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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 has happened to the trains since the partition of the country?

2. What does Chand associate his guilt over the girl to?

3. What was created in the summer of 1947?

4. Where did Chand spend his time in order to purge himself of the obsession?

5. What realization by Iqbal hurts his pride?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Chand's nightmare the night after the day with the ghost train.

2. Explain Chand's obsession with death, and how he tried to overcome it.

3. Explain Iqbal's argument to Jugga about his status as a budmash, and Jugga's response.

4. Explain why Jugga says he would not have killed Ram Lal.

5. Describe the scene between Jugga and Malli at the end of Chapter 2, section 3.

6. Explain how the Sikh officer determined the number of refugees killed on the ghost train.

7. In section 2 of Chapter 4, what does Chand tell the Subinspector to do, in terms of the planned massacre of the refugees on the train?

8. Discuss what Chand and the Subinspector note about the corruption of government officials in Chapter 1, section 2.

9. Explain Chand's view of how people should spend their conscious time and effort.

10. Describe the summer monsoon.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare and contrast Hukum Chand's comments about the indifference of a bullet with Iqbal Singh's discussion of the neutrality of the bullet. What are both men trying to say? How do those comments reflect their feelings about conflict and sacrifice? Be sure to be detailed in your analysis.

Essay Topic 2

One of the primary themes in the novel is the concept of the communal action, both in terms of peace and in terms of communal violence. Explain the concept of communal action. In the beginning, what is Mano Majra, in terms of its sense of community? How is that changed? What is the sense of community by the end of the novel? Since no violence occurred inside the village as a result of the Hindu/Muslim conflict, what drove a wedge between the two sects? In the end, does anyone benefit from the communal violence? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

There is vast governmental corruption mentioned throughout the novel. Give at least three examples of this corruption and discuss them at length. What causes this corruption? What are possible consequences? Who is involved? What are possible solutions? Does this corruption lend to the air of violence and hate in the country during the time of the novel? Why? Would this corruption exist if there was not already a war occurring? Why or why not?

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