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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does the individual who approaches the cashier and narrator begin to do?
(a) Cries loudly.
(b) Hammers at the window.
(c) Calls their names.
(d) Laughs out loud.

2. Why is the cashier impressed with the narrator?
(a) He is a vegetarian.
(b) He used to be a marine biologist.
(c) He owns a restaurant.
(d) He attends Oxford.

3. Why does Triton run away from home?
(a) He is the oldest of twelve kids and he wants to get away from the daily chaos.
(b) His mother wants him to become a temple priest, but he refuses.
(c) He is tired of the daily beatings he receives from his uncle.
(d) He burns a roof at his school and fears his father's wrath.

4. What does Mr. Salgado's house represent to Triton when he is a boy?
(a) A magical place to explore and enjoy.
(b) Center of the universe.
(c) A beautiful prison.
(d) Home away from home.

5. When Mr. Salgado returns from his trip and finds Joseph first missing and later drunk, what does he do?
(a) Fires him.
(b) Asks Triton what happened.
(c) Punches him.
(d) Gives him coffee.

Short Answer Questions

1. The cashier says his Sri Lankan home is near what city?

2. Meticulous when it comes to creating lists, what does the narrator log after servicing his car?

3. In what language does the narrator try to speak to the cashier?

4. What color is the narrator's vehicle mentioned at the start of the story?

5. When the cashier mentions the part of Sri Lanka that he's from, what does the narrator think of?

Short Essay Questions

1. Through which character does the author choose to reveal the changing sociopolitical landscape of Sri Lanka across many decades?

2. What are young Triton's main duties at Mr. Salgado's house?

3. What happens in 1962, when Triton's narration begins?

4. At the end of the first section, what does the narrator begin to talk about with the gas station cashier?

5. At the start of the story, who does the narrator speak with?

6. Why does the gas station cashier want the narrator to speak with his boss?

7. During their first meeting, how does Triton reply when Mr. Salgado asks if he's been to school?

8. What does the London cashier say about the situation back home in Sri Lanka?

9. What happens when Mr. Salgado returns home from his trip to the tea estate?

10. When he is a boy, why does Triton regard Mr. Salgado's house as the "center of the universe"?

(see the answer keys)

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