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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 did Baba play with before the gramophone?

2. In the summer of what year does Bim think time stopped for the family?

3. Who takes care of Raja?

4. What happens to the mother?

5. Where does Bakul think he and Tara should have stayed instead of at her family home?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does the tea party with Dr. Biswas, his mother and Bim go badly?

2. Why is Tara so disturbed by Bim's remarks on the lawn with Bakul and the Misras?

3. How does Bim describe time? What do you think she means by this?

4. Why does Tara begin to spend time with the Misras sisters?

5. Describe Aunt Mira's behavior in this chapter.

6. How is Old Delhi different from New Delhi? Re-read the parts describing the city and note the words the author uses. Do the words create a sense of place?

7. Why is Bim's conversation with the elder Misras important to the plot?

8. How does Bim feel about her youth? Why do you think she feels that way?

9. Why is Raja so upset about the whereabouts of the family of Hyder Ali Sahid?

10. What are some of the basic differences between Tara and Bim? Examine their appearance, their attitudes, their sense of family.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Choose one of the predominant themes of this novel and explore how the author presented the theme via dialogue, symbolism, characters, etc.

Essay Topic 2

The children are present on the banks of the Jumna River when Hyder Ali Sahib rides by on his fine white horse. How do each of the children remember this incident, and how does it affect them? Describe it from the viewpoint of Raja, Bim, Tara and Baba.

Essay Topic 3

What is the symbolism of the cow in the plot? Does it represent the innocence of the children, the indentured servitude of Aunt Mira, lost hopes, or is it just a cow?

(see the answer keys)

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