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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Who is the poet who wrote the words to the song that Gul Bano sings?
(a) Ghalib.
(b) Mir Babar Ali Anis.
(c) Mir Taqi Mir.
(d) Bahadur Shah.

2. Who has been urging Mir Nihal to retire?
(a) His wife.
(b) His sons.
(c) His doctor.
(d) His mistress.

3. During the discussion of alchemy, what does Kambal Shah say would happen if everyone had equal wealth?
(a) People would have the leisure to draw closer to God.
(b) People would become vain and forget God.
(c) People would find another kind of hierarchy to follow.
(d) People would learn to love one another more sincerely.

4. What is implied by the snippet of poetry that Mir Nihal thinks about at the end of Part II, Chapter 1?
(a) He understands that his love for Babban Jan is impious.
(b) His mental state is much more precarious than others realize.
(c) He wishes that he felt about Begam Nihal the way he feels about Babban Jan.
(d) He is unlikely to recover well from any further disappointments.

5. To what does the narrator compare the streets and alleys of Delhi?
(a) An algebraic equation.
(b) The Sphinx's riddle.
(c) A game of chess.
(d) The Minotaur's maze.

6. When Begam Nihal tells her husband that he can buy more pigeons to replace those that have died, how does he react?
(a) He announces that he is giving up flying pigeons.
(b) He tells her that she knows nothing about him or his life.
(c) He stands up and walks out of the house.
(d) He tells her about Babban Jan and her death.

7. What creature does Mir Nihal kill in Part I, Chapter 1?
(a) A civet.
(b) A binturong.
(c) A wild dog.
(d) A snake.

8. What does Begam Nihal say is causing the illness in the Nihal household?
(a) Typhoid.
(b) Heatstroke.
(c) Dengue.
(d) Malaria.

9. What does Asghar tell Begam Waheed he will do if he cannot marry Bilqeece?
(a) Marry a dancing girl.
(b) Move far away.
(c) Renounce his family.
(d) Commit suicide.

10. In Part II, Chapter 5, what do the friends agree is the missing ingredient in the Jama Masjid prescription?
(a) A golden flower.
(b) Faith.
(c) A bitter green herb.
(d) Heat.

11. When Begam Nihal is asked to tell the story of the Mutiny, the word "Farangis" is used (6). What does this word mean?
(a) Government officials.
(b) Marketplace gossips.
(c) Foreigners, especially Europeans.
(d) Military officers.

12. What was the cause of Asghar, Begam Waheed, and Begam Nihal being sent away to live somewhere else when Asghar was a child?
(a) Asghar had angered his father.
(b) Begam Nihal was mentally unwell.
(c) Mir Nihal could not afford to keep everyone in his house.
(d) Begam Waheed had an interest in a boy the family disliked.

13. While Asghar and Begam Waheed are talking about their childhood, what can Asghar hear in the background?
(a) Qawwals singing.
(b) Pigeons cooing.
(c) Street vendors shouting.
(d) His aunts arguing.

14. In the opening paragraphs of Part II, Chapter 7, what aspect of the days before the Coronation is stressed?
(a) The novelty.
(b) The injustice.
(c) The hypocrisy.
(d) The anxiety.

15. What quality does the narrator claim is "peculiar to Delhi-ites alone of all the peoples of India" (99)?
(a) Their willingness to accept the rule of the English.
(b) Their extreme piousness and religious faith.
(c) Their eagerness to have fun and enjoy themselves.
(d) Their love of poetry and music.

Short Answer Questions

1. On page 53, what does Mushtari Bai compare herself to?

2. Besides being "piercing," what other quality does the narrator say Mushtari Bai's eyes have (52)?

3. Why is Mir Nihal hurrying home at the beginning of Part II, Chapter 1?

4. By what year does the Introduction say the British East India Company had established control of India?

5. What is significant about the year that Begam Nihal compares the summer's heat to?

(see the answer keys)

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