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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 gift does a mysterious messenger deliver, in Chapter 18?

2. What does Ladli bring Jahanara when she is imprisoned in a cell?

3. What is Jahanara thinking of when Nizam opens a cotton bag for a snack?

4. What is the shape of the tomb chamber in the Taj Mahal?

5. How many troops did Aurangzeb lose when caught in a trap by Shivaji?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why doesn't Jahanara envy her granddaughters for their youth?

2. What illness does Shah Jahan catch during monsoon season?

3. In Chapter 13, when Jahanara goes into Aurangzeb's room, what does she see?

4. Who is Shivaji?

5. How does Jahanara survive being locked in a cell with two hungry cheetahs?

6. What does Jahanara say about the years following her daughter's birth?

7. What reason does Jahanara give her granddaughters for going back to Agra?

8. Why did Jahanara always try to show her father that she was worthy of his love?

9. Why, in Chapter 16, does Dara say that winning matters little?

10. What does Shah Jahan tell Jahanara when she asks why Aurangzeb has became cruel?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Various characters have theories for why Aurangzeb is so cruel. Discuss why Aurangzeb is so cruel and what has made him that way.

Essay Topic 2

Jahanara chooses duty rather than escape the Empire with Isa and her daughter. Discuss duty and how duty is viewed in the novel.

Essay Topic 3

At one point, Jahanara has to make a choice whether to save Aurangzeb. Discuss the pros and cons Jahanara weighed before saving Aurangzeb's life.

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