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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. Where does Chid recover from his fever?

2. What do Karim and his friends think about the narrator's plans to visit India?

3. What does the narrator think about Karim living in India?

4. What best describes the narrator's morning routine at her room in Satipur?

5. Who gives Olivia's letters to Marcia?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Douglas accept the Nawab's presence in his home so readily in Section 12?

2. How does the narrator feel upon discovering that she is pregnant?

3. Describe the narrator's actions in the hospital ward that result in her being treated differently by the other people there.

4. Why is the location of the narrator's first act of intimacy with Inder Lal significant?

5. What does the narrator reveal about Douglas's life in Section 30?

6. What is Satipur like in Section 17?

7. Explain the importance of the red strings in Section 26.

8. Explain the phrase, "Things get mixed up in India."

9. What do Douglas and the Nawab represent in Section 16?

10. Based on her actions in Section 23, is the narrator a kindhearted person?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In Heat and Dust, the role of each character adds depth to the message of the novel. Choose 3 characters listed below. For each, examine how the role each one plays, or refuses to play, helps to advance the storyline.

1) The Narrator.

2) Maji.

3) The Nawab.

4) Harry.

5) Chid.

6) Olivia.

Essay Topic 2

Do the characters in Heat and Dust create their own destinies, or has life thrust circumstances upon them? Analyze this question for any 3 characters in the story. Be sure to select at least one character from Olivia's time and one from the minor time. Consider expectations, behavior, circumstances and attitudes.

Essay Topic 3

Much of Heat and Dust is the study of contrasts between the Eastern and Western cultures. Explore that concept as you answer these questions:

1) What preconceived notions do the English in Olivia's time bring with them to India that shape their experiences in that culture? Use at least 3 specific character examples in your answer.

2) How do the Nawab and Chid adapt to cultures that are different from the ones they were raised in? What effects do their actions have on them and on those around them?

3) How do Harry and Maji represent the clash of, or integration of, different cultures in this story?

(see the answer keys)

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