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 was Ashfaq Mir's position when he met with Naga in 1996?

2. Who are the two people that Tilo was thinking of in the opening of Chapter 8?

3. What has Biplab begun doing in Chapter 11?

4. What is the name of Miss Jebeen's mother, according to her grave inscription?

5. What is the young Kashmiri boy compared to that was summoned by Ashfaq Mir (228)?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is the encounter between Biplab Dasgupta and Musa described in Chapter 11?

2. How is the theme of gender expectations explored in Chapter 10?

3. What are comprised of Musa's "recoveries"?

4. Why did Tilo decide against keeping the child in the end of Chapter 9?

5. How has Biplab Dasgupta's outlook on Indian politics changed by Chapter 11?

6. What did Amrik Singh give to Musa after his wife's death? Why?

7. Why was the young Kahmiri boy brought in by Ashfaq Mir in Chapter 8? How is he described?

8. How is Miss Jebeen the Second's mother's pregnancy described in her letter?

9. What questions are posed to the reader regarding the men crushed by the truck in Chapter 8? Why are these questions significant?

10. How does the narrator describe Tilo's act of leaving Naga in Chapter 8? For how long were they married?

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

Analyze and discuss the character of Anjum in The Ministry of Utmost Happiness. Is Anjum a protagonist or antagonist? Why? What are Anjum's defining characteristics? What is revealed about her through her behavior and actions?

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?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 836 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample