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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 Book 2, Chapter 1, which relative invites Mr. Biswas for a visit?

2. How does the editor react to Mr. Biswas' free work?

3. What color does Mr. Biswas paint his typewriter?

4. After Mr. Biswas completes his house In Book 2, Chapter 3, which relative moves in with him?

5. What happens to the family's first orange crop?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. How is Mr. Biswas' second house spared from burning?

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

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

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

8. How does the Deserving Destitutes Fund cause hardship for Mr. Biswas?

9. Describe the Biswas family's trip to the seaside.

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Collectivism and individualism are two opposing philosophies in the book. Compare and contrast each philosophy and how it affects the characters in the book? Which philosophy is prevalent in the beginning of the book? By the end? What opinion might the author be trying to express about collectivism versus individualism?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the factors that led to the failure of Mr. Biswas' shop in The Chase. How does Mr. Biswas' attitude towards the Tulsi family influence his business decisions? How might his attitude towards mathematics and literature have affected his ability to run the shop? What other external factors could have affected the success of the shop? Whom could Mr. Biswas have learned from, and what could he have done to make the shop more successful?

Essay Topic 3

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?

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