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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. Where in New York is Brigitte's restaurant located?

2. After Gyan and Sai's first meeting, why does the cook think it strange that Gyan is Nepalese?

3. Why is Gyan conflicted about his relationship with Sai?

4. What do many of the people from Bengal begin to desire?

5. Where does Sai spend Christmas?

Short Essay Questions

1. In chapter 8, why is Jemu so determined to reject his father's traditional Indian customs by refusing to throw the coconut overboard?

2. 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?

3. Why is Jemu's reaction to his wife's going through his things in chapter 28 so severe that he rapes her?

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

5. What miscommunication exists between Biju and the cook in chapter 15?

6. Why is the judge so critical of Gyan in chapter 18?

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

8. In chapter 10, why do you think Biju is the only immigrant he knows who seriously considers returning home one day?

9. In chapter 3, why doesn't Bijou consider himself a man?

10. How are the romance and the civil unrest in chapter 20 presented in a similar way?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Lola's attempts to exterminate the insects in her home parallel the INS's efforts to weed out all the illegal immigrants in America? How effective are each of their efforts, and what is the end result in each case?

Essay Topic 2

When Biju is scammed into paying to travel to Kathmandu for a training session, he witnesses a butcher calling a goat by the worst swear words imaginable before killing it. How do the butcher's actions symbolize those of the scammers? In what way is the scam itself complicated and ritualized, and how is the end result the same for Biju as it is for the goat? Why do you think the author chose a goat, as opposed to another type of animal?

Essay Topic 3

Sai's unusual family life and relationships influence her in specific ways. Which characters do you think have most shaped the person she is today? Do you think she would be different if she had been raised in a traditional Indian family with a mother and father and attended a regular school? If so, how would this impact her character, her behavior, her relationships, and the choices she makes?

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