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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 do the excited Das children see from the car as they drive through India?

2. What game do Mr. Pirzada and Lilia's parents play each night?

3. What does Mrs. Das do in the car as her family drives through In India?

4. Mr. Pirzada's daughters' names all start with what letter?

5. What is Lilia's mother's occupation?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Lilia do with the candy after Mr. Pirzada returns to Dacca?

2. What do the residents of the building think about Boori Ma?

3. Who is Boori Ma and what does she do for a living?

4. What secret does Mina Das reveal to Mr. Kapasi?

5. What happens when Mr. Pirzada asks what the large orange vegetables are that he sees on porches?

6. Why is the electricity being turned off in Shoba and Shukumar's neighborhood in "A Temporary Matter"?

7. What happens to Boori Ma when the wives of the building decide to make improvements while the Dalals are out of town?

8. What does Shoba tell Shukumar on the night the power is restored?

9. What is similar between the Das marriage and the Kapasi marriage?

10. Why does Shukumar not look forward to the weekends when Shoba is home?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss how the "telling game" was used to further both the plot and the themes of "A Temporary Matter."

Essay Topic 2

Discuss how the characters of The Interpreter of Maladies encompass both the best and worst aspects of American and Indian cultures.

Essay Topic 3

What role does food play in each of the stories, both as a cultural icon and as sustenance?

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This section contains 916 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample