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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 the police inspector hold the investigation into Vasu's death?

2. Who is Kumar?

3. What help does Nataraj seek from Sen?

4. How is Thanappa, the postman, different than usual the morning after the procession?

5. What strikes Nataraj about the scene when he sees Vasu?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did the police determine killed Vasu? Who were there suspects?

2. How does Sastri say that demons usually meet their demise?

3. What is the celebration that is planned, and who is planning it?

4. What is the night and morning before the celebration like for Nataraj?

5. What does Sastri learn from Rangi about how Vasu died?

6. How did the police investigation turn out? What was the common belief about Vasu's death?

7. Rangi and Nataraj discuss several things when she taps on the grille of the press. What do they discuss and what is their conversation like?

8. What happens when Nataraj travels to Mempi with the information about the animal hospital?

9. What happens between Vasu and Nataraj with Vasu's purse?

10. Describe the uncomfortable interaction between Nataraj and the poet when Nataraj sees the poet passes by the fountain.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay about the religious and political affairs of India during the mid-twentieth century.

Part 1. Explain the British occupation and the consequences it had on Indian culture and life.

Part 2. Describe the non-violent protests that expelled the English. Who were the major players in the revolution? How did they achieve their goals?

Part 3. What were the major religions present in India at the time, and what happened when the English left?

Essay Topic 2

"The universe," says Sastri, "has survived all the rakshasas that were ever born. Every demon carries within him, unknown to himself, a tiny seed of self-destruction, and goes up in thin air at the most unexpected moment."

This quote by Sastri represents a central theme of the book: the conflict of good and evil. Write an essay about the sentiment behind this quote.

Part 1. Do you agree with Sastri's sentiment? Does evil carry the seed of its own destruction?

Part 2. Cite other works, religious or fictional, that address this concept. What do they have to say?

Essay Topic 3

All the main characters in The Man-eater of Malgudi represent some faction or sentiment of the English occupation of India.

Part 1. What does each character represent? Are they blatant or subtle?

Part 2. How is each character identifiable as representing the person or thing of historical India? Give some examples of how each character is identifiable.

Part 3. Do any of the characters change during the book? If so, what does this mean, and do they represent a historical change as well?

(see the answer keys)

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