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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 Chand fear the rain will do?

2. What does the young girl who comes to the rest house with the old woman do?

3. What are dacoits?

4. What do local police consider Jugga?

5. Who does the mullah claim even white men respect?

Short Essay Questions

1. Explain Iqbal's belief on the population of India, and on the money spent on agriculture and industry.

2. Describe Meet Singh's appearance.

3. What does Chand tell the Subinspector to do in terms of Malli and his gang, in Chapter 2, section 3?

4. Describe the scene between Jugga and Malli at the end of Chapter 2, section 3.

5. Explain why Jugga says he would not have killed Ram Lal.

6. Describe Iqbal, the stranger who comes to Mana Majra.

7. In section 2 of Chapter 4, what does Chand tell the Subinspector to do, in terms of the planned massacre of the refugees on the train?

8. Describe the opinions of the lambardar and Imam Baksh, the mullah, in terms of freedom.

9. How does Malli and his gang come into possession of the evacuated Muslim's property?

10. Describe the scene between Nooran and Jugga's mother.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe the monsoon, as it is presented in the novel. What is a monsoon? What is the area like prior to the monsoon? What does the monsoon bring with it? What generally happens to the villagers during this time? In the novel, what does the coming of the storms symbolize in terms of the violence of the war in India? What role does the swelling river have in the novel, and how does this coincide with the swelling violence in Mano Majra?

Essay Topic 2

Iqbal Singh makes several derogatory statements throughout the novel, in terms of the Indian people and their views and values. Choose two topics below and discuss Iqbal's view of that topic, in reference to the people of India:

1. Religion

2. Sexuality

3. Art and Music

4. Slavery / Freedom

Essay Topic 3

The inequality of the classes is a major plot theme throughout the novel. Describe the classes, as explained by Iqbal in the book. Who are considered the high class individuals? Who are considered lower class? How is this class system seen in government circles? How is it represented? Why does this concept seem to carry on, even if legislature abolishes it? Do you think Iqbal's social status has any ramifications in the book? Does the social status of Hukum Chand play a role? What about the social status of Meet Singh or the lambardar? What is the social status of Jugga? If you rank each of these characters, who is of the lowest class? By the end of the novel, who is the character who comes through, and saves the lives of the Muslims? What does this indicate about the value of the caste system, in terms of actual value of people?

(see the answer keys)

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