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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 Lakshmi describe brushing her teeth with in "The New Student"?
(a) A toothbrush.
(b) A twig from a birch tree.
(c) A twig from a neem tree.
(d) A twig from a willow tree.

2. What color dress does the woman wear that purchases Lakshmi at Bajai Sita's store in "A Trade"?
(a) Yellow.
(b) Black.
(c) Blue.
(d) Red.

3. What does Lakshmi's mother do as she serves her husband dinner each night in "Something Beautiful"?
(a) She walks the dog.
(b) She kneels at his feet.
(c) She bathes the baby.
(d) She feeds the baby.

4. What has been purchased for Gita's little brother since she went to work as a maid in the city?
(a) A new coat.
(b) His school fees.
(c) A goat.
(d) A horse.

5. What does Lakshmi do in order to escape the old man who attempts to rape her after she's first arrived at Happiness House?
(a) She bites his hand.
(b) She bites his tongue.
(c) She kicks him in the groin.
(d) She slaps his face.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Lakshmi scrub the floors with at her hut to keep it cool and "free from evil spirits" in "The New Student"?

2. What name has Lakshmi given to "the ugly one" among her cucumbers in "Confession"?

3. Who is "the elephant god, remover of obstacles"?

4. How does Lakshmi describe the amount of money that the turnip-nosed man gives to Auntie in "Numbers"?

5. What food does Mumtaz pass under Lakshmi's nose in "What I Don't Do"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are the names that Lakshmi has given to her cucumbers in "Confession"?

2. What are the instructions for womanhood that Ama relates to Lakshmi in "Everything I Need to Know"?

3. What is described in the vignette titled "Another Calendar"?

4. Describe the impact of Lakshmi's journey with Auntie on her perception of her surroundings and home. Why do you think Lakshmi is taken on this journey in the manner she is taken?

5. Who is Lakshmi promised to marry when she comes of age? Why does she not marry this character?

6. What is ironic about the setting of Happiness House?

7. What does a tin roof symbolize for Lakshmi in the novel?

8. How does Lakshmi describe her village's religious beliefs in "Something Beautiful"?

9. How is Lakshmi punished when she bites the old man in "The Old Man"?

10. What are sons and daughters compared to in "The Difference between a Son and a Daughter"?

(see the answer keys)

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