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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. What kind of contest does Rama Rao end up entering each week?

2. How does the astrologer's wife respond to his tale of nearly killing someone?

3. How does Iswaren die?

4. Who tells Soma that he must damage his statue?

5. From whom does the blind man get the rope that he uses on the dog?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the reader know how much time passes during "The Axe"?

2. What acts of violence do the hippie and the cobbler confess to committing?

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

4. Why does the talkative man think his luck has changed in "Engine Trouble"?

5. Why does the cobbler refuse the gift the hippie offers as he leaves?

6. What happens to Naga after the boy rescues him (after he initially abandons him)?

7. What identifies Ranga as the thief?

8. What kind of building does the landlord run?

9. Why is the astrologer so upset at the payment Guru Nayak gives him for his reading?

10. How does Ranga get out of the camp?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Use at least 3 characters from "Malgudi Days" to present an argument showing what values Narayan holds most important in a person/character. Make sure to use direct quotations from the text.

Essay Topic 3

Choose at least 3 characters from the short stories in "Malgudi Days" and discuss 1) their relationship(s) with religion, god(s), and/or other religious figures and 2) what message Narayan is trying to convey through these characters' experiences.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 740 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample