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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. Om and Ishvar are traveling to apply for which position?

2. What were young Ishvar and his brother hit with as punishment after they broke into the upper-class school?

3. In Chapter 6, what does Ishvar realize Dina is craving?

4. Who are the police gathering up in the streets in Chapter 8?

5. In Chapter 8, what is Ishvar ordered to dig?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who is Shankar and what is significant about his body?

2. In Chapter 7, what happens to the slums that Om and Ishvar are living in?

3. What does the officer suggest that Om and Ishvar do in their pursuit of a ration card?

4. How do Om and Ishvar find shelter after they lose their home in Chapter 7?

5. What kindness does Dina show Om in Chapter 7?

6. What happens to Om's trunk of belongings?

7. What is the subject of the speech that the Prime Minister is giving to the villagers?

8. How is Dina Dalal's home described?

9. Why is Narayan murdered?

10. How do Ishvar and Om meet Maneck?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Dina Dalal is described as a very tough woman. There have been many mishaps in her life that have shaped her. Describe two incidents in Dina's life that have shaped her into the independent woman that she is. Also, compare/contrast Dina's relationships with her brother Nusswan and Rustom. Which relationship do you think had a larger impact on her?

Essay Topic 2

The "Emergency" is a very powerful force of destruction within the novel.

Part 1.) Briefly explain what the state of Emergency within the novel was.

Part 2.) Explain the catastrophic results this state of Emergency had on the lives of the main characters.

Part 3.) Explain why you think calling the situation an emergency was validated within the novel.

Essay Topic 3

The government within this novel is presented as entirely false. A very telling scene of the novel came when the Prime Minister gave her speech to the slum residents. How was that speech presented to the public, and how was it received? How does the government work to present a particular image of themselves to the people? Is this image a fair representation? Or is the government attempting to fool its people? Explain.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 665 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample