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 does Biju take a job at the Ghandi Cafe?

2. What request does the cook repeatedly make of Bijou?

3. According to Gyan, why can't he find a decent job?

4. What does Gyan mean when he calls Sai a copycat?

5. How do Biju and Saeed Saeed feel about each other when they first meet?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. As described in chapter 12, what is the difference between the effects of Catholic school on Sai and Noni?

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

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

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

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

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

8. In chapter 28, how does Jemu's family's reaction to him upon his return from England contrast with his expectations?

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

10. In chapter 4, why do Sai and the cook justify the manner in which the police treated the cook?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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.

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast the judge and Hamish-Harry. How is the judge's face powder like Hamish-Harry's name? How do these reflect the ways in which they perceive themselves? Why do you think they live in such different ways, and what does this have to do with the different countries to which they traveled?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 948 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample