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. What does Biju hear over the phone?

2. How does Gyan feel after his grandmother becomes involved in his decision to be part of the liberation effort?

3. Who has been watching Sai and Gyan's interaction at Gyan's house?

4. Why did the judge send his wife away?

5. How do Lola and Noni respond to the Gorkhas marching in the street?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. 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?

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

4. 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?

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

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

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

8. What does the judge's reaction to Mutt's disappearance in chapter 46 reveal about his character?

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

10. In chapter 39, why does Sai remain silent about her feelings for Gyan when Uncle Potty, Lola, and Noni ask questions or offer advice?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The judge tells Bose that he believes the present changes the past. Explain what you think he means by this. How does this apply to the judge's past experiences in particular? Do you agree with this assertion in a general sense, or do you believe that the past remains unchanged regardless of what happens later? Explain your reasoning.

Essay Topic 2

Why do you think the cook remains with the judge, even though the judge is distant and treats him unkindly? Why do you think the cook lies about being mistreated, rather than trying to do something about it? Do you think he would have remained with the judge if Sai had never come to stay with them? What role does Sai play in the cook's life?

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 1,092 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample