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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. From whom does the dog initially defend the blind man?

2. What makes Raju try to return the stolen purse?

3. What does the new owner of the property plan to do with it?

4. Who is Atilla named after?

5. What is the tiger known for?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Thanappa hide some of the mail for Ramanujan's family?

2. Why must the accountant open Govind Singh's letter?

3. What can the god Nataraja do through dancing?

4. What does Ayah have to leave the children and family in her care?

5. How does Sambu's mother react to seeing her husband reading a newspaper in the movie?

6. What does the cobra symbolize in "The Snake-Song"?

7. What happens to Rama after his business goes under?

8. What happens when the necklace is found in "Leela's Friend"?

9. What kind of building does the landlord run?

10. What act finally causes Swami to get caned by his teacher?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze the relationship between two characters in any story in "Malgudi Days." Is it healthy? Unhealthy? What does each character get out of the relationship? What is the symbolism in certain parts of their connection to each other? What message is Narayan trying to convey through these two characters' relationship with each other?

Essay Topic 2

Using direct evidence from the text, write a paper arguing that the short story "Selvi" does or does not fit in with the larger novel. Does its theme connect to the larger theme of "Malgudi Days"? Are the characters similar to other characters? Does the writing style and literary devices used reflect the rest of the text?

Essay Topic 3

Choose 3 "good" acts done by 3 different characters in "Malgudi Days." Discuss 1) what happens to each character as a result of this act and 2) what message Narayan is trying to convey through these events.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 758 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample