LANGLIT CURRICULUM FOCUSED QUIZ 1 NIAS: KAMALA MARKANDAYA (PP. 10-12)

1. In which village was Kamala Markandaya born?

a. Mysuru

b. Chimakurti

c. Baliakheri

d. Amawar

e. Niloha

2. Kamala Markandaya’s father was a

a. construction laborer

b. medical doctor

c. transport officer

d. prison guard

e. college professor

3. At the age of 16, Kamala Markandaya attended

a. University of Delhi

b. University of Madras

c. Nalanda University

d. Osmania University

e. Manipal University

4. Kamala Markandaya decided to take a pen name after

first publishing

a. historical essays

b. short stories

c. personal letters

d. romantic poems

e. lyrical ballads

5. Which war prevented Kamala Markandaya from

receiving a degree?

a. World War II

b. Sino-Indian War

c. Second Boer War

d. Korean War

e. Vietnam War

6. Who was Kamala Markandaya’s husband?

a. Edward Stevens

b. Bertrand Taylor

c. Henry Kendall

d. Owen Luder

e. Arthur Erikson

7. Where did Kamala Markandaya spend MOST of her

life?

a. Pakistan

b. England

c. Ireland

d. Nepal

e. India

8. In which year did Kamala Markandaya die?

a. 2005

b. 2008

c. 2002

d. 2001

e. 2004

9. How many novels did Kamala Markandaya publish?

a. ten

b. eight

c. seven

d. nine

e. six

10. Which of Kamala Markandaya’s novels was published

FIRST?

a. Nectar in a Sieve

b. Some Inner Fury

c. A Silence of Desire

d. A Handful of Rice

e. The Nowhere Man

11. In terms of popularity, Nectar in a Sieve can BEST be

compared to

a. The Sun Also Rises

b. A Tale of Two Cities

c. The Grapes of Wrath

d. The Good Earth

e. Heart of Darkness

12. Kamala Markandaya published her last novel in

a. 1982

b. 1986

c. 1988

d. 1978

e. 1984

CURRICULUM FOCUSED QUIZ 1 PAGE 2 OF 51 DEMIDEC RESOURCES ©2013

13. Which of the following authors is NOT considered a

Commonwealth Writer?

a. Derek Walcott

b. William Golding

c. Wole Soyinka

d. Nadine Gordimer

e. Chinua Achebe

14. Wole Soyinka’s play Death and the King’s Horseman is

MOST similar to Nectar in a Sieve in that it dramatizes

a. women’s roles in a patriarchal society

b. colonialism’s effect on indigenous village life

c. a migrant group’s religious and social traditions

d. poor farmers’ living conditions

e. soldiers’ wartime sacrifices

15. Which author is BEST known for writing about difficult

relationships between mothers and daughters?

a. Salman Rushdie

b. Mulk Raj Anand

c. Jamaica Kincaid

d. R.K. Narayan

e. Raja Rao

16. A Commonwealth Writer would be LEAST likely to

explore themes of

a. migration

b. heroism

c. colonialism

d. identity

e. nationalism

17. Why did the label “Commonwealth Writers” fall out of

favor?

a. Writers did not want the label as they moved to

new locations.

b. Writers had different experiences under British

colonialism.

c. The title was viewed as derogatory.

d. Writers who used this title were not paid as

much as other writers.

e. A new label was given to writers from former

British colonies.

18. Ngugi Wa Thiong’o’s native language was

a. Creole

b. Hindi

c. Lomwe

d. Gikuyu

e. Swahili

19. Which of the following words BEST describes how

Kamala Markandaya felt about English as her literary

language?

a. enthusiastic

b. unreliable

c. comfortable

d. flawless

e. dejected

20. The MOST ambiguous aspect of Nectar in a Sieve is

a. the amount of time that passes in each chapter

b. the location of the village

c. whether the events occurred before or after

independence

d. the meaning of the title

e. whether the protagonist is content with her life

LANGLIT CURRICULUM FOCUSED QUIZ 2 NIAS: HISTORICAL CONTEXT – BRITISH COLONIALISM AND RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS (PP. 12-14)

1. Queen Victoria nicknamed India the

a. “jewel in the crown”

b. “emerald of the equator”

c. “land of milk and honey”

d. “pearl of the orient seas”

e. “kingdom in the sky”

2. Vasco de Gama traveled to India in order to

a. warn India about the European invasion

b. introduce the English language to Indian

villages

c. establish peace agreements

d. share the religion of Christianity

e. monopolize European access to Indian

products

3. Who chartered the British East India Company?

a. Queen Mary

b. Queen Elizabeth

c. King Charles

d. King James

e. Queen Victoria

4. When did the British government remove the East

India Company’s charter?

a. during the construction of the Taj Mahal

b. after the Indian Rebellion of 1857

c. before the Battle of Plassey

d. after the first Indian National Congress

meeting

e. during World War I

5. A zamindarship was a(n)

a. legalized system of tax farming

b. temporary rank of the military

c. official document of colonial rights

d. organized petition of the rural poor

e. funded voyage of the aristocracy

6. Who wrote “Minute on Indian Education”?

a. George Bernard Shaw

b. Arthur Conan Doyle

c. Thomas Babington Macaulay

d. Lewis Bernstein Namier

e. Frances Hodgson Burnett

7. Where did Mahatma Gandhi FIRST question the

unfair British colonial system?

a. Saudi Arabia

b. Ethiopia

c. South Africa

d. Cambodia

e. Algeria

8. The colonial education system in India focused

MOST on

a. science

b. literacy

c. mathematics

d. economics

e. history

9. The dominant religion of India is

a. Hinduism

b. Jainism

c. Sikhism

d. Buddhism

e. Islam

10. India became an independent nation in

a. 1943

b. 1950

c. 1945

d. 1947

e. 1948

11. The Partition of India led to a division between

a. Bangladesh and Pakistan

b. India and Pakistan

c. India and Bangladesh

d. Pakistan and Nepal

e. Nepal and India

12. Which conflict MAINLY fueled the Partition of

India?

a. political disputes

b. language barriers

c. ethnic diversities

d. religious differences

e. educational philosophies

CURRICULUM FOCUSED QUIZ 2 PAGE 4 OF 51 DEMIDEC RESOURCES ©2013

13. Diwali is known as the Festival of

a. Prayer

b. Stars

c. Life

d. Lights

e. Colors

14. Which god is MOST likely celebrated during

Deepavali in Nectar in a Sieve?

a. Rama

b. Krishna

c. Matsya

d. Kalki

e. Balarama

15. British colonialists helped codify the Hindu

a. reincarnation process

b. sacred texts

c. system of deities

d. caste system

e. devotional rules

LANGLIT CURRICULUM FOCUSED QUIZ 3 NIAS: HISTORICAL CONTEXT – RURAL POVERTY AND WOMEN’S ROLES (PP. 14-15)

1. On an Indian bride’s wedding day, her family was

expected to

a. provide a monetary wedding gift

b. find a new house for the husband and wife

c. locate a new job for the husband

d. prepare the wedding dress

e. share their land with the new relatives

2. Approximately how many people died of starvation

from the 1943 famine of Bengal?

a. 1,500,000

b. 5,000,000

c. 4,500,000

d. 2,000,000

e. 3,000,000

3. How did Indian farmers earn money to pay their annual

rent to landowners?

a. building government infrastructure

b. harvesting and selling crops

c. collecting rent from subtenants

d. seeking jobs in cities

e. selling artisanal wares

4. Under British colonization, landowners relied on their

tenants’ rent to

a. pay taxes

b. tithe to the temples

c. purchase land

d. support their families

e. buy food

5. Which term BEST describes the indirect rule of the

British in India?

a. hawala

b. zamindarship

c. satyagraha

d. adibasi

e. diwani

6. In Nectar in a Sieve, which event BEST illustrates the

effects of industrialization?

a. the tannery’s arrival

b. the hospital’s construction

c. the bank’s opening

d. the church’s construction

e. the school’s closing

7. Which group of people earns the HIGHEST wages in

Nectar in a Sieve?

a. school teachers

b. tannery workers

c. newspaper writers

d. tenant farmers

e. village merchants

8. In rural Indian society under British colonialism, a

farming family’s male child would be LEAST likely to

a. stay on the land and work

b. move to a city to do basic labor

c. leave his village and never return

d. become an indentured servant in another

country

e. find employment in a new industry

9. Which commodity do Nathan and Ruku cultivate in

Nectar in a Sieve?

a. corn

b. bananas

c. rice

d. coffee

e. sugar

10. Which of the following economic systems does Nectar

in a Sieve BEST illustrate?

