View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Wijetunga's radical idea about improving his country is to ___.
(a) Make alliances with their enemies.
(b) First destroy in order to create something better.
(c) Legalize gambling.
(d) Use every available space for growing fruits and vegetables.

2. How does Nili feel about the food Triton prepares?
(a) She loves it.
(b) She'd rather he add more spices.
(c) She thinks he can do much better.
(d) She tolerates it.

3. While Triton is in the kitchen after the Christmas Eve dinner, who visits him, and why?
(a) One of the foreign guests to thank him.
(b) Miss Nili to give him a present.
(c) Joseph to apologize for his past behavior.
(d) Mr. Salgado to give him further instructions.

4. When Triton goes back to the kitchen as holiday dinner guests start to leave, how does he feel?
(a) Overwhelmed by the cleanup he has to do.
(b) Sad to be far away from his family.
(c) Elated that the guests love the meal.
(d) Angry that Mr. Salgado works him so hard.

5. After their near accident on the drive to the observatory, Mr. Salgado, his friend, and Triton stop by a temple for what?
(a) To put money in a roadside blessing box.
(b) To have a picnic lunch by the temple pond.
(c) To purchase water and a box lunch for each of them.
(d) To pray at the travelers' shrine.

Short Answer Questions

1. How does young Triton feel about the sea?

2. For the holidays, what does Mr. Salgado bring home for the first time ever?

3. What does Miss Nili do when Mr. Salgado accuses her of sleeping with Robert?

4. Mr. Dias Liyanage wants Mr. Salgado to take a job with a foundation interested in what?

5. What does Miss Nili do after she and Mr. Salgado return from the inauguration party?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Mr. Salgado's personality change after Nili moves into the house?

2. How does Triton prepare for Nili's move to Mr. Salgado's house?

3. Who is Nili?

4. Why is the death of Sri Lanka's "most flamboyant millionaire" a hot topic of conversation among Mr. Salgado, Miss Nili, and their circle of friends?

5. What happens after Mr. Salgado accuses Miss Nili of sleeping with Robert?

6. How is Triton's name a fitting choice in light of the story's theme and setting?

7. Describe Nili's reaction when she accompanies Triton to the fish market.

8. Describe Triton's experience at the Christmas Eve dinner.

9. What transformations does the household undergo after Miss Nili moves into Mr. Salgado's house?

10. Describe the tension that exists between Mr. Salgado and the journalist who comes to ask him questions about sea erosion.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,241 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample