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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 changed everything and changed nothing, according to Part One?

2. What does Lakshmi hand Samir, when she sees him after her appointment with Parvati in Part One?

3. What is one reason why Radha likes “Othello” so much?

4. How does Laskhmi describe her own concern for Radha and Radha’s exposure to Western culture?

5. Who was Parvati Singh’s longest-serving help and nanny to her sons?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why did the women of the upper caste choose Lakshmi over the women of the Shudra caste?

2. Why is the match between Sheela and Ravi so important to Lakshmi?

3. In 1950s India, did individual shame exist? How does Lakshmi explain shame in her culture?

4. Why does Lakshmi help women have abortions?

5. Why does Lakshmi ask Radha to make the henna paste?

6. Why has shame befallen Lakshmi’s and Radha’s family, based on information given in the Prologue?

7. What happy news is received at the Singh’s party?

8. How had notebooks become important to Lakshmi?

9. Describe the relationship between Lakshmi and her mother-in-law.

10. Who are the Singhs, both past and present?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Both Hindi and French are used throughout the book. How does the author make these languages stand out? How does she aid you in understanding the meaning of these foreign words? What is the purpose of using both of these languages? Do you think the use of these two languages is effective? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

What does the writer want the reader to get out of this book? What is her purpose for writing this novel? Has she succeeded? If so, how? If not, why not?

Essay Topic 3

Life in India before and after independence is both the same and different. What does the author mean by this? How is this idea of dependence and independence expressed, not only through Indian culture, but through the characters themselves? How have the characters changed and, yet, stayed the same during times of dependence and independence throughout the story?

(see the answer keys)

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