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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. In what way was Deven's friendship with Raj different than his friendship with Murad?

2. What does Siddiqui tell Deven a mutual acquaintance of theirs named Faiz is doing in Beirut?

3. Who is Trivedi?

4. Why does Deven leave Siddiqui to the task of requesting funds for the tape recorder?

5. What does Deven decide he will do despite knowing the calamities they lay ahead at the end of the story?

Short Essay Questions

1. What good news does Deven receive from Mr. Rai in the registrar's office at the end of Chapter 6?

2. Describe Siddiqui's house. Why does he live there?

3. Who is Chiku and what does Jain say he will do for Deven?

4. How does Murad behave in the shop when he and Deven meet to purchase the tape recorder?

5. What happens when Deven and Murad listen to the tapes of his interview with Nur? What does Murad suggest Deven do?

6. Who does Jain send with Deven to help edit his tapes? Is he helpful?

7. How does Siddiqui manage to convince the school to give Deven more money to interview Nur?

8. Why is Siddiqui's house being demolished in Chapter 11?

9. What does the old woman, who Deven assumes must be Nur's first wife, tell Deven about Imtiaz when she is ill in Chapter 7?

10. Why does Deven feel an odd sense of relief in Chapter 10 when he realizes Murad will no longer help him?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay analyzing Desai's commentary on marriage in In Custody. How is marriage represented in the story? How does it affect the narrative? Use textual evidence to explain your analysis.

Essay Topic 2

Away from the main character examine the way the author uses the other characters in the book. When does he introduce and take them away from the story? What effect does it have on the story?

Essay Topic 3

Examine the use of dialogue vs the use of description. Look at how each is used in the novel and what makes these uses effective or ineffective.

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