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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Why does Mir Nihal not go into work on Saturday after a cat attacked his pigeons?
(a) He is exhausted and sleeps all day instead.
(b) He is too sad about the pigeons.
(c) The shop is closed for the weekend.
(d) He no longer sees a point in working.

2. What is the "prescription written on the southern gate of the Jama Masjid" a recipe for (88)?
(a) A "universal elixir."
(b) An antidote to poison.
(c) Gold.
(d) A powerful charm.

3. After Begam Waheed gives Asghar the good news about his mother deciding he can marry Bilqeece, what advice does she give Asghar?
(a) He should make sure that Bilqeece really wants to marry him.
(b) He should come back to Bhopal with her.
(c) He should go and make peace with his father.
(d) He should go speak to Begam Shahbaz himself.

4. On page 53, what does Mushtari Bai compare herself to?
(a) An "evil-smelling flower."
(b) An "oasis in the desert."
(c) A "new flower in bloom."
(d) A "candle which tempts the moths."

5. 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) They are the rightful rulers of India.
(c) There are very few left alive.
(d) They are considered enemies by the British occupiers.

Short Answer Questions

1. What was the cause of Asghar, Begam Waheed, and Begam Nihal being sent away to live somewhere else when Asghar was a child?

2. As Mir Nihal hurries to Babban Jan's on Friday night, what does he hear both a song and a poem about?

3. Bundoo's mother tells Asghar that she feels it hardly necessary to observe "purdah" with him. In this context, what does "purdah" refer to?

4. In what city does the man who wants to marry the Nihals' daughter live?

5. What does Begam Nihal ask her grandson Majeed to do in order to make the dust storm stop?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Begam Nihal's objection to Bilqeece's family?

2. Describe Mir Nihal's Afghan friend, Kambal Shah.

3. Describe the family's celebration of Eed (Eid).

4. When Asghar sees the sad-looking old man on the street, what realization does he have about his own life, and why?

5. What does Begam Nihal tease her husband about when she calls him in to talk with him about Asghar and Bilqeece?

6. What suggestion does Begam Jamal make to Begam Nihal about Asghar?

7. Who is Hameed, and what light does Asghar think Hameed's situation throws on his own?

8. What contrast do Begam Jamal and Begam Nihal make between the processions held by Mughal emperors and their expectations for the procession about to be held by the English?

9. Who is Saeed Hasan, and why does he come to visit Begam Nihal?

10. What idea of Mir Nihal's comes up again when he discusses the marriage of Sheikh Mohammad Sadiq's niece, and how is he distracted from pursuing it?

(see the answer keys)

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