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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. Where was Musa when he met his wife?

2. What comprises the old notebook of Tilo's amongst Musa's "recoveries" in Chapter 8?

3. What does Kashmini "protocol" (372) refer to in regards to Musa and Tito's sexual engagement in Chapter 9?

4. What did rumors suggest was actually the first martyr buried at the Martyr's Graveyard in Chapter 9?

5. What did the mother who wrote the letter in Chapter 10 say that her mother was embarrassed by?

Short Essay Questions

1. What was indicated by the death of Usman Abdullah in Chapter 9?

2. Where were Musa's recoveries stored? Why?

3. How is Tilo's mother described? How did Tilo feel about her mother?

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

5. Where was Miss Jebeen the First buried? How did she die?

6. What is included in Tilo's notebook that she examined in Chapter 8? Why did Musa have this notebook?

7. What is Tilo's connection to the baby that appeared in the streets?

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

9. How is Tilo's encounter at the zoo described in Chapter 8? What do you think this encounter symbolizes?

10. What is described in the poem from Chapter 12 and how does it connect to the themes of the novel?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the author's social commentary in The Ministry of Utmost Happiness. What do you think the author is attempting to convey to her audience in terms of the changes in India and the impacts of those changes upon the people who live there?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the motif of religion in The Ministry of Utmost Happiness. What are the major religions of India? How are these major religions illustrated in the novel? Where are there crossovers between religions?

Essay Topic 3

Analyze and discuss the setting of the cemetery that Anjum eventually makes her home. What does the cemetery symbolize? Why does Anjum go there? How does she shape the cemetery while living there?

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