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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 Koly hears Hari arguing with his parents on her first day in their home, what does Sass tell her that Hari wants?

2. Where does Koly sleep on her wedding night?

3. What does Koly discover about her widow's pension that makes her angry?

4. Where does Koly's wedding ceremony take place?

5. Who accompanies Koly to her prospective husband's home?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Koly's impression of Varanasi?

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

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

4. Sass demands, for the second time, that Koly give her the silver earrings. Explain why keeping these earrings is so important to Koly in Chapter 5.

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

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

7. Describe Koly's prospective husband and family, and explain why this is considered a good match.

8. What happens when Koly and the Mehtas arrive in Varanasi that indicates that Mr. and Mrs. Mehta are embarrassed that they married Hari so young and for the money?

9. Why is Chandra impressed by the qualifications of her intended husband?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The title Homeless Bird has much significance for Koly. Analyze the meaning of this title for the book, and to Koly. Consider the questions below when formulating your responses.

1)If the Tagore book was not included in the story, would this label have as strong a meaning?

2) What other events or objects in the story make this title significant?

3) What other titles could have been given to this novel?

Essay Topic 2

Sass is depicted as the epitome of an evil mother-in-law, while Sassur seems to be the stereotypical weak husband who lets his wife make all the decisions.

1) What would happen differently in the story if Sass was kind and yielding, and Sassur bitter and resentful toward Koly?

2) What positive outcomes are there for Koly that stem from negative events between her and Sass? Be specific.

3) Sass and Koly end up in the same position, as widows, yet Sass does not seem to soften her heart to Koly at all. Does Sass deserve to end up in this position? What do you predict lies in her future?

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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