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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 Rajaram collect?

2. What does Dina padlock the door to protect?

3. What beverage does Maneck's family produce?

4. What was Dina's father's occupation?

5. Where did Dina and Rustom meet?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Dina's collection of cloth symbolize?

2. How does Maneck's father, Farokh, treat his soft-drink recipe?

3. How do the passengers on the train react to the sudden halt in their travel?

4. What is Dina's reaction to Maneck when he arrives to stay with her?

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

6. What does Dina teach Maneck to do in Chapter 8, and why?

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

8. When do Om and Ishvar first meet Rajaram?

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

10. How do Ishvar and Om meet Maneck?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Throughout the entire novel, Ishvar is obsessed with finding a wife for Om. Marriage is seen as a positive addition to families even when the family doesn't have the financial means to support another person.

Part 1.) Compare/Contrast the marriage between Dina and Rustom to the one between Nusswan and Ruby. What is the same about these marriages and what is different?

Part 2.) Explain why you think Ishvar's expectations for Om's wife and marriage are reasonable. How will Om's impending marriage affect the lives of everyone living in Dina's home?

Essay Topic 2

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.

Essay Topic 3

The final chapter of this novel is entitled "The Circle is Complete". Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not? Choose one of the main characters: either Dina, Maneck, Om, or Ishvar, and explain why their circle is or is not complete. If you are arguing that their circle is not complete, explain what is missing. Be sure to use ample material from the text to support your argument.

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