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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 about the house becomes one of Gogol's earliest memories?

2. What happens when Gogol returns to school during his freshman year after meeting Ruth over the weekend?

3. Why does the principal finally end up registering Gogol by his pet name?

4. What kind of home does Gogol live in as an infant?

5. What does Ashima do with most of the gifts Gogol gets at his second birthday party?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Why doesn't Gogol look forward to his fourteenth birthday party?

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

4. What does Gogol decide to do when he turns eighteen?

5. What happens when Gogol wants to see his girlfriend, Ruth, over the Christmas holidays?

6. What happens to Gogol and Sonia while the family are sightseeing in India?

7. What does Ashoke do for Gogol's fourteenth birthday?

8. Who befriends Ashima at the hospital and how?

9. Why doesn't the school call Gogol by the name Nikhil?

10. How are the Ganguli family plans changed while preparing for a visit to India when Gogol is a year old?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The author's descriptive style of writing is simple and straight-forward, helping her win a Pulitzer Prize. She uses it for both the story itself and to describe the settings. Do you believe this style works for both? Does this style work to delve deeply into the character's minds? Tell why you think the way you do. Did she do a better job of describing Indian immigrants or every-day native-born Americans? Tell why or why not. Cite examples from the novel to support your case.

Essay Topic 2

Ashoke's near-death experience is a theme of the novel. Describe this experience and how it affects his later decisions in life. Tell how those decisions affect the lives of the people close to him. Cite scenes or situations in the novel to support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

Ashima Ganguli is a pivotal character in the novel. Explore the character of Ashima throughout the book and explain how she evolves. Focus on her independence, her acceptance of the American lifestyle and her support of her childrens' choice of lifestyles. Cite examples from the book to support your answers.

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This section contains 707 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample