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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. What does Jal tell Roxana and Yezad would happen if he had his way about things?

2. What does Yezad tell Kapur happened while Kapur was out getting his blood pressure checked?

3. What is Kapur's reaction when Yezad asks for an advance?

4. How does Roxana react when Yezad tells her he has lost all their money?

5. In Nariman's words, how would you complete this sentence, "the loss of home ...?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Yezad ask Vilas to do about the Christmas decorations, and what is Vilas' reaction?

2. What does Yezad learn when he calls Mr. Kapur to say he will not be in to work because of Coomy's death?

3. When Yezad wakes up during the night with chest pains, what does he attribute the cause to?

4. What did Murad do in order to have enough money to buy Christmas presents for his family?

5. What happens with Kapur and the children when Kapur puts on his Santa costume?

6. What effect has acting as homework monitor had on Jehangir?

7. What happens to Yezad's work situation after Kapur's death?

8. What excuses do Roxana and Yezad make for Jehangir when his teacher tells them Jehangir has been taking bribes as homework monitor? How is Jehangir punished?

9. What changes in behavior does Kapur make in order to become more like the common people?

10. What is significant about the introduction of Daisy Ichamora to Nariman?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The death of Coomy seems to release the family from some of their stiffness or unease with each other. Jal becomes closer to Roxana and her family, and even Nariman seems to become more animated in his interactions with the family. What was it about Coomy that could have such an effect on the family? Was she conscious of what she was doing, or was Coomy totally unaware of the affect she had on those around her? Use incidents from the story to show how she could have acted differently toward her family.

Essay Topic 2

The title of the book could be interpreted in two ways: family is important and the issues and challenges of being a family. Tell how each interpretation could be supported by the events, action, and plot of the story.

Essay Topic 3

For most of the story, Coomy seems to be the controlling factor among all the characters. Is Coomy truly concerned about her family? Is she materialistic? Nurturing? Selfish? All of the above? Focusing on Coomy's personality and the way she interacts with others, write a character description of Coomy.

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This section contains 992 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample