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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 does the stranger in the parking lot of the cable company call Changez?

2. What does Changez feel he is doing in New York, where the opposite is happening to his family in Lahore?

3. How does Changez feel about returning to New York in Chapter 9?

4. What does Changez tell Erica to do when they have sex for the second time?

5. How do people wear a certain flower bud in Lahore?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Changez feel about his own reaction to the 9/11 attacks?

2. What disturbing stories does Changez begin to hear in the aftermath of 9/11 in New York City?

3. What does Changez regret asking Erica about in Chapter 8, and why?

4. Why does Changez encourage the American Stranger to eat with his hands at dinner?

5. How does the American Stranger react to Changez's ruminations about 9/11 and its aftermath?

6. In Chapter 6, what does Changez find changed about Erica when he sees her again after his trip to the Philippines?

7. Why does Erica try to distance herself from Changez in Chapter 7?

8. In Chapter 8, what kind of abuse does Changez endure on the street?

9. What is Underwood Samson's guiding principle?

10. In Chapter 8, what parallels does Changez draw between his situation with Erica and what is happening in America?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why do Changez and Wainwright seem to form a unique connection between the recruits at Underwood Samson, and how does Hamid describe their relationship? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 2

How does Hamid describe the physical intimacy - and, at times, lack of it - between Changez and Erica? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay analyzing the ending of this novel, in which the American Stranger appears to be reaching for a gun and the people following Changez appear to be advancing on the American Stranger. Why do you think Hamid chose to end the novel this way? Cite specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

(see the answer keys)

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