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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. What type of work does Mr. Biswas first perform for the newspaper?
(a) He paints signs.
(b) He cleans the lavatory.
(c) He sweeps the floor.
(d) He washes the windows.

2. What structure does Seth plan to build on the garden site?
(a) A garage.
(b) A fruit stand.
(c) A hotel.
(d) A store.

3. Why is Shekhar jealous of Owad?
(a) He wishes he could work overseas.
(b) He loves Owad's fiance.
(c) Shekhar claims he wanted to study at Cambridge.
(d) Owad is Mrs. Tulsi's favorite child.

4. What about the house surprises Mr. Biswas?
(a) Shoddy construction and multiple defects.
(b) There is a boarder living upstairs.
(c) The hidden room under the staircase.
(d) The bright yellow bathroom.

5. What does Mr. Biswas' new neighbor think he should have paid for the house?
(a) $4,000.
(b) $6,000.
(c) $500.
(d) $5,000.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Shama borrow from Basdai?

2. Who institutes the Deserving Destitutes Fund?

3. While Anand is preparing for examinations, what does Shama give him each day?

4. What do the Tulsi women feed their chickens?

5. What odorous problem arises soon after Mr. Biswas and his family move into the new house?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Mr. Biswas buy a typewriter, and what happens to it later in the story?

2. Describe Shekhar's life as an adult.

3. How do Mr. Biswas and other members of the Tulsi family end up living in the Port of Spain house for a second time?

4. Why does the Biswas family leave Mrs. Tulsi's house in Port of Spain after Owad's return?

5. How does Mr. Biswas find and purchase his dream house?

6. How do the school examinations affect the children of the Tulsi household?

7. What threatens Mr. Biswas' job at the "Trinidad Sentinel"?

8. How does Shama assist with the repairs to the new house?

9. How does Mr. Biswas earn his promotion as reporter for the "Trinidad Sentinel?"

10. How does Mrs. Tulsi react to Owad's impending return from England?

(see the answer keys)

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