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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 poison has killed the white-backed vultures?

2. What does the narrator say that Dr. Azad Bhartiya was protesting in Chapter 4?

3. To what story does the English man compare the story of Laila and Manju in Chapter 1?

4. What name refers to Aftab later in life?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the significance of the vultures' deaths in the Prologue?

2. What led to Hazrat Sarmad Shaheed's execution? How was he killed?

3. What information is related in the document from the social worker in Clovis, California that Biplab Dasgupta found in Chapter 7?

4. How does the structure differ in Chapter 6 from the rest of the narrative? What is this chapter comprised of?

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

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

7. What is the female protagonist's relationship to the English-speaking man in Chapter 1?

8. What does the story of Laila and Majnu signify? What is this story compared to in Chapter 1?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss elements of animal symbolism in The Ministry of Utmost Happiness. What are some of the animals that the author focuses on in the Prologue and in the final chapter? What do these animals symbolize to you? What is their purpose in the story?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the historical context of the novel. What time periods are covered in the course of the narrative? What major events in India and globally are discussed? What statements do you think the author is making about these historical events and circumstances?

Essay Topic 3

Examine and discuss the theme of motherhood in The Ministry of Utmost Happiness. What characters embody the theme of motherhood? How? What symbols connect to this theme?

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