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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. Why isn't Biju permitted to apply for a green card?

2. What is Biju's job when his character is first introduced?

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

4. What does Biju realize about Harry-Harish's two names?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. In chapter 29, how does Gyan begin to view Sai?

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

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

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

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

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

7. In chapter 5, what is the symbolism of the two-level restaurants with basement kitchens where Biju works?

8. What is the significance of the elaborate Christmas celebration in chapter 25?

9. What does the first chapter reveal about the social structures that exist between the introductory characters?

10. In chapter 24, how does Harish-Harry's comments about his workers contrast with the way he treats them?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The judge and Biju are both victims of very different types of Indian tokenization while they are abroad. The judge is allowed to join the ICS only because they want more Indian members. Biju is not permitted to apply for a green card only because he is an Indian, and there are too many Indians who want one. How is each character ultimately affected by the knowledge that he is being categorized solely on the basis of his ethnicity? Does the judge see his experience as good luck and Biju see his as bad? How do these experiences relate to the two characters' feelings about their Indian identity? How do the experiences affect their character development later on?

Essay Topic 2

Sai is constantly arguing with Gyan over his accusations about her values and behaviors. How do Sai's perceptions of herself differ from Gyan's perceptions of her? To what factors can we attribute these differences in perception?

Essay Topic 3

Why do you think the novel is entitled The Inheritance of Loss? Which characters in the book have suffered losses? Do you think "inheritance" refers strictly to losses carried over from the characters' ancestors, or are the losses inherited from some larger truth or influence?

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