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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. Who takes care of Raja?

2. Who does Tara think Bim looks like?

3. What does Dr. Biswas say is wrong with Bim?

4. Who does Bimla think of when she hears that Gandhi has been killed?

5. What does Bim attempt to do when she joins the others in the garden area and begins talking?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are some of the basic differences between Tara and Bim? Examine their appearance, their attitudes, their sense of family.

2. Why does Dr. Biswas feel a sense of failure after talking to Bim about Raja's tuberculosis?

3. Why is Tara so disturbed by Bim's remarks on the lawn with Bakul and the Misras?

4. Describe Aunt Mira's behavior in this chapter.

5. What resulted from Raja's admiration of Hyder Ali Sahid?

6. Why is Raja so upset about the whereabouts of the family of Hyder Ali Sahid?

7. What is symbolic about the father's car that was left in the garage after his death?

8. What is the importance in the plot of the Misras brother, Mulk, and his drunkeness

9. Describe the family home and the feeling you get about it.

10. What is Tara's purpose in coming to the family home?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe Aunt Mira and her life. Compare her life before she moves into the family home, and afterwards. Discuss the sacrifices she has made, and the rewards received by dedicating her life to the four children.

Essay Topic 2

How are the children treated by their parents, and how does this treatment show up in their lives? After a paragraph concerning the treatment of all of the children, choose one of them and write about how the parents' treatment affected that character's attitude towards life, their choices in love, and their professions.

Essay Topic 3

Read the paragraphs following the moment that Tara, Bakul and the girls leave the family home and Bim and Baba are left sitting on the veranda in the light. How the symbolism and theme of the entire novel represented there?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 626 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample