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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 is Ghosh's final wish to Marion?

2. What does Marion do when he is missing Genet?

3. Why does Stone send a telegram to Hema?

4. What does Marion find out about the visiting doctor?

5. Where does Marion go to celebrate passing his medical boards?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Marion find out about Shiva's sex life, and what does Shiva tell him when confronted about it?

2. Why is Genet in America, and why does Marion not beat her?

3. How does Marion finally end up having sex with Genet, and what does she do after they are together?

4. Why does Rosina attack Marion, and what does he realize about Genet then?

5. How does Marion see Tsige again?

6. What is Marion doing about Ghosh being in prison?

7. What do the nurses ask Marion to do when Popsy enters the operating room?

8. How does Marion feel, and what does he first do when Genet shows up at his door?

9. Where does Marion go when he is missing Genet, and what happens there?

10. What does Rosina do about Genet's sex drive and what happens as the result of that action?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

It is highly symbolic that the blood vessels that once connected Shiva and Marion as one body are the ones to explode, ultimately killing Shiva. After Shiva's death, however, Marion feels like order is restored, that he and Shiva truly are one body again, and he even begins using the word "we" instead of "I" in this first-person narration.

1. Discuss in depth the symbolism of the blood vessels that connected Shiva and Marion killing him. Use examples from the text and your own life to support your answer.

2. Do you think Shiva would have undergone the surgery if he had known ahead of time that he would die? Why or why not? Use examples from the text and your own life to support your answer.

3. Marion's attitude towards Genet and his thought that he and his twin are one again following Shiva's death may indicate he has some form of delusional thinking. Discuss the possibilities of this statement. Use examples from the text and your own life to support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

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.

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