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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. In what garment does Raza Hyder first wrap Bilquis?

2. What is the name of Bilquis' first daughter?

3. What is the name the Shakil sisters give to their house?

4. What does Omar's 12th birthday request do to his mothers?

5. What is the name of Bilquis' father's theater?

Short Essay Questions

1. What vice does Omar discern in Farah immediately before hypnotizing her, and how?

2. Of what sort of development is Omar Khayyam Shakil deprived in his formative years?

3. What are the circumstances surrounding the death of Mistri Yakoob Balloch?

4. Why is Raza Hyder sent to the Needle Valley?

5. Why does Raza Hyder stake himself to the ground in Iskander Harappa's yard?

6. What characterizes Bilquis' reaction to the Loo?

7. Briefly, what is the generally accepted reason that the husbands in the Hyder family "secretly" visit their wives in common in the night?

8. What sort of gossip floats around Farah Zoroaster and Eduardo Rodrigues?

9. What happens to the real names of the three sisters, and by what names are they instead called?

10. What are the important nuances of the word "sharam" that are not carried over into the English "shame"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Being careful to make the necessary distinctions, write an analytical essay which discusses the significance of the actions of the Beast, as something that resides within but is not Sufiya Zinobia. Which of its actions most significantly impact the story? Why is it an entity that is not Sufiya Zinobia, properly speaking (consider the allegorical significance of Sufiya Zinobia)? Why would it reside within Sufiya Zinobia? What function does the Beast play in the plot of the story? To what actions is the Beast a reaction? Who are its victims, and why?

Essay Topic 2

In an analytical essay, carefully examine the character and personality of Omar Khayyam Shakil. Take into account all of the relevant details, from the moment and manner of his conception until his violent death. In what ways is he is a peripheral character? How is he in any sense a hero of the story? In what way do his actions, or lack thereof, move the events of the story? In what ways is he significant as a symbolic character? What does his character, in all its exaggerations, demonstrate about universal human nature?

Essay Topic 3

Examine, in a carefully thought-out analytical essay, the usage of the motif of narrative asides employed by the author throughout the book. What do these asides accomplish? How do they add to the story? In what regard does the author use them to the story's benefit? Do they serve any purpose beyond enhancing the imagery and method of the story's delivery?

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