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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 does Arun like about staying at the Patton home?

2. What does Dr. Dutt want of Uma?

3. Where does Mrs. Patton seem to be able to relax?

4. What does Arun receive before he leaves for the dormitory?

5. Who does not come to the table for dinner at the Patton house?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Arun think upon walking to the Patton house for the first time?

2. What does Uma say about Mira-Masi?

3. What does Dr. Dutt want when she comes one day to visit?

4. What does Arun discover when he takes a walk into the woods?

5. How does Arun feel when he receives an aerogramme from Papa?

6. What does Arun begin doing and why?

7. What does Mrs. Joshi suggest that Uma consider, and what are Uma's thoughts about it?

8. What does Anamika's husband say about her death, and how do the neighbors contradict him?

9. What does Arun try to get the courage to tell Mrs. Patton?

10. What is Rod Patton like?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Foreshadowing is used in almost all works of fiction. Discuss the following:

a) What is foreshadowing? How many incidences of foreshadowing are in Fasting, Feasting? How does foreshadowing contribute to a book's suspense?

b) Discuss an example of foreshadowing in “Fasting, Feasting” including why you believe it is foreshadowing.

Essay Topic 2

Chapters 1 and 2 define the plight of female children born in India. Families desire male children to continue the family line and do not attempt to conceal their delight when a boy child is born, as in the case with Arun. Female children are raised without the benefit of much, if any, education until they become of age and can leave home in arranged marriages. Uma's disappointment at having to leave the convent school is heightened when Papa does not intervene and save Uma from a fate of domesticity.

a) Discuss the ways in which Uma’s life was affected by being born female in Fasting, Feasting.

b) Discuss the ways in which education would have changed Uma’s life.

c) Discuss the difficulties that Arun faces by being the only male child in his family.

Essay Topic 3

Sometimes, a book has more of a character-driven plot rather than action-driven, and sometimes it is the other way around. Some books seem to balance the two. Discuss the following:

What do you think it means to say that a plot is character-driven? Action-driven? How do you think a plot differs if it is character-driven versus action-driven? Which type of plot do you find more interesting? Why? Do you think it is possible to have a plot where action and character development share equal time? Why or why not? What type of plot do you think Fasting, Feasting is? Explain your response.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 905 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample