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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. How long ago did Shoba and Shukumar's baby die?

2. What is the final secret Shukumar reveals to Shoba?

3. What language does Mr. Kapasi translate for the doctor he works with?

4. What did Boori Ma claim she was before coming to the building.

5. What important function did the residents think Boori Ma did for them?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. Who is Boori Ma and what does she do for a living?

4. What problems do the two new basins purchased by Mr. Dalal cause in Boori Ma's building?

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

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

7. What happens to Boori Ma when the wives of the building decide to make improvements while the Dalals are out of town?

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

9. What happens when Shukumar attends an academic conference in Baltimore during Shoba's pregnancy?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What different ways is a sense of community viewed in the stories set in India versus the stories set in the U.S.? What importance does community play in all the stories?

Essay Topic 2

What role does routine and ritual play in the stories? What is the impact on some of the characters in maintaining these long-established routines and ritual?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss how the characters of The Interpreter of Maladies encompass both the best and worst aspects of American and Indian cultures.

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This section contains 869 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample