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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 was the difference in religion between Raja and Hyder Ali?

2. In the summer of what year does Bim think time stopped for the family?

3. How did Raja meet Hyder Ali?

4. What is Tara's reaction to Bim's behavior regarding the letter?

5. Where does Tara remember going for escape from the neglect of her parents?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. Why does Tara begin to spend time with the Misras sisters?

4. Why are Muslims no longer safe in India? What has caused this problem?

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

6. How is Old Delhi different from New Delhi? Re-read the parts describing the city and note the words the author uses. Do the words create a sense of place?

7. Why does so much responsibility fall to Bim?

8. Why is Bim's conversation with the elder Misras important to the plot?

9. How does Tara feel about her youth? What makes her feel that way?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The children are present on the banks of the Jumna River when Hyder Ali Sahib rides by on his fine white horse. How do each of the children remember this incident, and how does it affect them? Describe it from the viewpoint of Raja, Bim, Tara and Baba.

Essay Topic 2

Several minor characters in this novel are highlighted during the novel: Mulk, Dr. Biswas, and Sharma. What role do these characters play in the progress of the plot? What role do they play in accentuating the character development of the main characters?

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?

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