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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. Why does Bakha think that it is unlikely he will be able to lie to his father about the morning's events?

2. What is Bakha trying to figure out when he is on his way to the kitchen and asks himself "Is it wet or dry?" (92)?

3. What was the family's purpose in putting Bakha on the floor when he was so ill?

4. Why has Bakha decided that asking one of the NCO's for the solar topee is impractical?

5. What sweet does Ram Charan bring from his sister's wedding to share with his friends?

Short Essay Questions

1. What surprises Bakha about the hockey stick Charat Singh gives him, and how does he react?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay that analyzes Untouchable's message about hope. Consider the characterization of Bakha as well as the novel's action. Give special consideration to the novel's final pages. Support your assertions with evidence from the text.

Essay Topic 2

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 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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