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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. Mr. Kapasi thinks the Das couple acts like what?

2. What was the name of the friend who drove Shoba to the hospital?

3. How old is Boori Ma?

4. What does Boori Ma think is in her bedding?

5. Where did Shukumar grow up?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Lilia do with the candy after Mr. Pirzada returns to Dacca?

2. Why does the Das family tour take a trip into the hills of Udayagiri?

3. What unfortunate incident occurs on the trip to the hills of Udayagiri?

4. What happens when Lilia returns from trick-or-treating?

5. What does the power outage remind Shoba of from her childhood?

6. What does Shoba tell Shukumar on the night the power is restored?

7. What is similar between the Das marriage and the Kapasi marriage?

8. Without the Dalals around to protect her, what happens to Boori Ma?

9. What secret does Mina Das reveal to Mr. Kapasi?

10. Why is the electricity being turned off in Shoba and Shukumar's neighborhood in "A Temporary Matter"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss what Lilia's father means when he says: "But what does she learn about the world?" How does the dichotomy of being part of two cultures impart a knowledge that can't be taught in American schools? What view of American learning do you think Lahiri was trying to impart through these stories?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the use of secrets in various stories in the collection. What impact did revealing a secret have on the individual characters and plots of these stories?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss how the character of Twinkle is representative of the synthesis of Indian and American cultures.

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This section contains 808 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample