View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. On which nerve is there a yellow bump in Philipose's brain?

2. What is Elsie sculpting during her second pregnancy?

3. In 1967, how old is Big Ammachi?

4. In 1977, how long has it been since Digby lived at Gwendolyn Gardens?

5. How many weeks did Philipose spend at the logging camp when Joppan, Shamuel, and Unni took him there to get over his opium addiction?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is money raised for a hospital in Parambil?

2. What does Mariamma think Lenin should have done instead of joini the Naxalites?

3. Why does Philipose go to Madras, and how does he die?

4. How does Parambil thrive under Joppan's care?

5. How does Mariamma learn that Philipose was not her father?

6. What does Elsie look like when Mariamma first sees her?

7. How do Ammachi and Baby Mol die?

8. In 1959, what schedule does Philipose keep?

9. How does Mariamma treat Lenin?

10. How does Brijee Sarkar harrass Mariamma during an exam, and how does Mariamma respond?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What a reader knows about events and characters is determined by the point of view in a book. What is the point of view of The Covenant of Water? How does the way that the third-person narrator follows different characters influence what readers know about events and characters? How does having the narrator follow different characters help readers connect with and understand characters?

Essay Topic 2

Idioms are words that have a figurative, rather than a literal meaning. How does Verghese use idioms in The Covenant of Water? Why are the idioms sometimes difficult to understand? Why do the idioms often require research to understand their meaning? How do idioms help create word pictures and mental images for readers in a concise manner? How do idioms help readers understand characters, emotions, and ideas?

Essay Topic 3

An analogy is the comparison of an unfamiliar object or idea to a familiar one in an attempt to explain the unfamiliar or to help readers understand characters, events, or concepts. What are some analogies Verghese uses in The Covenant of Water? How do these analogies help readers comprehend characters, events, or concepts?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 846 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample