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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. Who does Boori Ma say her third daughter married?

2. What is the name of the Indian sun god that the Das family see statues of at the Sun Temple?

3. What kind of box does Lilia keep beside her bed?

4. How old is Lilia during the events of her story?

5. How old was Mr. Kapasi's son when he died in his mother's arms?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens when Shukumar attends an academic conference in Baltimore during Shoba's pregnancy?

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

3. Why does Lilia say a prayer for Mr. Pirzada's family?

4. What problems do the two new basins purchased by Mr. Dalal cause in Boori Ma's building?

5. What are the national distinctions between Pakistan and India that Lilia is unaware of?

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

7. What devastating secret does Shukumar tell Shoba during the telling game to hurt her?

8. What unfortunate incident occurs on the trip to the hills of Udayagiri?

9. What do Shukumar and Shoba do the first night the power is turned off?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss what Lilia's father means when he says: "But what does she learn about the world?" How does the dichotomy of being part of two cultures impart a knowledge that can't be taught in American schools? What view of American learning do you think Lahiri was trying to impart through these stories?

Essay Topic 2

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

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the imagery presented by buildings, houses and monuments in all the stories.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 938 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample