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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. What did Rosie request to see on her trip?

2. Who do the children convince to accompany them to the temple?

3. Why was Velan out of town?

4. What industrial progress was finally made in Chapter 3?

5. What did Raju's school master request in addition to money?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why was it significant that the author had Raju's father die in the rainy season?

2. After the groom left with the jutka, what did Raju's parents discover?

3. Why is Raju able to separate himself from the truth when dealing with others?

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

5. How did the train station mirror Raju's life?

6. Why does Raju avoid Velan's sister's wedding?

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 does the structure of the writing style in Chapter 1 portray the inner workings of the protagonist's mind?

10. How were Raju's business tactics influenced by his father?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What possible conclusions can be drawn from the end of the book? How will those present at the end, namely Raju, Velan, the villagers, and the film producer, be changed by the final events? Support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 2

Throughout the novel, how did Raju compare to his father in terms of business? What were their similarities and differences? In the end, who was the better business man and why?

Essay Topic 3

Why is it significant that Velan also fasted on alternate days during the hunger strike? Why would he feel compelled to do this? What does this reveal about Velan's character?

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