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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. When Sai sees someone approach the house at the end of the novel, who does she hope it is?

2. What philosophical discussion did the judge and Bose have at the restaurant?

3. What did the judge remember as he was heading home from the restaurant?

4. Who does Sai visit first while hoping Gyan will come back?

5. How does the man respond when Lola complains about the crimes being committed against her?

Short Essay Questions

1. In chapter 34, what is the significance of Father Booty's deportation after living in Kalimong for 45 years?

2. In chapter 38, could Lola and Noni have prevented the village community from shunning them if they hadn't flaunted their wealth all their lives?

3. How is the cook's reaction to the worst of the civil unrest in chapter 44 unique?

4. In chapter 40, how does Sai react when she discovers that Gyan lives in poverty and what does this signify?

5. Is the judge justified for blaming the cook for Mutt's disappearance in chapter 51?

6. Why does Biju feel as though he can see clearly for the first time in years, now that he is back home in India?

7. Does Biju make the right decision in returning to India?

8. As revealed in chapter 32, what role did Bose play in transforming the judge's identity?

9. What do Biju's childhood memories reveal about his character?

10. In chapter 37, does Noni make the right decision by allowing the GNLF boys to stay in their home? Or should she have listened to Lola and tried to make them leave?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

As civilization breaks down in the Indian village, the rich ultimately pay the price. Would they have been treated differently if they had given all their money to the liberation cause when the unrest had begun? Or is it inevitable that they would be viewed as upper class and shunned and taken advantage of, regardless of their current status?

Essay Topic 2

Gyan is constantly being pulled in different directions throughout the novel. His love for Sai feels improper because she could never be the submissive Indian wife his family would approve of. In addition, he feels as if he should put aside trivial things like his childish feelings for Sai and become a man in order to fight for the cause of a homeland. Do you think his romance and fighting for a cause are necessarily mutually exclusive? Do you think it is necessary for him to make a choice, or could he have both? If you had to choose between the two, which would you choose, and why?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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