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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 the word "Khwabgah" (23) translate to in English?

2. What word in the novel refers to the shrines over the grave of a revered religious figure?

3. Of what creature does the narrator ask in Chapter 6 whether it would remember the smell of the forest on the day it was born?

4. What document discovered by the narrator in Chapter 7 describes a Special Task Force police forcing a group of people into a restroom?

5. What address is on the card that Suddam left at the woman's house in Chapter 5?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is the protagonist described as living in the cemetery in Chapter 1?

2. Why did Anjum accuse Saeeda of putting a hex on her family and the whole world in Chapter 2?

3. What information is related in the document from the social worker in Clovis, California that Biplab Dasgupta found in Chapter 7?

4. How is the exchange at the house described with Saddam, Ishrat, and the mysterious woman?

5. What led Saddam Hussein to his dream of opening a funeral parlor? Where did he hope to open one?

6. How does the narrator describe Anjum's arrival at the cemetery in Chapter 2? Why did she go there?

7. How does Biplab Dasgupta feel about the area of Delhi where his rental apartments are located? Why?

8. Compare and contrast the characters of Biplab Dasgupta and Dr. Azad Bhartiya.

9. What is signfificant about Zakir Mian's presence in Chapter 2?

10. How is Tilo's appearance described during her second wedding? What caused this change in appearance?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss elements of animal symbolism in The Ministry of Utmost Happiness. What are some of the animals that the author focuses on in the Prologue and in the final chapter? What do these animals symbolize to you? What is their purpose in the story?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the theme of gender and gender identity in The Ministry of Utmost Happiness. What are hijras and what is the history of their culture within Indian society? How does the author explore the theme of gender through symbolism? How is it explored through character?

Essay Topic 3

Analyze and discuss the character of Anjum in The Ministry of Utmost Happiness. Is Anjum a protagonist or antagonist? Why? What are Anjum's defining characteristics? What is revealed about her through her behavior and actions?

(see the answer keys)

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