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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 is Sita’s reaction when Indrajit shows her Rama’s head?

2. What color is Rama’s skin when he appears before Lanka?

3. What does Rama’s festival celebrate?

4. Why do Rama and Sita have to return to Ayodhya?

5. How many times does this character plead with Ravana?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe General Prahasta’s chariot.

2. Describe Rama’s return to the throne of Ayodhya.

3. Describe the origins of the Ramayana.

4. Describe Rama and Sita’s disappearance from the earth.

5. How does Rama kill Khumbakarna?

6. Explain Vibhishana’s change of heart regarding Ravana.

7. What advice does Khumbakarna give Ravana before he goes to fight?

8. What happens to Sardula and Sarana?

9. Why does Vibhishana defect from Ravana?

10. Describe Rama and Sita’s return to Ayodhya.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write a character sketch of the author based on his style and content. What values does he hold dear? What are his hopes and fears? What kind of person do you think he is? Anchor your sketch in passages in the book.

Essay Topic 2

Research the history of the Ramayana’s development as a poem. What cultural conditions led to the creation of the poem? To what kinds of cultural questions was the Ramayana an attempted answer?

Essay Topic 3

How would you compare the Ramayana to a work of Western myth or religion, such as the Iliad (also about an abducted wife), the Odyssey (about a man’s wanderings) the Aeneid (about great battles) or the Bible (about a culture finding its religion)? Using examples from the text of the Ramayana and the text of a text you are familiar with, describe what kind of culture is encapsulated in the Ramayana.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 976 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample