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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Who does Gogol meet on a train coming home from school during his freshman year in college?
(a) A friend from childhood whom he barely remembers.
(b) A stranger who reminds him of his father.
(c) A fellow student from school, a girl he recognizes.
(d) A woman who moves because she doesn't like immigrants.

2. Why doesn't the Ganguli baby get the name it was supposed to get before leaving the hospital?
(a) Ashoke and Ashima couldn't agree on a name.
(b) Indian babies are never named so early in life.
(c) There was a mixup on the birth certificate.
(d) The grandmother's letter never arrived.

3. What does the nurse do when Ashoke and Ashima are first together with their child?
(a) She makes sure their wrist bands match.
(b) She tells them that a child is a fragile thing.
(c) She leaves them alone for a while.
(d) She shows them how to change his diapers.

4. What does the Ganguli family do in the beginning of their life in their new home, in the evenings?
(a) They work on their English language skills.
(b) They go for drives and explore their new environs bit by bit.
(c) They watch American programs on their television.
(d) They sit outside and enjoy the luxury of a real yard.

5. What kind of name does Ashoke consider Gogol to be when he chooses it for his son?
(a) A name that will look good on an American letterhead.
(b) A name his child should be proud to carry.
(c) He's too confused to think about names and chooses the first one that comes to mind.
(d) A pet name.

Short Answer Questions

1. What two kinds of names do children in India usually receive?

2. What was Ashima's initial reaction to her first home in America?

3. What does the judge ask Gogol when he goes to court to change his name?

4. Why does Gogol tell the judge he's changing his name?

5. What did Ashima do upon first meeting Ashoke when he visited her family home in India?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Gogol do during the traditional rice ceremony when he is six months old?

2. Why aren't Ashoke and Ashima concerned that they don't have a name picked out before the birth of their child?

3. What does Ashoke think about while Ashima is in labor?

4. Why does Ashoke choose the name Nikhil for Gogol when he begins school?

5. Why don't Ashima and Ashoke have a name picked out for their baby?

6. What did Ashoke swear to do during his long recovery from the injuries he received during a train wreck when he was a young man?

7. Why is Ashima afraid while in labor?

8. What do the Ganguli family do during Ashoke's sabbatical?

9. What does Ashima think about while in labor?

10. What is Ashima doing when her water breaks?

(see the answer keys)

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