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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. Why does Ram Charan remove his solar hat as the three friends walk back from the spring?

2. What is Bakha asking for when he shouts up at the houses from the street?

3. How much money was Gulabo given for her daughter's hand in marriage?

4. Who are the "pale-white ghosts, ghouls and hobgoblins" mentioned on page 87?

5. What is Chota's reaction to Bakha's new hockey stick?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why do all of the sepoys and local children long to own the solar topee?

2. What surprises Bakha about the hockey stick Charat Singh gives him, and how does he react?

3. Although Bakha is honored by Charat Singh's actions, in what sense are they also condescending and dismissive of Bakha's humanity?

4. What is the function of the passage of description of Bakha's family's outdoor kitchen?

5. What excuse does Bakha give for not bringing more food home, and how does his father's reply make him feel?

6. Describe Bakha's memory of seeing Ram Charan's sister on her way home from the brook one morning before dawn.

7. How does Bakha react to Chota's suggestion that the friends "catch hold" of the priest one day (84)?

8. Even before Charat Singh gives Bakha the hockey stick, what does he do that causes Bakha to feel very honored?

9. What are the stories about how the hat came to hang on the cantonment wall?

10. How does Chota react differently to Bakha's stories about the priest and the woman at the alley house?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay in which you consider the significance of including Gandhi as a character in Untouchable while omitting any mention of B. R. Ambedkar. Do you think it is possible that Anand was unaware of Ambedkar? If so, what does this say about Anand's devotion to the cause of Scheduled Caste people? How does this relate to questions about representation? If Anand was aware of Ambedkar, what might his motivations have been for including Gandhi instead of Ambedkar? How does this relate to questions about audience? How does this choice impact the novel's theme? Consider these questions at minimum as you advance and defend your claim.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay that takes and defends a position on Bakha's ability to function as a protagonist in Untouchable. Does he meet the qualification of driving the action as he pursues a goal, or does his outcaste status mean he lacks the agency to function as a protagonist? Defend your answer with evidence from the text, and explore the implications your answer has for the book's theme.

Essay Topic 3

Do some biographical research on Mulk Raj Anand. Use this biographical information to write an essay that connects the author's personal life with his concerns in Untouchable. Consider both his motivations and the perspective that he brings to the text. Use evidence from Untouchable as well as from your research to support your assertions. Cite all sources in MLA format.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,264 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample