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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. How does Shama's family react to the purchase of the house?

2. What deformity does the newborn Mr. Biswas have?

3. How does Mr. Biswas react when he sees his lodgings at Green Vale?

4. What does Sharma use to treat bedbugs?

5. What does Mr. Biswas do when he is bored at the shop?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. How does Shama react when Mr. Biswas loses his job?

3. What job does Mr. Biswas have as a child, and how does he lose that job?

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

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

6. How does the Tulsi family care for Mr. Biswas during his illness?

7. Why does Mr. Biswas consider himself a successful man?

8. Describe the Tulsi family.

9. How does Mr. Biswas' father die?

10. Describe the circumstances surrounding the birth of Shama's first child.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the power struggles evident in the book. Which characters are perpetually locked in a bid for power within the family? What factors assist characters in gaining or losing power? How do the power struggles evident among the adult characters affect the children? What cycle of power is evident in the book, and how does Mr. Biswas attempt to break that cycle?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss how the characters in the novel express their displeasure or anger. What differences exist between the manner in which the men and women vent their frustrations? What cultural influences affect the manner in which the characters express themselves? How does this cultural influence affect the relationships among family members?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the meaning of the houses that Mr. Biswas purchases and/or builds throughout the story. What might each house's purchase or construction represent? What might the sale or destruction of the first several houses represent?

(see the answer keys)

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