based curriculum influences their attitudes early in life. How does Mr. Biswas' love of English literature affect his personal philosophy throughout his life? What difficulties do he and other characters experience that can be attributed to the influence of English literature and education?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the power struggles evident in the book. Which characters are perpetually locked in a bid for power within the family? What factors assist characters in gaining or losing power? How do the power struggles evident among the adult characters affect the children? What cycle of power is evident in the book, and how does Mr. Biswas attempt to break that cycle?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the factors that led to the failure of Mr. Biswas' shop in The Chase. How does Mr. Biswas' attitude towards the Tulsi family influence his business decisions? How might his attitude towards mathematics and literature have affected his ability to run the shop? What other external factors could have affected the success of the shop? Whom could Mr. Biswas have learned from, and what could he have done to make the shop more successful?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 941 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample