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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. Who was the love of Hazrat Sarmad Shaheed's life for whom he traveled to Delhi?

2. Who is described by the narrator as having brought Anjum a black ram in Chapter 2?

3. The narrator opens Chapter 1 with the line, "She lived in the graveyard like" (7) what?

4. Who is described as the "blind imam who had once led the prayers in the Fatehpuri Masjid" in Chapter 1?

5. Where was the social worker whose documents the narrator found in Tilo's apartment in Chapter 7?

Short Essay Questions

1. What exchange takes place between Anjum and the blind imam in Chapter 1? What does Anjum realize from this exchange?

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

3. Where was Hazrat Sarmad Shaheed from and why did he come to India?

4. What led Saddam Hussein to his dream of opening a funeral parlor? Where did he hope to open one?

5. How did Jahanara Begum react when she first discovered her "son's" sexual circumstances? Why?

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

7. Compare and contrast the characters of Biplab Dasgupta and Dr. Azad Bhartiya.

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

9. Why were Anjum, Mr. Aggarwal, and Ustad Hameed arrested in Chapter 3?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Identify and discuss the plot points and plot structure of The Ministry of Utmost Happiness. Where in the narrative does the exposition transition into rising action? Where is the climax? What information is revealed in the falling action and denouement?

Essay Topic 2

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?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the characters of Miss Jebeen the First and Miss Jebeen the Second. Are these characters related? What led to Miss Jebeen the First's death? Who died with her? Where was she buried? How does her life compare with that of Miss Jebeen the Second?

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