View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why wasn't Gyan hired for the job in Calcutta?

2. What is the GNLF?

3. What effect did the judge's friend Bose have on him when he was living in England?

4. How does Gyan react when Sai tells him about the Christmas party?

5. How does Sai react when Gyan apologizes for what he said to her about Christmas?

Short Essay Questions

1. In chapter 22, what does it tell us about Biju when he leaves his job at Brigitte's and begins working at the Ghandi Cafe?

2. In chapter 27, in what ways do Sai and Gyan view Christmas differently?

3. In chapter 29, why does Gyan betray Sai?

4. In chapter 21, how do Noni and Lola's views of the Nepalese liberation movement differ?

5. What effect does Saeed Saeed have on Biju in chapter 14?

6. In chapter 17, when Biju and Saeed part ways, why does Biju vow never to let anyone get close to him again?

7. In chapter 11, what do we learn about Indian servants' preferences for employers?

8. How is the judge's house like the judge himself?

9. In chapter 26, why does Gyan begin regretting the time he spent with Sai as he becomes part of the liberation?

10. How does Sai's having attended a Catholic school impact her identity in terms of the people around her?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Do Sai and Gyan's recognition of a common ancestral connection to the British bring them closer together, push them farther apart, or do both at different times? Are these similarities equally important to Sai and Gyan? Why are their connections to the British so important, so troublesome, or both?

Essay Topic 2

What are the two types of foods the Indian patrons at the Ghandi Cafe consume? How does the balance of the two symbolize the dual identity they wish to display in front of the American patrons?

Essay Topic 3

What is the significance of the fact that there are a number of characters who behave like the British, but there are no actual British characters specifically mentioned in the novel? Why are they so totally absent, and what is the end result of their absence for the characters who've tried to emulate them? At the end of the novel, do you think life is better for the Anglicized characters or those who view themselves purely as Indians, and why? Use examples of specific characters.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 841 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample