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. At the end of Part II Chapter 7, Nanda asks Raka if she would like to go where in Kasauli?

2. Nanda can see that Ram Lal intrigues Raka as well as makes her feel what?

3. What does Raka imagine she is when she is atop Monkey Point in Part II, Chapter 8?

4. At the start of Part II, Chapter 7, after finishing their tea, Nanda says she will join Raka to do what?

5. The beginning of Part II, Chapter 12, states that Raka’s “eyes darkened, as if with” what?

Short Essay Questions

1. What fantastical stories does Nanda tell her about the things her father kept at their home in Kashmir?

2. How does Nanda respond when, after suggesting to Raka that she go to the club, Raka tells her grandmother that she does not go to the club?

3. Even though Nanda prefers solitude, what does she continue to suggest to Raka as described in Part II, Chapter 9?

4. Who does Nanda tell Raka are destroying her quiet little place?

5. Describe Raka’s behavior after Nanda tells her what she thought was a full moon was really a forest fire in Part II, Chapter 12?

6. How does Raka feel about Carignano as described in Part II, Chapter 18?

7. What does Nanda ask Raka if she would like to take to Monkey Point, and how does Raka respond?

8. Why is Raka dismayed when Nanda says she will join her on her walk after tea in Part II, Chapter 7?

9. How does Raka recall the parties that her father had her go to as a child?

10. How does Raka react when Nanda tells her that the letter she received from Asha said that her mother is ill?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Though the majority of the novel is written from Nanda’s perspective, the author employs omniscient narration, showing the reader the thoughts of experience of another character. Write an essay about why Anita Desai may have chosen to do this and whether you think it is effective or not.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay about the women who lived at Carignano before Nanda. What do the various people who inhabited Carignano before Nanda tell the reader about the history of the area?

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay analyzing Nanda’s relationship like with her daughter Asha. Use direct examples from the text to support your viewpoint.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 682 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample