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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. Which character fails the examination?

2. What sign does Mr. Biswas post on his house in Shorthills?

3. Where are the examination scores posted?

4. In Book 2, Chapter 3, what gift does the family plan to give each child?

5. What presents do the children receive the Christmas after Owad goes to England?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. How does Mrs. Tulsi's return to Arwacas affect the family left in Port of Spain?

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

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

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

9. What does the Tulsi family plan to do in Shorthills?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

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 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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