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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. What do the two bamboo poles and the string of mango leaf garland symbolize?

2. What kind of bird is Madho Singh?

3. How does Lakshmi feel about missing Radha, while Radha is in Shimla?

4. How does Samir always make Lakshmi feel?

5. While sitting with Mrs. Sharma, Lakshmi wants the thing she hates most in this world. What is that one thing?

Short Essay Questions

1. How do things start to go downhill after Lakshmi drops Radha back off at school after their lunch out together?

2. Why does Lakshmi abort her pregnancies? How does this affect Hari?

3. What were signs that Maharani Latika was healing?

4. What is the name of Maharani Indira’s parrot? Why is he named this?

5. How are Radha and Malik alike?

6. What were signs that Radha was pregnant?

7. How does Radha feel about the school she is attending in Part Three? How do these feelings surface?

8. What leads Hari to helping poor, injured women?

9. Why was Lakshmi nervous about the relationship between Kanta and Radha?

10. How does Radha show her naivety once Lakshmi tells her she is pregnant?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Lakshmi’s and Radha’s father was a freedom fighter. Name two other freedom fighters from history and give a short description of who they were and for what they fought. Who are some modern freedom fighters, either from the U.S. or elsewhere? How has freedom fighting changed over time? How has it stayed the same?

Essay Topic 2

There is a focus on relationships between the young and the old in this book. Choose one on which to focus. Describe the relationship. How do they meet? How does their relationship develop or disintegrate over the course of the story? What leads to this strengthening or destruction of the relationship? What’s your overall view of this relationship? Explain.

Essay Topic 3

What does the writer want the reader to get out of this book? What is her purpose for writing this novel? Has she succeeded? If so, how? If not, why not?

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