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. Soon after Biju's phone call, what does Mr. Iype tell Biju is the true name of the Hudson River?

2. When Sai confronts Gyan about his sudden changes in behavior toward her, how does he respond?

3. What types of books do Lola and Noni borrow?

4. As they gain power, how do the GNLF define justice?

5. What is the cook thinking about his son as the judge is doing what he asked?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. In chapter 40, how does the judge's refusal to help the drunkard's family highlight his thinking only of himself?

3. Would the judge's character be different if his father had not sent him away to school?

4. Why does the author leave out Biju's reactions to the airport scene around him in chapter 48?

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

6. 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?

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

8. 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?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

How does the judge's house during the rainy season symbolize what is happening to the judge himself? What does this have to do with his past, and the way he lives his life today?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 993 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample