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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. What does Gyan's house look like?

2. Who does Biju telephone after talking to Mr. Iype?

3. What did the judge hope to accomplish by taking Sai in?

4. On his way to the important protest, what observation does the cook make about the GNLF?

5. As the conflict becomes riddled with random violence, how do the village residents begin to react?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the significance of Sai catching a cold in chapter 39 while she is obsessed with thoughts and feelings regarding Gyan?

2. In chapter 41, how does Biju's reaction to the travel agent's advice reflect Biju's idea of what constitutes a "better life"?

3. In chapter 36, what does Biju point out to Mr. Iype that illustrates Biju's ideas about immigration?

4. In chapter 33, why does Sai feel jealous of the mothers and children in the restaurant?

5. In chapter 36, what does the author convey by the bad connection on the phone line between Biju and his father?

6. In chapter 30, why does the cook suddenly begin having superstitious fears for Biju's life?

7. In chapter 30, what does Harish-Harry tell Biju that illustrates how naive he is about the situation of the illegal immigrants who work for him?

8. How does the women's discussion about religion in the library reflect the events that surround them?

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

10. Which of the characters has not lost everything by the end of the novel?

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

Throughout the novel, a number of characters demonstrate or wrestle with stereotypes about members of a certain ethnic group. These include Sai, the cook, Lola and Noni, and Biju. Choose one of these characters and describe how their stereotypical ideas play out in the novel. What do you think this says about the character in a larger sense? Is there any change in how the character comes to view members of this group? How does this relate to the theme of identity in the novel?

Essay Topic 3

Biju is different from the other major characters in a number of ways. The most obvious difference is that he is the only character who lives or has lived in America. Is he more like the Americans around him, or have they had a different effect on him? How have his unique experiences set him apart from the other characters? In what ways is he different from the other characters at the end of the novel?

(see the answer keys)

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