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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. When did Raju's father pass away?

2. What did Raju and his classmates do with the drain at their teacher's home while he was away?

3. Who entered Raju's father's shop at the beginning of Chapter 2?

4. Why was Velan out of town?

5. What does Velan offer Raju when he returns to the temple?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did the barber deduce information about Raju's life?

2. Why did Raju justify that his behavior towards his clients was okay?

3. What raised Marco's estimation of Raju?

4. How does Raju advance his character's transformation in Chapter 4?

5. How was Raju always able to offer his customers an answer?

6. Why is it paradoxical that Raju encourages education for the village children?

7. What is revealed about Raju's personality by the fact that he asked the school master to teach at the temple?

8. How does Raju justify staying on at the temple?

9. How is education viewed up through Chapter 3 of the novel?

10. Why did Raju say he didn't grow up like other normal people?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does the temple represent freedom for Raju? In what ways does it act as a cage? How do the villagers add to both of these scenarios?

Essay Topic 2

What changes can be observed in Raju's feelings for the villagers? Cite examples from the text to support the changes you observe. What rationale lies behind the changes in Raju's feelings toward the villagers?

Essay Topic 3

What purpose does it serve for the author to continually switch tense and perspective in the narrative? If the author were to use only one perspective through the entire novel, which would be most effective and why? What information would the reader no longer be privy to if the author followed your suggestion?

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