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

2. How old is Ram Charan's sister?

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

4. Whom does Bakha see working in the river on his way to Ram Charan's sister's wedding?

5. What does Bakha criticize his brother for when they are eating?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Do some biographical research on Mulk Raj Anand. Use this biographical information to write an essay that connects the author's personal life with his concerns in Untouchable. Consider both his motivations and the perspective that he brings to the text. Use evidence from Untouchable as well as from your research to support your assertions. Cite all sources in MLA format.

Essay Topic 2

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 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)

This section contains 1,162 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample