View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does the protagonist in Chapter 1 use to sooth her hurts and blows?
(a) The whispers of her dreams.
(b) The breath of the sun.
(c) The sound of the lapping waves.
(d) The music of her leaves.

2. What did the narrator of Chapter 7 notice when he visited an apartment building he rented out?
(a) The number of cars around the building had grown.
(b) The number of homeless around the building had grown.
(c) The level of crime had gone up.
(d) There were now boards across all of the windows.

3. What does the word "chamar" translate to in English?
(a) "Untouchable."
(b) "Bisexual."
(c) "Beloved."
(d) "Hermaphrodite."

4. What word in the novel refers to the shrines over the grave of a revered religious figure?
(a) Kuches.
(b) Dargahs.
(c) Aamdeeds.
(d) Nahins.

5. Where was Saddam Hussein fired from when he came to the cemetery?
(a) The bank.
(b) The mortuary.
(c) The school.
(d) The bakery.

Short Answer Questions

1. From what types of trees does the narrator describe the flying foxes unhinging themselves in the Prologue?

2. How many siblings did Afrab have when he/she was born?

3. Who is the high-profile terrorist that Major Amrik Singh described capturing to the narrator in Chapter 7?

4. What is the address printed on the mailbox where Saddam left a calling card in Chapter 5?

5. Who was supposedly made a scapegoat for Jalib Qadri's death?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is the protagonist described as living in the cemetery in Chapter 1?

2. What led to Saddam Hussein's name change?

3. Why did Anjum accuse Saeeda of putting a hex on her family and the whole world in Chapter 2?

4. Where did Biplab Dasgupta first meet Tilo? How does the narrator describe his first impressions of her?

5. How is Tilo's appearance described during her second wedding? What caused this change in appearance?

6. How did Biplab Dasgupta feel about the concept of jihad when he was stationed as Deputy Station Head for the Bureau in Srinagar?

7. How old was Atfat when his mother finally told his father about his condition? How did Mulaqat Ali respond?

8. How did Aftab come to be introduced to the setting of the Khwabgah? What does "Khwabgah" translate to in English?

9. What animals are described in the Prologue? What is their connection to the story?

10. What is signfificant about Zakir Mian's presence in Chapter 2?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 809 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample