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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 song does Marion remember hearing as he breastfed?

2. What does Hema shout at Stone?

3. How long is Mary Dr. Stone's surgical assistant before she goes into labor to deliver a child?

4. Why does a soldier point a gun at Genet?

5. What news does Almaz give Ghosh?

Short Essay Questions

1. What incident shapes Shiva to become the doctor he becomes?

2. What happens when Hema first rushes into the operating room?

3. What is Ghosh doing while Hema is with Mary and Dr. Stone, and how does he find out about Mary's death?

4. What happens the moment Hema arrives back at Missing?

5. What does Hema realize about Mary, and what does Stone do when Mary dies?

6. What does Marion remember about being a toddler?

7. Who does Marion run into when he gets mad at Hema and runs out of the house, and why is that person there?

8. How does Hema feel about the twins after she takes them in, and why does she call Ghosh for help?

9. Why does Rosina run to the palace during the beginning of the coup?

10. What is Marion and Shiva's first experience with someone dying because of not getting medical care soon enough?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

1. What is foreshadowing? How many incidences of foreshadowing are in "Cutting for Stone"? How does foreshadow contribute to a book's suspense?

2. Discuss an example of foreshadowing in "Cutting for Stone" including why you believe it is an instance of foreshadowing. Include examples from the book and your own life to illustrate your answer.

3. How do you think most people react to uncertainty in their lives? Use examples from "Cutting for Stone" and your own live to support your opinion.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the following:

1. What is a plot? What are the most important elements of a plot and their definition? Do all novels have a plot? Why or why not?

2. Write a brief synopsis of the plot of "Cutting for Stone", identifying where the various elements of the plot occur (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution or denouement.) Do you find it difficult to identify the plot? Why or why not? What about the various elements of the plot?

3. Identify the major sub-plots and their elements in "Cutting for Stone". (The subplots may not contain every element of a major plot.) Do the sub-plots add to the main plot? Why or why not. Are the sub-plots interesting in and of themselves? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

Over the course of "Cutting for Stone", Marion grows as a person in both complexity and understanding. "Cutting for Stone" might be considered a slice of Marion's larger story of his "coming of age." It might be said that the story is a "bildungsroman" of Marion. Discuss the following:

1. Define Bildungsroman, or "Coming of Age," and give several examples from literature you have read.

2. Trace and analyze the character of Marion as he changes from a more carefree, innocent boy to a wiser, young man. What are the significant events that change Marion?

3. After thoroughly analyzing Marion's growth throughout "Cutting for Stone", do you think the book could be considered Marion's Coming of Age story? Why or why not?

4. Are there any other characters in "Cutting for Stone" who go through a Coming of Age experience? Who? Why do you think so?

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