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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 his second year abroad, why does the wife of Biju's boss give him toiletries?

2. What did the judge do to his wife when he first returned from England?

3. Why does Biju take a job at the Ghandi Cafe?

4. What does Biju realize about Harry-Harish's two names?

5. Where did the judge attend college?

Short Essay Questions

1. In chapter 24, how does Harish-Harry's comments about his workers contrast with the way he treats them?

2. How are the romance and the civil unrest in chapter 20 presented in a similar way?

3. In chapter 28, how does Jemu's family's reaction to him upon his return from England contrast with his expectations?

4. Why is the judge so critical of Gyan in chapter 18?

5. What miscommunication exists between Biju and the cook in chapter 15?

6. In chapter 5, what is the symbolism of the two-level restaurants with basement kitchens where Biju works?

7. In chapter 27, why does Sai have so much trouble relating to Gyan's ideas about a Gorkha homeland?

8. In chapter 29, why does Gyan betray Sai?

9. As described in chapter 12, what is the difference between the effects of Catholic school on Sai and Noni?

10. In chapter 23, what do Sai and Gyan discover they have in common?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Biju is different from the other major characters in a number of ways. The most obvious difference is that he is the only character who lives or has lived in America. Is he more like the Americans around him, or have they had a different effect on him? How have his unique experiences set him apart from the other characters? In what ways is he different from the other characters at the end of the novel?

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast the judge and Hamish-Harry. How is the judge's face powder like Hamish-Harry's name? How do these reflect the ways in which they perceive themselves? Why do you think they live in such different ways, and what does this have to do with the different countries to which they traveled?

Essay Topic 3

Do Sai and Gyan's recognition of a common ancestral connection to the British bring them closer together, push them farther apart, or do both at different times? Are these similarities equally important to Sai and Gyan? Why are their connections to the British so important, so troublesome, or both?

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