View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Nusswan think should happen to the people who live on the streets?

2. What is Jeevan stealing from his customers?

3. What part of his body does Ishvar injure falling into the ditch?

4. How many years does Maneck claim that he wants to spend in school?

5. Who comes to cut Shankar's hair in Chapter 14?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Dina go to speak to Mrs. Gupta and what does she tell her?

2. What happens when the debt collector visits Dina?

3. What do Om and Ishvar see when they visit their old boss, Jeevan?

4. How does Maneck die?

5. How does the reunification between Dina and Maneck transpire?

6. Why does Dina lose her apartment?

7. What happens when Om begins to itch with lice?

8. What do Om and Maneck do during their vacation from work?

9. How does Ishvar lose his legs?

10. How does the Beggarmaster know that he is related to Shankar?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Dina's character changes quite a bit when it comes to her ability to love.

Part 1.) Explain why you think Dina was initially so cold to the tailors.

Part 2.) Explain the ways that the tailors won Dina over, warming her heart.

Part 3.) Explain the outcome of this changing relationship. Who do you think the love benefited more?

Essay Topic 2

When Maneck commits suicide at the end of the novel, his final thought is that he is happy to be holding the chess board. This thought is a bit ambiguous as to whether Maneck is feeling guilt, or if he is overwhelmed with the way that the world has turned out.

Part 1.) Argue what you believe to be the meaning to Maneck's final thoughts.

Part 2.) Argue why you think it was so important to Maneck that he is holding the chess board, especially after he spent years not taking care of it, or missing its presence.

Essay Topic 3

The "Emergency" is a very powerful force of destruction within the novel.

Part 1.) Briefly explain what the state of Emergency within the novel was.

Part 2.) Explain the catastrophic results this state of Emergency had on the lives of the main characters.

Part 3.) Explain why you think calling the situation an emergency was validated within the novel.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 722 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample