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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. Why is Mrs. Saunders ill when Olivia first meets her?

2. According to the narrator's first journal entry, where does she spend her first night in Bombay?

3. How do the townspeople treat Chid?

4. What does the narrator decide to discuss with Inder Lal after Ritu's screaming episode in her room?

5. What does Olivia see in the room with the Nawab's pianos?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the narrator's clothing and her reasons for choosing them in Section 4.

2. Describe Chid's transformation in Section 28.

3. Is Maji sympathetic to the narrator?

4. Compare Chid's letters in Section 21 to Olivia's letters.

5. Why does the Begum visit Olivia during the abortion?

6. Why is Husband's Wedding Day significant to the narrator in Section 15?

7. What do Douglas and the Nawab represent in Section 16?

8. Explain the importance of the red strings in Section 26.

9. Describe Chid's health in Section 30.

10. Explain the phrase, "Things get mixed up in India."

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Inder Lal, the narrator, Olivia and the Nawab all carry on affairs while married or with someone who is married.

1)Is any one of these deceptions more acceptable than the others? For instance, is it more okay for the narrator to have the affair than Inder Lal because she is unmarried?

2) How does the act of deception affect the character's future in the story?

3) What other acts of deception occur in the novel, and how do they impact the characters involved?

Essay Topic 2

In Heat and Dust, the role of each character adds depth to the message of the novel. Choose 3 characters listed below. For each, examine how the role each one plays, or refuses to play, helps to advance the storyline.

1) The Narrator.

2) Maji.

3) The Nawab.

4) Harry.

5) Chid.

6) Olivia.

Essay Topic 3

Consider each character listed below and their experience with the opposite sex in Heat and Dust. Using evidence from the novel, support the argument that the character's life has been or not been negatively impacted by that experience.

1) The Nawab.

2) The Narrator.

3) Inder Lal.

4) Olivia.

5) Ritu.

(see the answer keys)

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