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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 welcomed the bounties of Goddess Lakshmi? This is what Lakshmi created for the Sharma family.

2. Why is Radha not allowed to go to the palace with Lakshmi?

3. Who is Mr. Pandey?

4. What is a chowkidar?

5. What is the nickname that Malik calls Lakshmi?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Lakshmi describe Jaipur at the beginning of Part One?

2. How is Lakshmi a fallen woman in the eyes of her ladies?

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

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

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

6. Why are children so important to Indian men?

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

8. What did English tea sets such as Parvati’s signify, both before and after independence?

9. What led Lakshmi’s and Radha’s father to alcoholism?

10. Why does Lakshmi help women have abortions?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe the royal family in this story. How do they compare to other modern royal families? What is the role of royal families today? Should royal families still be given special treatment, financial support, etc.? 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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