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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. After Ammu is banished from the house, what illness does she have when she comes back to visit Rahel?

2. What month is it when Rahel returns to Ayemenem at the beginning of the novel?

3. What color aprons do the workers at the pickle factory wear?

4. Who is Baby Kochamma in love with?

5. What do Estha and Rahel hold in their laps on the way to the airport?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Ammu dream about the afternoon her children find her sleeping in her room?

2. What little game do Rahel, Estha and Sophie Mol play as they get to know each other?

3. How does the family learn of Ammu's affair with Velutha and how do they react?

4. How does Chacko end up marrying an Englishwoman?

5. Who is Baby Kochamma?

6. Why does Baby Kochamma force Ammu to leave the house?

7. What other childhood treasures did Rahel find hidden with the Wisdom Exercise Notebooks?

8. Why did Rahel not say goodbye to Ammu on the last day she saw her mother alive?

9. How is Rahel feeling about her future when she returns to Ayemenem?

10. Where did the saying "Big Man the Laltain, Small Man the Bombatti" come from?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why do the twins consider how much they are loved, whom they love, and who loves them? What are the roots of this deep-seeded need and how is it shown throughout the novel?

Essay Topic 2

How is incest hinted at in the novel? How is it viewed? What purpose does it serve to the themes of love and belonging?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the relationship of Rahel and Estha in these terms: a) Is the twins' relationship a sustaining, positive force for both of them? or b) Is the twins' relationship an unhealthy, destructive force for both of them? Use specific themes and events in the book.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 940 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample