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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which of Wordsworth’s poems does Seema recite for her first competition?
(a) “I wandered lonely as a cloud.”
(b) “Tintern Abbey.”
(c) “Composed upon Westminster Bridge.”
(d) “The Solitary Reaper.”

2. At what time does Tahera wake on her first morning in San Francisco?
(a) 5:30.
(b) 6:00.
(c) 5:15.
(d) 5:45.

3. With which of the following does the novel begin?
(a) “…anything to keep us with the living.”
(b) “…there is indeed light cast upon us, so perhaps we too can—"
(c) “My life outside my mother’s womb has just begun.”
(d) “Tahera came into my life barely a week ago.”

4. At which University of California school did Leigh study?
(a) San Diego.
(b) Berkeley.
(c) Los Angeles.
(d) Davis.

5. In what field does Leigh work?
(a) Technology.
(b) Finance.
(c) Academe.
(d) Journalism.

Short Answer Questions

1. Which of the following does Tahera note Arshad enjoys?

2. For which of the following campaigns does Seema work?

3. What does Tahera insist upon doing first upon arriving at Seema’s home?

4. As which of the following does the novel gloss Amina’s name?

5. Which of the following meanings is given for Ishraaq’s name?

Short Essay Questions

1. For what reason does Ismail strike Arshad?

2. To what kitchen tasks does Tahera put Amina?

3. What reason does Seema posit that Nafeesa cooks for her and Tahera, despite her imprecations?

4. To what action of his does Bill ascribe the peril Seema and Ishraaq face at the latter’s birth?

5. Why does Ishraaq’s face not appear on the ultrasound taken during Seema’s prenatal appointment?

6. In what context do Leigh and Seema first meet?

7. Why does Seema disbelieve the initial report of her mother’s diagnosis?

8. Why does Tahera initially resist Seema’s gift of a book of poetry?

9. How does Nafeesa contrast San Francisco with Chennai?

10. How does Nafeesa prepare special chai for her daughters?

(see the answer keys)

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