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

3. What emotion does Bakha struggle with as his father tells the story of the time he was so ill as a child?

4. 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)?

5. Why does Ram Charan remove his solar hat as the three friends walk back from the spring?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. When Bakha is lying under a tree outside the barracks, what does he decide about taking so much time away from work?

3. 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?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 2

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.

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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