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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. After he is thrown out of his house, what irony does Bakha see in his father's behavior?

2. What does Charat Singh share with Bakha?

3. Why does Bakha decide that stealing the solar topee is not a good plan?

4. What caste does the cook assume Bakha is a member of?

5. How does Bakha feel about Charat Singh, most of the time?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the first woman in the alley houses treat Bakha and the sadhu very differently?

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

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

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

5. Despite his hunger, how does Bakha end up too nauseated to eat the food his brother brings home?

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

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

8. What is the significance of Bakha asking Ram Charan to toss him a sugar plum instead of taking it himself?

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

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

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

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

At the time that Untouchable was published, it was hailed as a remarkably unbiased depiction of a Scheduled Caste main character. Now that some time has passed and understanding of prejudice has evolved, does the novel's narrative voice still seem prejudice-free--or does the narrator actually exhibit some biases against Scheduled Caste people? Write an essay that takes and defends a position on this issue. 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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