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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 old is Rukmani when she marries Nathan?

2. How does Nathan characterize Rukmani?

3. What do Rukmani and her mother do whenever Rukmani travels back to her childhood home?

4. What role do Rukmani's sons play in the tannery trouble?

5. When Rukmani begins taking better care of herself and leaving more of the farming work to Nathan, what does she do in her spare time?

Short Essay Questions

1. On his deathbed, what does Nathan tell Rukmani to comfort her?

2. Why do the villagers travel to Rukmani's home to see Ira's new child?

3. Why does Old Granny die alone?

4. What does Murugan's wife blame for his desertion?

5. Why does Arjun go to work in the tannery?

6. After marrying Nathan and moving to his village, how does Rukmani react when she first sees her new home?

7. Why are Rukmani and Nathan shocked when they discover their bundles have been stolen?

8. Is the strike successful? Why or why not?

9. When Rukmani and Nathan meet Murugan's wife, what does she tell them?

10. Why does Selvam's decision to work with Kenny disappoint Nathan?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Death is one of the themes visited throughout the novel.

a. Kuti, Raja, and Nathan all die in the novel. Describe their deaths. Who were they surrounded by? What circumstances led to their deaths? Could their deaths have been prevented?

b. Compare and contrast the effect each of their deaths has on Rukmani (Kuti, Old Granny, and Nathan).

c. How were deaths handled in the city versus in the village?

d. After Old Granny's death, Rukmani realizes something about the nature of people. What is it? Do you agree with Rukmani? Support your answer.

Essay Topic 2

Old Granny and Biswas are both customers of Rukmani's. Compare and contrast Old Granny and Biswas in terms of their ability to pay, relationship to Rukmani, and standing in the village community.

Essay Topic 3

Rukmani and Nathan travel to the city to find their son. Instead of finding their son, however, they find his wife and learn that their son has deserted her. Ammu is now a single mother, as is Ira back in the village. Single parenthood drastically changes both of their lives.

a. Compare and contrast the lives of Ammu and Ira as single parents.

b. Compare and contrast single parenthood in the novel and in our society.

c. How did living in the city versus being in the village impact the situations of both Ammu and Ira?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 690 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample