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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does Mir Nihal do when Asghar comes to his house wearing English clothes in Part IV?
(a) He does nothing.
(b) He pretends to be asleep.
(c) He pretends not to know Asghar.
(d) He throws Asghar out.

2. Why does Habibuddin argue that they cannot cancel Mehro's wedding?
(a) It will shame their family.
(b) The groom's family will take some kind of revenge on them.
(c) Mehro herself has not asked them to.
(d) They have spent a lot of money on the preparations.

3. At the beginning of Part III, Chapter 1, what are the women busy working on?
(a) Buying new jewelry to wear to the wedding.
(b) Sewing clothing for Bilqeece.
(c) Cooking for the guests.
(d) Cleaning the house before the guests arrive.

4. What government action is the subject of the popular slogan that Asghar sees written in several places?
(a) The Government of India Act.
(b) The Jallianwala Bagh Massacre.
(c) The Rowlatt Acts.
(d) The declaration of martial law in the Punjab.

5. How does Zohra treat Asghar after she confesses her feelings to him in Part IV?
(a) She avoids seeing him.
(b) She is irritable and cold.
(c) She tries to manipulate his emotions.
(d) She watches him for a sign of his feelings.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is Habibuddin referring to when, on his deathbed, he says "It's beautiful, divine" (197)?

2. How long after his stroke is it before Mir Nihal can speak clearly again?

3. What does Bilqeece's family mix with the hand-washing water that the men of the Nihal family use after the wedding feast?

4. Why do the children Asghar runs into make fun of him?

5. What reason does Asghar give his mother for wanting to remarry?

Short Essay Questions

1. In the beginning of Chapter 4, what is Mir Nihal's attitude toward Delhi and the British occupation?

2. What makes it clear that there is some tension between Asghar's and Bilqeece's families?

3. What happens with the paste of "herbs and drugs good for the complexion" (119)?

4. What does the narrator say about prayers and God in the context of the pandemic?

5. What does Asghar believe is the "one thing that kept the heart of man alive," and why does he believe this (182)?

6. Describe what happens to Mir Nihal when he gets home after seeing the funeral procession.

7. What contrasting emotions do Asghar and Bilqeece feel when the time comes for Asghar to take her home to his house?

8. In Chapter 7, when Bilqeece finally musters the courage to ask Asghar what is wrong, what does he tell her, and how does she react?

9. When Habibuddin hears what has happened to Mirza's son, why does his reaction please Mir Nihal?

10. How does a choice made by a servant end up affecting the course of Asghar's future at the end of the novel?

(see the answer keys)

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