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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. Which of the following is one of Farah Zoroaster's nicknames?
2. Which of the following languages does Omar not master on his own?
3. What do Omar's mothers insist that he must never feel?
4. What is intended by Bilal to be draped over Omar's neck after his 12th birthday?
5. What does Chand Mohammad sell to Omar?
Short Essay Questions
1. How do Raza Hyder and Maulana Dawood come to trust one another immediately?
2. What characterizes Omar Khayyam Shakil's early educational experiences?
3. What characterizes Bilquis' reaction to the Loo?
4. Why does Raza Hyder stake himself to the ground in Iskander Harappa's yard?
5. What theory does the author propose regarding the mysterious pregnancy of the sisters?
6. According to the opinion of the narrator, why does Eduardo deem that Omar must study to be a doctor?
7. Why is Raza Hyder sent to the Needle Valley?
8. What effect does voyeurism-by-proxy have on Omar's mothers, and what is possibly the consequence of this effect?
9. What is the political atmosphere in Delhi prior to the destruction of Bilquis' father's business?
10. What happens to the real names of the three sisters, and by what names are they instead called?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
Near the end of the book, Omar's mothers tell him a story about his great-grandfather Hafeezullah and great-grand-uncle Rumi. This story reflexively illuminates another major theme in the story of Shame, the dishonoring of family. In a carefully structured essay, analyze how this story illuminates past events in the book as being dishonorable to one's family. Why do the long-dead brothers treat one another poorly? How is this comparable to the lives of the principal characters in Shame? What does this indicate about Pakistani society as a whole? What is the significance of this sort of behavior to the whole of the story?
Essay Topic 2
Shame ends with an enormous, violent explosion. This explosion is very symbolic of the story as a whole. Without getting caught up too much in the details, explain how this symbolic explosion is a fitting end to the turmoil and conflict of the story. What various disturbances and struggles throughout the book are terminated by this explosion, both literally and as a symbol? How do the various characters and their actions contribute to the explosion's magnitude? How is the chain of events which leads up to the explosion started, and which characters are responsible for it?
Essay Topic 3
Being careful to make the necessary distinctions, write an analytical essay which discusses the significance of the actions of the Beast, as something that resides within but is not Sufiya Zinobia. Which of its actions most significantly impact the story? Why is it an entity that is not Sufiya Zinobia, properly speaking (consider the allegorical significance of Sufiya Zinobia)? Why would it reside within Sufiya Zinobia? What function does the Beast play in the plot of the story? To what actions is the Beast a reaction? Who are its victims, and why?
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This section contains 909 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) |
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