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

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Jugga try to convince Iqbal to teach him?

2. Why does Jugga go to see Meet Singh?

3. When Jugga is brought into Iqbal's cell, what does he claim?

4. What happens to Sundari on the road?

5. Why does the Subinspector not warn the camp commander of the planned attack?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare and contrast Hukum Chand's comments about the indifference of a bullet with Iqbal Singh's discussion of the neutrality of the bullet. What are both men trying to say? How do those comments reflect their feelings about conflict and sacrifice? Be sure to be detailed in your analysis.

Essay Topic 2

Describe the monsoon, as it is presented in the novel. What is a monsoon? What is the area like prior to the monsoon? What does the monsoon bring with it? What generally happens to the villagers during this time? In the novel, what does the coming of the storms symbolize in terms of the violence of the war in India? What role does the swelling river have in the novel, and how does this coincide with the swelling violence in Mano Majra?

Essay Topic 3

In the middle of the novel, a group of Sikh soldiers come to Mano Majra. In the same section, a train full of dead bodies is burned right outside the village, with the help of the wood and kerosene of the villagers. How do you think these events helped frame the rest of the story? If the train had not come through and the soldiers had not arrived, do you think the rest of the novel would have gone as it did? Would there have been a feeling of a need to retaliate? Would the villagers have remained brotherly? How else could the military have handled the trainload of deceased bodies? Was the government way of dealing with issues part of the problem in the novel? Why?

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This section contains 406 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample