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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 does Raka sneak out to see at the beginning of Part II, Chapter 10?

2. Nanda recites a poem to Raka by which poet in Part II, Chapter 7?

3. Nanda tells Raka that the full moon she thinks she sees in Part II, Chapter 12 is really what?

4. In Part II, Chapter 14, Nanda thinks of how independent Raka is, and how she does what, unlike all other children she has known?

5. Nanda is jealous of Raka’s relationship with whom at the start of Part II, Chapter 13?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Raka recall the parties that her father had her go to as a child?

2. What do Raka and Nanda laugh at together on their walk to Monkey Point?

3. At the start of Part II, Chapter 14 a letter arrives at Carignano. Who is it from and what does it say?

4. What is Raka’s reaction to the wild costume party she sees at the club when she sneaks out in Part II, Chapter 10 and 11? What does it make her think of?

5. What does Nanda ask Raka if she would like to do at the end of Part II, Chapter 7, which suggests she does not want Raka to leave, and how does Raka feel about the suggestion?

6. What does Nanda observe about Raka and Ram Lal’s relationship at the start of Part II, Chapter 13?

7. When they reach Monkey Point, Nanda tells Raka to go up alone. How has Nanda’s mood changed once Raka returned from scaling Monkey Point?

8. What poet does Nanda recite to Raka during their walk to Monkey Point and why?

9. Even though Nanda prefers solitude, what does she continue to suggest to Raka as described in Part II, Chapter 9?

10. Describe Raka’s behavior after Nanda tells her what she thought was a full moon was really a forest fire in Part II, Chapter 12?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze the genre choice for Fire on the Mountain. Why did Anita Desai choose to write this fictional narrative and would it have been as or more effective written as non-fiction or memoir?

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay analyzing Nanda’s relationship like with her daughter Asha. Use direct examples from the text to support your viewpoint.

Essay Topic 3

Who is Ila Das? How is her character developed throughout the story? Give direct evidence from the text.

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