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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. What type of work does Mr. Biswas first perform for the newspaper?

2. Who begs Mr. Biswas for a Deserving Destitute award?

3. Whom does Owad snub when he returns home?

4. Why does Mrs. Tulsi evict everyone from the house in Port of Spain?

5. Why is Shekhar jealous of Owad?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. What factors contribute to the failure of the farm?

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

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

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

7. How do Owad's communist views affect the Tulsi family?

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

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

10. Describe the final details of the sale of the clerk's house.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the cycle of personal freedom and dependence on the Tulsi family that Mr. Biswas experiences throughout the novel. What factors motivate Mr. Biswas to move away from the influence of the Tulsi family? What factors motivate him to return to the security of the family? What does Mr. Biswas have to do in order to finally break free from the social and financial dependence he has on his in-laws? What are the implications of this cycle for his children's future?

Essay Topic 2

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 3

Discuss the influence the rise of colonialism and had on the characters after World War II. How do the characters feel about their society before the war? What effect does colonialism have on the characters' attitudes towards their own society? How do the characters use colonialism to their advantage?

(see the answer keys)

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