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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Why does Pundit Jairam send Mr. Biswas back home?
(a) Because Mr. Biswas was severely homesick.
(b) Because Pundit Jairam became too ill to teach.
(c) Because Mr. Biswas tainted the oleander tree with urine.
(d) Because stress was making Mr. Biswas ill.

2. Who sold Mr. Biswas the house?
(a) His wealthy uncle.
(b) A solicitor's clerk.
(c) An old woman who reminded him of his mother.
(d) A greedy real estate agent.

3. What disease afflicts Bipti's father?
(a) Leprosy.
(b) Asthma.
(c) Lupus.
(d) Polio.

4. What does Mr. Biswas do when he is bored at the shop?
(a) Counts the little bit of money in the cashbox.
(b) Paints landscape murals and reads novels.
(c) Plays solitaire.
(d) Sweeps the floor and rearranges the stock.

5. How does the family at Hanuman House learn that Mr. Biswas is sick?
(a) Through a phone call.
(b) Through a message.
(c) In a newspaper article.
(d) Through a rumor.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Mr. Biswas do when he sees a relative's child destroying some of the store's stock?

2. What does Mr. Biswas use to begin construction on his new house in Book 1, Chapter 5?

3. Which room in Hanuman House does Mr. Biswas occupy while he is ill?

4. What type of house does Mr. Biswas buy?

5. Who attacks Mr. Biswas in Book 2, Chapter 3?

Short Essay Questions

1. What motivates Mr. Biswas to choose the house for his family?

2. What must Mr. Biswas and Shama do to reopen their shop and house in The Chase?

3. How does Mr. Biswas express his displeasure with his in-laws and his communal living situation?

4. What explanation does Shama give for the store's financial problems?

5. Describe the first house Mr. Biswas builds for his family.

6. Describe the Tulsi family.

7. Describe the events leading to Mr. Biswas and Shama's courtship and marriage.

8. Why do the Tulsis consider Mr. Biswas a rebel?

9. What role does Seth play in assisting Mr. Biswas to recover from his illness?

10. When Shama is pregnant with her fourth child, she and Mr. Biswas have a severe argument. What happens during that argument, and how does it affect their family?

(see the answer keys)

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