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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 has Bakha successfully taught himself from the book he bought?

2. Why does Bahka not immediately apologize when he is accused of bumping the man in the street?

3. What does the narrator say that the word "sahib" refers to (5)?

4. Why does Bakha not feel sad about his mother's death?

5. What does Bakha buy from the betel-leaf shop?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. Describe Bakha's morning before he leaves his family's house.

5. Describe Bakha's initial reaction to the man who accuses him of bumping him on the street.

6. Besides the accidental bumping, what seems to most offend the man and the crowd that gathers?

7. How does Bakha feel as he enters the temple courtyard, and why does he have these feelings?

8. When Bakha has the urge to run away from the man yelling at him in the street, why does he feel he cannot run?

9. Describe the job that Bakha does after he has cleaned all of the latrines twice.

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay that explores Anand's use of paradox and irony to convey messages about "cleanliness" and "purity." How does he employ the devices as he explores these themes, and what messages, specifically, is he trying to convey? Offer both quoted and paraphrased evidence from the text in support of your claims.

Essay Topic 2

You have written briefly about one passage of Untouchable that contains symbolism related to fire. Now, expand the scope of your analysis to include the entire text of the novel. What other references to fire, heat, and burning can you find? Would you include the heat from the sun in this category, or is there good reason to exclude it? How do the further references to fire, heat, and burning expand your understanding of the symbolism? What does the symbolism convey to the reader about Bakha and the novel's meaning? Support your assertions with both quoted and paraphrased evidence from the text.

Essay Topic 3

What is the relationship between Bakha's desire for an education and his individuality? Do other outcastes in his community seem to yearn for education as he does? What is the source of his yearning? What does his desire to be educated say about him as a person? Certainly, expanded access to knowledge and the written word may increase his satisfaction with life. But what other consequences might it have? Consider how an education would likely change him and his relationships, what time taken and money paid for lessons would mean as far as the distribution of family resources and responsibilities, and to what degree either Bakha or his community might benefit from him obtaining an education. Support your assertions with evidence from the text; if you use outside sources, be sure to cite these in MLA format.

(see the answer keys)

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