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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In Part II, Chapter 4, what thought makes Mir Nihal suddenly feel guilty and stop eating?
(a) He was not present at Babban Jan's death because he was busy with his birds.
(b) The deaths of the pigeons were a result of his distraction over a mistress.
(c) Babban Jan is dead and he should not be enjoying himself.
(d) He has neglected his responsibilities to his wife and children.

2. What point does the narrator make in Part II, Chapter 7 about the living descendants of Bahadur Shah?
(a) They have fallen far down in the social order.
(b) There are very few left alive.
(c) They are the rightful rulers of India.
(d) They are considered enemies by the British occupiers.

3. What does the narrator say prevents the world from being "a barren desert in which no oasis exists" (91)?
(a) Hope.
(b) Love.
(c) Faith.
(d) Charity.

4. What principle does Saeed Hasan say a man should put first when he is looking for a wife?
(a) Faithfulness.
(b) Moderation.
(c) Suitability.
(d) Reciprocity.

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

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

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

8. Which Nihal family member is said to be everyone's favorite?
(a) Mehro.
(b) Begam Waheed.
(c) Asghar.
(d) Habibuddin.

9. What does Khwaja Ashraf Ali see in the cage that Nazir is carrying through the Chowk?
(a) Rare pigeons that Mir Nihal has bought at the Chowk.
(b) The bodies of the pigeons that died of heat.
(c) Several of Hakim Bashir's Kabuli pigeons.
(d) Two of his own pigeons.

10. Who are the Mughals?
(a) A dynasty originating in Northern India that ruled for the first half of the 1800's.
(b) A Turco-Mongolian dynasty who ruled India from the late 1500's to the early 1700's.
(c) An Afghan dynasty who ruled parts of India for about 16 years during the 1500's.
(d) A dynasty originating in Southern India that ruled from the 1400's to the early 1600's.

11. Why did Mir Nihal forbid Asghar to study at Aligarh?
(a) Mir Nihal thinks that the curriculum at Aligarh is too difficult for Asghar.
(b) Mir Nihal does not have the money for Aligarh's tuition.
(c) Mir Nihal thinks that studying at Aligarh will alienate his son from Islam.
(d) Mir Nihal has heard that Aligarh admits female students.

12. What is the Eed (Eid) referred to in Part II, Chapter 6?
(a) A celebration held to commemorate the birth of Mohammad.
(b) A celebration held at the end of Ramadan.
(c) A feast held during the time of the Hajj pilgrimage.
(d) The Islamic New Year celebration.

13. What event are workers being forced to work in the extreme heat in preparation for?
(a) A rumored attack by the Provisional Government of India.
(b) The hosting of a World's Fair in Delhi.
(c) The move of the British Raj's capitol to Delhi.
(d) The coronation of George V and his wife, Mary.

14. Which of his family members demonstrates sympathy for the dead pigeons and for Mir Nihal?
(a) Masroor.
(b) Begam Jamal.
(c) Mehro.
(d) Begam Nihal.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. What do the adults tell the children causes dust storms?

2. What question does Mehro asks the beggar Gul Bano?

3. What caused Ahmed Ali to be unable to return to India?

4. In the opening paragraphs of Part II, Chapter 7, what aspect of the days before the Coronation is stressed?

5. What is Mizra Nasirul Mulk's relationship to Bahadur Shah?

(see the answer keys)

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