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. Lilia's father wonders if she is learning about what in school?

2. What is the subject of Shukumar's dissertation?

3. What event had Shoba already planned for their baby?

4. How old is Mr. Kapasi?

5. What is the final secret Shukumar reveals to Shoba?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Mr. Kapasi think of Mr. and Mrs. Das as parents?

2. Why does Mr. Pirzada offer to go trick-or-treating with Lilia?

3. What happens after Mr. Pirzada returns to Pakistan?

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

5. How do the Das family look to Mr. Kapasi?

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

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

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

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

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 how the character of Twinkle is representative of the synthesis of Indian and American cultures.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the use of secrets in various stories in the collection. What impact did revealing a secret have on the individual characters and plots of these stories?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 861 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample