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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. What finally rouses Bakha from his bed at the beginning of the book?
(a) Thoughts of the importance of duty and hard work.
(b) A man complaining about the dirty latrines.
(c) His father's constant stream of verbal abuse.
(d) Concern about where his brother has gone.

2. Why does Bahka not immediately apologize when he is accused of bumping the man in the street?
(a) He thinks the idea of ritual pollution is ridiculous.
(b) He is paralyzed with fear.
(c) He does not think he really bumped the man.
(d) He does not hear what the man is saying, at first.

3. What British brand of cigarettes do Bakha and his friends smoke?
(a) Red-Lamp.
(b) Lucky Strike.
(c) Old Gold.
(d) Weights and Navy.

4. What habit of the British soldiers did Bakha find "Disgraceful" (12)?
(a) Singing while bathing.
(b) Bathing with their undergarments still on.
(c) Touching their genitals while bathing.
(d) Hurrying naked toward their bathtubs.

5. What are the "jalebis" that Bakha buys in the market?
(a) A flatbread layered with nuts and dried fruits.
(b) A syrup-soaked fried dough.
(c) A type of Indian ice cream.
(d) A European-style hard candy.

Short Answer Questions

1. How does Bakha feel when he observes the services taking place inside the temple?

2. On page 6, what do the outcaste boys start calling Bakha after he starts wearing British clothing?

3. What are the walls of the houses of the outcastes made of?

4. What is ironic about Bakha's friends teasing him about his interest in "fashun" (26)?

5. Of all of the cloths in the market, which is Bakha most drawn to?

Short Essay Questions

1. What seems ironic to Bakha when he thinks about the reason that schools will not admit outcaste students?

2. How do the incidents that take place with Bakha and Sohini at the temple reinforce the text's claims about power and status?

3. How does the incident with the crowd in the street draw to a close, finally?

4. Describe the dynamic between Bakha and his friends.

5. What mixture of feelings does Bakha have about Sohini as they make their way home from the temple?

6. What altercation does Sohini get into at the well, and why does it happen?

7. What is implied by the narrator's description of how Bakha seems somehow allied with the fire?

8. What does the description of the town as Bakha enters it emphasize, and how does this foreshadow what will happen later, when Bakha bumps into someone?

9. What is insincere about Bakha's offer to rub his father's side with oil?

10. Describe the conditions in which Bakha's family lives.

(see the answer keys)

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