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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 suggestion does a guest of Raymond's make to him?

2. Why does Raymond think it is good that the President's book is so quickly forgotten?

3. What happens after the Youth Guard is disbanded?

4. What has become of Kareisha, Nazruddin's daughter whom Salim feared he might have to marry?

5. What causes Indar to become depressed?

Short Essay Questions

1. What has become of Indar?

2. What encouragement did a woman lecturer give Indar in England?

3. What is a clear sign that the President is now taking charge of his own destiny?

4. Although already captivated by Yvette, why does Salim think he might not have become involved with her?

5. Describe the beginning of the relationship between Salim and Yvette.

6. What do Salim and Metty observe from the President's radio broadcast?

7. How does Salim react to Nazruddin's letter from Uganda?

8. What indicates the end to the boom times in the town?

9. How does Indar's behavior on the steamer show that he is not as sure of himself as he told Salim he was?

10. Explain the basis for Indar's depression.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write a two-page summary of A BEND IN THE RIVER. In your summary include only the major theme of the novel and the transformation of Salim from east coast living to his experiences in the town to his leaving at the end of the novel.

Essay Topic 2

Look up information about the Nobel Prize for Literature and write an essay about V. S. Naipaul as a Nobel Prize winner. How do you rate Naipaul as a story teller? Explain whether you think A BEND IN THE RIVER is a compelling read.

Essay Topic 3

Take the old saying, "It takes one to know one," and compare it to the meeting of Indar and Mahesh and his wife, Shoba. In Chapter 6, Metty recognizes a slave girl when she keeps coming to the store looking for him. Write an essay about how people can spot the faults in others that they have in themselves.

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