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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. How does Mr. Biswas earn the $1,200 needed for the down payment on the house?
(a) He sells his automobile.
(b) He sells his office building.
(c) He and Anand roof Mrs. Tulsi's house.
(d) He sells his house in Shorthills.

2. What happens to the family's first orange crop?
(a) One son-in-law steals the entire orange harvest.
(b) A sudden hailstorm destroys the entire harvest.
(c) Unusually low temperatures freeze most of the blossoms.
(d) Insects and parasites infect the oranges.

3. Whom does Mr. Biswas meet in the café?
(a) A co-worker.
(b) A widower.
(c) A solicitor's clerk.
(d) His brother, Pratap.

4. What did Owad study while overseas?
(a) Medicine.
(b) Law.
(c) English Literature.
(d) Art.

5. How does the editor react to Mr. Biswas' free work?
(a) He offers Mr. Biswas $15 a week to proofread articles.
(b) He promotes Mr. Biswas to head custodian.
(c) He gives Mr. Biswas construction supplies.
(d) He offers Mr. Biswas $15 a week to write articles.

Short Answer Questions

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

2. What does Shama borrow from Basdai?

3. When Mr. Burnett leaves the "Sentinel," where does he go?

4. Where does Shekhar live once he is married?

5. In Book 2, Chapter 1, what city does Mr. Biswas move to?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the house Mr. Biswas bought from the solicitor's clerk.

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

3. Who is the "Scarlet Pimpernel", and why are the islanders looking for him?

4. Describe Mr. Biswas' new job with the Community Welfare Department.

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

6. Describe Shekhar's life as an adult.

7. What is the Deserving Destitutes Fund, and how did Mr. Biswas become involved in it?

8. Describe the estate at Shorthills.

9. How does Mr. Biswas use Hanuman House after it has been abandoned by the Tulsi family?

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

(see the answer keys)

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