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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. Where does the war between the Pakistanis and Indians resume during the hot season?

2. What is the immediate result of Mahmoud's announcement that he is showing a double feature to both Hindus and Muslims?

3. For how many days, roughly, does Raza Hyder go without sleep in order to watch over the refugees?

4. What does Omar become after starting to attend the school?

5. What is the name of the school which Omar attends?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Sindbad Mengal meet his fate?

2. How is Bilquis' father's business ruined?

3. How do Raza Hyder and Maulana Dawood come to trust one another immediately?

4. What happens to the real names of the three sisters, and by what names are they instead called?

5. Why are the children of the British colonials sent back to England after the age of eight to continue their educations?

6. In what idea do Raza and Bilquis put an undue amount of faith, and why is this a troublesome belief?

7. What are the lasting effects of Omar's birthday request upon his mothers?

8. Why does Raza Hyder stake himself to the ground in Iskander Harappa's yard?

9. Briefly, what is the generally accepted reason that the husbands in the Hyder family "secretly" visit their wives in common in the night?

10. What characterizes Farah Zoroaster's life in Q after returning from her forced marriage to Eduardo Rodrigues?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In a well-developed and thoughtful analytical essay, consider the character of Iskander Harappa. From millionaire playboy to political poster-boy and eventually hanging corpse, his life goes through many phases and affects many characters. What are his primary character traits? How do these character traits manifest themselves, i.e. in what actions? How does Iskander influence the lives of others? In what ways is his character significant to the primary themes of the story? In what ways is he related to Sufiya Zinobia? How does his interaction with Raza Hyder contribute to unacknowledged national shame?

Essay Topic 2

Periodically throughout the story, the fictional Pakistan undergoes periods of military coups and subsequent military rule. In an analytical essay, discuss the possible reasons and significance for this occasional turn to the military. What is sought by a military coup, implicitly or explicitly? What sort of men typically achieve high positions in the military? Why are such mean appealing in a time of instability? How do such men eventually also fall from governmental favor?

Essay Topic 3

Develop a character analysis of Maulana Dawood in an analytical essay on the archetypal religious zealot. In what ways does Maulana Dawood contrast with the rest of the characters in the story? Do his positions and arguments seem reasonable, or are they mere rantings of a fanatic? Are any of Dawood's objections, arguments, or opinions valid even when and if they are not fully reasonable? How do his actions and opinions influence others in the story (consider characters in addition to Raza Hyder)? What is his ultimate significance to the whole of the story?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 922 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample