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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. When Bakha returns home, what does it seem to him his father has been doing all day?
(a) Grooming himself.
(b) Ruminating on his children's failings.
(c) Gambling with friends.
(d) Sleeping.

2. What is unfair about the babu's wife's reaction to her son's injury?
(a) She assumes that Bakha hurt the child on purpose.
(b) She demands that Bakha be struck with a rock in return.
(c) She assumes that Bakha is the one who hurt him.
(d) She demands that Bakha be arrested for assault.

3. How does Bakha feel about Charat Singh, most of the time?
(a) He is suspicious of Charat Singh's motives.
(b) He admires Charat Singh and is grateful to him.
(c) He wishes that Charat Singh were his father.
(d) He is nervous about the man's temper.

4. Whom does Bakha see working in the river on his way to Ram Charan's sister's wedding?
(a) Washermen.
(b) Water-carriers.
(c) Fishermen.
(d) Boatmen.

5. How old is Ram Charan's sister?
(a) 14.
(b) 15.
(c) 16.
(d) 13.

6. What does the word "Jernel" mean?
(a) Groom.
(b) Sweeper.
(c) General.
(d) Friend.

7. What does Charat Singh share with Bakha?
(a) Tea.
(b) His cigarettes.
(c) His hookah.
(d) Food.

8. When Bakha gets home, where is he told that his brother has gone?
(a) To beg for food in the barracks.
(b) To clean the latrines.
(c) To Ram Charan's sister's wedding.
(d) To play hockey.

9. What does Bakha do after he sits down in the alley where he has been unable to get any attention from the houses?
(a) He plots revenge against the priest.
(b) He falls asleep.
(c) He begins to weep.
(d) He prays.

10. What instruction does Charat Singh give Bakha about the hockey stick?
(a) He should hide it under his coat and not tell anyone about the gift.
(b) He should treat it very carefully and ensure it is not damaged.
(c) He should show it to his father so that his father will be proud of how well-liked Bakha is.
(d) He should practice with it before trying to use it in a game.

11. What sweet does Ram Charan bring from his sister's wedding to share with his friends?
(a) Modaks.
(b) Candied pumpkin.
(c) Laddus.
(d) Sugar plums.

12. Who is Colonel Hutchinson?
(a) The commander of the cantonment.
(b) The head of the local Salvation Army.
(c) An officer from the British barracks Bakha used to clean.
(d) The babu whose son was injured at the hockey game.

13. How does the narrator characterize Bakha's response to nature?
(a) It is superficial.
(b) It is artificial.
(c) It is spontaneous.
(d) It is exaggerated.

14. What is Bakha asking for when he shouts up at the houses from the street?
(a) Coins.
(b) Bread.
(c) Water.
(d) Sweets.

15. What does Bakha discover about the stick that Charat Singh gave the babu's younger son?
(a) It is much too large for the boy to use.
(b) It is clearly one that Charat Singh used in many games.
(c) It is nearly identical to his own.
(d) It is a higher-quality stick.

Short Answer Questions

1. What was the family's purpose in putting Bakha on the floor when he was so ill?

2. What is a "solar topee" (86)?

3. Why does Ram Charan remove his solar hat as the three friends walk back from the spring?

4. Why is Lakha so eager to talk to the town's families about when their daughters will get married?

5. Why does Rakha feel safe from Bakha's criticism?

(see the answer keys)

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