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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 offers to buy Rama Rao's old house?

2. What day does Swami not want to go to school on?

3. How old is Shanta?

4. What does Iswaren's family think about his passing the exam?

5. From whom does the dog initially defend the blind man?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why must Sambu meet with the tufted-beard man even though he doesn't want to?

2. Why does Swami feel the need to make up such a complicated story about why he doesn't want to go to school?

3. What acts of violence do the hippie and the cobbler confess to committing?

4. Why is the talkative man unable to run over the swami?

5. What happens when the necklace is found in "Leela's Friend"?

6. How does the reader know how much time passes during "The Axe"?

7. What does Shanta's mother know about the trip to the movies that Shanta does not?

8. What makes Iyer's threat of embarrassment particularly threatening to the newcomer on the train?

9. What kind of relationship do Mohan and Selvi have?

10. What is the talkative man's strongest weapon against the man-eating tiger?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Choose at least 3 female characters from "Malgudi Days." What do these characters have in common? What is different between them? What commentary is Narayan providing about women and society through these women's stories?

Essay Topic 2

Choose 3 examples of characters acting in a way that is not typical for them (such as Dr. Raman lying to his friend Gopal about his medical condition). Why does each character deviate from his or her usual behavior? What does the reader learn about each character as a result of this change? Make sure you use specific examples from the text when discussing each character.

Essay Topic 3

Analyze the titles of at least 4 vignettes and discuss how each title fits into the larger title of the novel.

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This section contains 821 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample