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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 Bakha discover about the stick that Charat Singh gave the babu's younger son?

2. What does Bakha think Ram Charan's sister looked like as a child?

3. What is the profession of the man that Ram Charan's sister is marrying?

4. What has Gulabo accused Bakha of, in the past?

5. What does Charat Singh send Bakha to fetch in the kitchen?

Short Essay Questions

1. What stories about Charat Singh's hockey career does Bakha think about while he is waiting for Charat Singh to appear?

2. What puzzles Bakha about his having had the courage to ask a sentry for the solar topee when he was a child, and why does it puzzle him?

3. Although Bakha is honored by Charat Singh's actions, in what sense are they also condescending and dismissive of Bakha's humanity?

4. Why do the sweepers all spend so much time outdoors, even when they are not working?

5. What are the stories about how the hat came to hang on the cantonment wall?

6. How does Bakha react to Chota's suggestion that the friends "catch hold" of the priest one day (84)?

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

8. How does the younger of the babu's sons end up getting injured?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Consider the symbolic value of hockey in conjunction with the text's thematic concern with the effects of British rule in India. How does Bakha's involvement in hockey and its impacts on his life support the larger thematic concern with the British Raj? Support your assertions with evidence from the text.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay in which you consider the significance of including Gandhi as a character in Untouchable while omitting any mention of B. R. Ambedkar. Do you think it is possible that Anand was unaware of Ambedkar? If so, what does this say about Anand's devotion to the cause of Scheduled Caste people? How does this relate to questions about representation? If Anand was aware of Ambedkar, what might his motivations have been for including Gandhi instead of Ambedkar? How does this relate to questions about audience? How does this choice impact the novel's theme? Consider these questions at minimum as you advance and defend your claim.

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

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