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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. In what year does the prologue take place?

2. What did Ishvar's mother steal for her young son?

3. What does the village that the train is traveling through smell of?

4. What did Om used to massage for his father?

5. What do the two men ask Dina for permission to do while they are sewing?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are Sergeant Kesar and the facilitator sent to the streets to do?

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

3. What signs does Dina believe she receives telling her not to date again?

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

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

6. How is Dina Dalal's home described?

7. How do Ishvar and Om meet Maneck?

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

9. What happens when Rustom goes out to buy ice cream on his third wedding anniversary?

10. What is Ishvar and Om's reaction to the work that they must do in the relocation camp?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Because of the imbalance of power seen within the novel, many characters end up being victims of one abuse or another.

Part 1.) Choose one character who is seen as a victim in the novel and explain the ways that they were abused by their surroundings and explain the ways that you have seen these abuses affect the characters progression in life. How deeply were they affected?

Part 2.) Explain the ways that this character will later go on to abuse others. How does this highlight the "Circle is Complete" theme within the novel? Or, if you do not believe that this character perpetuated any abuse, explain how you think this character broke the cycle?

Essay Topic 2

There are many different landscapes over which this novel takes place: the mountains, the slums, and the cities. Briefly explain what do you think each of these landscapes represents, and why do you think Mistry chose to set certain events of the novel within each of these landscapes?

Essay Topic 3

When Maneck commits suicide at the end of the novel, his final thought is that he is happy to be holding the chess board. This thought is a bit ambiguous as to whether Maneck is feeling guilt, or if he is overwhelmed with the way that the world has turned out.

Part 1.) Argue what you believe to be the meaning to Maneck's final thoughts.

Part 2.) Argue why you think it was so important to Maneck that he is holding the chess board, especially after he spent years not taking care of it, or missing its presence.

(see the answer keys)

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