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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 word "Jernel" mean?

2. What makes Bakha think that the hockey stick is "the best stick that had been manufactured in the world" (95)?

3. What is Bakha asking for when he shouts up at the houses from the street?

4. What does his trip to the kitchen cause Bakha to remember?

5. Why does Bakha think that his father will not object to his leaving if he says he is going to see Ram Charan's sister's wedding?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Bakha tell himself about his decision to go to Ram Charan's sister's wedding, and what are his true motives?

2. What is the function of the passage of description of Bakha's family's outdoor kitchen?

3. What game does Bakha remember playing with his friends and Ram Charan's sister when they were young children?

4. What excuse does Bakha give for not bringing more food home, and how does his father's reply make him feel?

5. Why do all of the sepoys and local children long to own the solar topee?

6. Describe Bakha's memory of seeing Ram Charan's sister on her way home from the brook one morning before dawn.

7. Even before Charat Singh gives Bakha the hockey stick, what does he do that causes Bakha to feel very honored?

8. How does Chota react differently to Bakha's stories about the priest and the woman at the alley house?

9. When Bakha is on his way to see Charat Singh about the hockey stick, what strange feeling does he have about the errand?

10. Describe some of the common elements in Bakha's dreams when he falls asleep in the alley.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Now that you have finished Untouchable, you know that the novel's final section becomes much more explicit in its analysis of Hinduism. Write an essay in which you explicate the ideas about Hinduism discussed in the novel's final pages. Then, offer an analysis of the relationship between these ideas and the earlier parts of Bakha's story. Support your assertions with evidence from the text.

Essay Topic 2

Do some research into the impact of systemic oppression on parenting. Then, use this research to illuminate Lakha's choices as a parent and their impact on Bakha. Use evidence from Untouchable as well as from your research to support your assertions. Cite all sources in MLA format.

Essay Topic 3

Do some research into contemporary Scheduled Caste writers and artists. Consider how they use art to portray Scheduled Caste people and their concerns. Then, compare these portrayals with that of Bakha in Untouchable. Does Anand's caste-status seem to matter in his ability to portray the experiences and interior life of a Scheduled Caste man? Write an essay in which you use evidence from Scheduled Caste art and literature (or academic writing on these topics) as well as from Anand's novel to argue about the authenticity of Untouchable's portrayal of the Scheduled Caste experience. Be sure to cite all sources in MLA format.

(see the answer keys)

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