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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does the bus smell like, according to Lakshmi in "On the Bus"?
(a) "Stale bread and old shoes."
(b) "Pipe smoke and incense."
(c) "Rotting meat and garbage."
(d) "Onions and curry and cigarette smoke."

2. Lakshmi's village is amidst what mountain range?
(a) The Sierra Nevada.
(b) The Himalayas.
(c) The Andes.
(d) The Rockies.

3. In "Announcing the Dry Season," the narrator says, "The wind that blows up from the plains is called" what?
(a) "The amari."
(b) "The katana."
(c) "The mortar."
(d) "The loo."

4. What price is ultimately agreed upon for Lakshmi in "A Trade"?
(a) 500 rupees.
(b) 800 rupees.
(c) 200 rupees.
(d) 1,000 rupess.

5. What is Auntie Mumtaz wearing when Lakshmi first meets her in "Ten Thousand Rupees"?
(a) A blue sari.
(b) A red sari.
(c) A purple sari.
(d) A white sari.

Short Answer Questions

1. Through how many villages does Lakshmi say she has traveled with Auntie in the beginning of "A New World"?

2. What does Lakshmi's stepfather carry as he walks with her to Bajai Sita's store in "A Trade"?

3. What kind of roof does Lakshmi's family have on their hut in the beginning of the novel?

4. What answer does Auntie give to the turnip-nosed man when he asks about Lakshmi in "Numbers"?

5. What does Lakshmi describe rubbing for good luck in "Before Gita Left"?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is Lakshmi punished when she bites the old man in "The Old Man"?

2. What is symbolized and foreshadowed by the woman who has been publicly shamed when Lakshmi gets off the train in India?

3. What takes place in "A Trade"? What is the amount of money that is settled upon?

4. What custom does Lakshmi partake in when she begins menstruation in "First Blood"?

5. How is Lakshmi's family described in "A Tin Roof"? With whom does Lakshmi live?

6. Who is Lakshmi promised to marry when she comes of age? Why does she not marry this character?

7. How does Lakshmi come to Happiness House? What is the reality of Lakshmi's situation when she arrives?

8. Why does Lakshmi describe her first experiences of her journey to be "inauspicious" in "An Inauspicious Start"?

9. How do Lakshmi's impressions of Auntie change in "Questions and Answers"?

10. How is the economy of Lakshmi's village described in "Calendar"?

(see the answer keys)

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