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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. Who is the boy that Lakshmi says she is promised to marry in "Before Gita Left"?

2. How does Lakshmi describe the amount of money that the turnip-nosed man gives to Auntie in "Numbers"?

3. What item does Lakshmi describe Gita's mother having purchased after Gita went to work as a maid in the city?

4. In what type of vehicle do Lakshmi and Uncle Husband travel in "Crossing the Border"?

5. What has been purchased for Gita's little brother since she went to work as a maid in the city?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. Who is described in "The New Student"? What is Lakshmi's relationship with this character?

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

5. Who is Gita? What is Lakshmi's relationship with Gita in the narrative?

6. Describe the impact of Lakshmi's journey with Auntie on her perception of her surroundings and home. Why do you think Lakshmi is taken on this journey in the manner she is taken?

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

8. What is ironic about the setting of Happiness House?

9. What possessions does Lakshmi describe in "What I Carry"?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and discuss the character of “Uncle Husband” in the novel. How is this character’s appearance described? What role does this character play in the human trafficking underworld? Why does he insist that Lakshmi call him both “Uncle” and “Husband”? What is the significance of these titles to Lakshmi? Does Lakshmi trust this character? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Analyze and discuss the character of Mumtaz in Sold. What role does Mumtaz play in the underground human trafficking market? How does Mumtaz establish control over the girls that she “owns” at Happiness House? How does Mumtaz avoid arrest?

Essay Topic 3

Analyze the characters of Monica, Anita, and Pushpa in the novel. What relationships does Lakshmi form with each of these characters? What happens to each of these characters in the story? What has brought each of these girls to Happiness House?

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