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| Name: _________________________ | Period: ___________________ |
This test consists of 5 short answer questions and 1 (of 3) essay topics.
Short Answer Questions
1. What is Samadhi?
2. What is learned about Chid's separation from Ritu on her pilgrimage when he returns to the narrator's room without her?
3. What is Chid's status in Section 30?
4. Why does Olivia ask Harry to do her the favor in Section 32?
5. What is one benefit of the hotter weather in Section 25?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
Symbolism occurs in many forms in Heat and Dust. Select 3 symbolic items from the list below, or elsewhere in the story. Answer the questions that follow about those 3 items. Red strings, the piano, Olivia's letters, Chid's robe, the Nawab's palace, the Saunders' baby's grave, the grove, Baba Firdau's shrine, the royal tombs, Maji's hut.
1) Explain the significance this item has to the story and to specific characters.
2) Relate the symbolic item to the culture in which it exists.
3) Discuss what the story would lose without the inclusion of this symbolic item.
Essay Topic 2
Much of Heat and Dust is the study of contrasts between the Eastern and Western cultures. Explore that concept as you answer these questions:
1) What preconceived notions do the English in Olivia's time bring with them to India that shape their experiences in that culture? Use at least 3 specific character examples in your answer.
2) How do the Nawab and Chid adapt to cultures that are different from the ones they were raised in? What effects do their actions have on them and on those around them?
3) How do Harry and Maji represent the clash of, or integration of, different cultures in this story?
Essay Topic 3
The power to change one's self and transform one's circumstances is a theme in Heat and Dust.
1) Explain how the dual stories of Olivia and the narrator reflect this theme.
2) Discuss the impact of setting and nature on a personal transformation in the story.
3) What one character transformation that did NOT occur in the story could have changed the entire course of the novel? Explain your answer.
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This section contains 454 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) |
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