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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 Koly's father give her before leaving her at her new home?

2. What does Koly hear Sass and Sassur discussing on the evening she overhears them in the courtyard in Chapter 5?

3. How does Koly feel as she watches Chandra leave with her new husband?

4. What does the doctor say is wrong with Hari?

5. What does Koly do when she wakes up at Hari's house the first morning after her wedding?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Sass treat Koly so poorly?

2. Describe the events that lead up to an envelope with Koly's name arriving at the Mehta's house each month.

3. Describe Koly's first morning as a married woman.

4. What is Koly's relationship with Sassur like in Chapter 4, after Hari's death?

5. How does the train ride to Varanasi seem to indicate that the outcome of this journey will be a poor one?

6. Tell about Koly's first meeting with her new husband.

7. What does Koly do to try to soothe her grief over being a widow and her poor treatment by Sass in Chapter 4?

8. How does Sass justify her refusal to give Koly her pension money when Koly tells her she wants it?

9. Explain Koly''s reaction to hearing Sass and Sassur discuss the use of her widow's pension.

10. Describe Koly's first meetings with her new family.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Quilts and saris represent femininity and elegance in a world that otherwise dismisses any female as being of little value. Compare Koly's life to a quilt or a sari. Explain why you chose the item you did.

Essay Topic 2

The children in Koly's culture are expected to grow up and take on adult roles at a very young age.

1) Give two examples that show that Koly is not mature enough to handle the situations she finds herself in.

2) Give two examples that show that Koly is mature enough to handle the situations she finds herself in.

3) Give at least two examples that show the adults in the story are unable to handle the situations they find themselves in.

How much impact do age, maturity, experience, and character have in determining a person's ability to deal with adversity?

Essay Topic 3

Loneliness in this story is evident, not only with Koly, but with many characters in Homeless Bird. Choose a character from the story, other than Koly, and answer the following questions:

1) Explain why you believe that loneliness is a motivating factor in this character's decisions or actions.

2) Identify connections that this character makes, refuses to make, or misses out on that could have eased his or her loneliness.

3) What substitutes for human closeness does this character use, and how effective are they?

(see the answer keys)

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