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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. For when did the narrator's father buy a ticket to Dhaka for Tha'mma?

2. When the narrator visits Brick Lane with Ila and Nick, what establishment is in the house that Alan Tresawsen used to live in?

3. Where is Ila's housemate from who is in the Anti-Nazi League?

4. How old was Robi in 1964?

5. How many years of Tha'mma's married life did she spend in a succession of railway colonies?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who does Ila live with in London, and what do they do in the evenings?

2. What happened between Tha'mma and the narrator's mother shortly after Tha'mma retired?

3. What did Tridib think of May when he saw her as a baby?

4. Why does May say that Nick left his job in Kuwait?

5. Why was Ila upset when she and the narrator met one last time before he returned to Delhi?

6. What does Nick do for Ila and her housemates?

7. Where did May sleep in her flat and why?

8. Why does Ila think there is a kind of heroism in the deaths of Alan and Dan?

9. What happened when the narrator went to school in 1964 shortly after Tadib, May, and Tha'mma went to Dhaka?

10. Why was the narrator late for the wedding dinner for Ila and Nick?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Tha’mma has a tendency to jump to conclusions. What are some examples of times when Tha’mma jumps to conclusions? How does she base her conclusions on appearances? How do appearances deceive her and make her draw incorrect conclusions?

Essay Topic 2

Ila tells the narrator a story when they play house. What story does Ila tell the narrator when they play house under a very large table? Why is the story an allegory?

Essay Topic 3

How did Tridib die? Was his death a sacrifice?

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This section contains 1,064 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample