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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. In "Once There Was a King," who does the king decide to marry his daughter to?

2. How much money does Venu steal?

3. What does the mustached stranger ask Phatik?

4. In "Once There Was a King," what decision does the king make at his dinner with the queen?

5. According to the "Once There Was a King" narrator, what is the attitude of modern readers?

Short Essay Questions

1. What favour does Venu ask of Haralal, and why does Haralal say no?

2. What happens when Phatik is taken to his mother's house?

3. How has Venu changed when Haralal goes to see him after his mother's death?

4. What does Haralal do when he finds the money missing and reads the letter from Venu?

5. How does Phatik's aunt react when he loses his lesson book?

6. Why is Haralal feeling so bad when the carriage picks him up after he has walked around Calcutta?

7. How do Venu and Haralal initally get along?

8. What does the narrator wish upon hearing about the Brahman's son marrying the princess?

9. How does Venu react to Haralal leaving?

10. What is Calcutta like for Haralal when he walks through it?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze the conclusion of "The Postmaster." What lesson or statement does it convey?

Essay Topic 2

Analyze the tone of Tagore's writing. Identify the tone and use specific examples of the syntax used to achieve it.

Essay Topic 3

"Once There was a King" can be seen as a fairy tale about fairy tales, in which the story is used to comment upon a generational divide. Analyze Tagore's presentation of this commentary and how he uses the narrative to support it.

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