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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 makes Ashima's first outing with Gogol take longer than expected?

2. Why does Gogol/Nakhid take a class in Indian novels written in English?

3. What does Gogol hate about explaining his name to people?

4. Where does Gogol first begin to introduce himself to people as Nikhil?

5. What does the man who lends Ashoke the book on the train tell him that he should do?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Gogol feel about his family during visits home from college?

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 Gogol decide to do when he turns eighteen?

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

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

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

7. What happens when Gogol's train coming home from college is late?

8. How does Gogol react to the gifts he receives at his fourteenth birthday party?

9. How do Ashima and Ashoke feel about Ruth when they learn of their son's girlfriend?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What significance does the title of this book hold? Why would the book be called this? Why would the book be called this? What does it symbolize within the novel? Please explore the meaning of the title through the character of Gogol.

Essay Topic 2

How does Gogol's and his father's relationship change throughout the story? Where do they start, and where do they end up? What changes do they experience in that relationship? Trace their relationship throughout the book. Cite examples to support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

The author uses the character of Gogol's sister Sonia as a counterpoint to Gogol's character. Follow the development of her character throughout the book and show how her character differed from Gogol's and what the author accomplished through Sonia's character. Cite examples from the book to support your answer.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 700 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample