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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. Why does the adjournment lawyer owe Nataraj?

2. Why does Nataraj tell Vasu he must return another day to make decisions about his printing job?

3. How many people work with Nataraj at his press?

4. How much room does Nataraj need for his printing press?

5. What stories does Sastri tell Nataraj?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Vasu receive in the mail from the forestry department, and what is his reaction to it?

2. How does the business transaction unfold between Nataraj and Vasu?

3. What is the financial situation between Nataraj and the adjournment lawyer?

4. How does Nataraj feel about Vasu living in the attic as he observes him practicing his profession? Why?

5. What happens when the forestry officer comes to the press looking for Vasu?

6. Explain the relationship developing in chapter two between Vasu and Nataraj. What are their interactions like?

7. What does Nataraj do when he has difficulty finding a puppy for the septuagenarian's grandson? How does his own son get involved?

8. What is the affair regarding the septuagenarian and a dog?

9. How do Sen and Vasu get along?

10. What is the friendship between Vasu and Nataraj like after Nataraj tells Vasu he will need the attic?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

R.K. Narayan portrays and unflattering picture of science and logic in The Man-eater of Malgudi. Write an essay about this topic.

Part 1. What character most represents a scientific and logical standpoint? How does this character get along with those around him? What is he governed by?

Part 2. Who is most counters science and logic in the book? How?

Part 3. Cite some interactions between characters to give insight into the point R.K. Narayan is making about the interaction of the spiritual with logic and science.

Essay Topic 2

The interactions between Vasu and Nataraj are especially important in The Man-Eater of Malgudi. Write an essay explaining why.

Part 1. Who do Nataraj and Vasu represent? Why are their interactions so important?

Part 2. Find interactions or dialogue between Vasu and Nataraj and analyze it as it relates to historical figures, groups, and events.

Essay Topic 3

"The universe," says Sastri, "has survived all the rakshasas that were ever born. Every demon carries within him, unknown to himself, a tiny seed of self-destruction, and goes up in thin air at the most unexpected moment."

This quote by Sastri represents a central theme of the book: the conflict of good and evil. Write an essay about the sentiment behind this quote.

Part 1. Do you agree with Sastri's sentiment? Does evil carry the seed of its own destruction?

Part 2. Cite other works, religious or fictional, that address this concept. What do they have to say?

(see the answer keys)

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