a. socialism

b. syndicalism

c. libertarianism

d. capitalism

e. feudalism

11. A commodity can BEST be defined as a(n)

a. good that is produced by hand

b. resource found in rural areas

c. object with an exchange value

d. necessity for survival

e. gift given to a volunteer

12. To a landowner, the ultimate purpose of rice is to

a. share with neighbors

b. create capital

c. forge trade bonds

d. feed his family

e. save for celebrations

CURRICULUM FOCUSED QUIZ 3 PAGE 6 OF 51 DEMIDEC RESOURCES ©2013

13. Into which caste was Kamala Markandaya born?

a. Vaishya

b. Shudra

c. Brahmin

d. Kshatriya

e. Dalit

14. The MOST important aspect of an Indian woman’s life

was her

a. religion

b. fertility

c. daughters

d. loyalty

e. job

15. A dowry is a(n)

a. article of clothing worn by a bride

b. payment given to a husband’s family

c. type of food made for a wedding

d. item given to a bride for her home

e. tool used to cultivate the land

16. Family life in rural India was MOST often based on

a. ethnicity

b. caste

c. religion

d. wealth

e. kinship

17. Which of the following responsibilities would a woman

living in colonial India MOST likely fulfill?

a. cultivating the land

b. cleaning the house

c. finding a husband

d. working in a factory

e. voting in an election

18. Indira Gandhi was MOST exceptional for

a. providing food to the poor

b. introducing a new religion

c. helping end colonialism

d. discovering a cure for typhoid

e. participating in politics

19. Traditionally, Indian women were expected to

a. organize their village religious ceremonies

b. work in the field with their husbands and sons

c. find their own husbands during village

gatherings

d. leave their birth families and join their husbands

e. provide income for their families

20. In Nectar in a Sieve, Ira’s husband rejects her for her

a. inability to conceive

b. refusal to sell their land

c. murder of their neighbor

d. indiscretion with another man

e. failure to find work

LANGLIT CURRICULUM FOCUSED QUIZ 4 NIAS: PLOT SYNOPSIS AND SETTING (PP. 15-16)

1. Who narrates Nectar in a Sieve?

a. Ira

b. Rukmani

c. Kuti

d. Kunthi

e. Janaki

2. Who does Rukmani marry?

a. Nathan

b. Kenny

c. Puli

d. Biswas

e. Arjun

3. How old is Rukmani on her wedding day?

a. 14

b. 16

c. 12

d. 15

e. 13

4. For how many years after she gives birth to a daughter

is Rukmani infertile?

a. five

b. eight

c. seven

d. four

e. six

5. Rukmani’s husband is a

a. farmer

b. shaman

c. merchant

d. priest

e. builder

6. Rukmani gives birth to

a. five sons and four daughters

b. four sons and three daughters

c. six sons and one daughter

d. seven sons and two daughters

e. eight sons and three daughters

7. Which of the following events has the largest economic

impact on Rukmani’s village?

a. the village elder’s death

b. the tannery’s construction

c. women’s rights

d. a new religion’s arrival

e. the hospital’s opening

8. Which character is rejected by her husband in Nectar in

a Sieve?

a. Ira

b. Ruku

c. Kunthi

d. Janaki

e. Old Granny

9. Two of Rukmani’s sons leave their village to

a. search for wives

b. fight in a war

c. get jobs

d. find a doctor

e. look for their brother

10. The country of Ceylon is presently known by the name

a. Nepal

b. Sri Lanka

c. Bangladesh

d. China

e. Pakistan

11. A tannery official kills one of Rukmani’s sons because

he

a. is caught stealing

b. starts a petition

c. asks for higher pay

d. tries to burn down the tannery

e. is late for work

12. Which of Rukmani’s sons is apprenticed to Kenny?

a. Selvam

b. Arjun

c. Raja

d. Thambi

e. Murugan

13. How does Rukmani’s youngest son die?

a. disease

b. starvation

c. drowning

d. murder

e. suicide

14. Rukmani and Nathan leave their village to

a. reunite with their parents

b. seek help for their daughter

c. work at a tannery

d. find their son

e. escape the flood

CURRICULUM FOCUSED QUIZ 4 PAGE 8 OF 51 DEMIDEC RESOURCES ©2013

15. Rukmani adopts

a. Puli

b. Kuti

c. Murugan

d. Sacrabani

e. Raja

16. Which language do the characters in Nectar in a Sieve

speak?

a. Oriya

b. Kannada

c. Telugu

d. Tamil

e. Marathi

17. In which geographical region of India is Nectar in a

Sieve set?

a. east

b. central

c. south

d. west

e. north

18. Kamala Markandaya chose NOT to specify a location

for Nectar in a Sieve because she

a. did not have direct knowledge of the area

b. did not want to attract people to the region

c. wanted to leave the reader questioning

d. wanted to emphasize the story’s universality

e. wanted to protect her hometown village

19. All of the following clues indicate the possible time

period for Nectar in a Sieve EXCEPT the

a. mention of indentured labor

b. power of white men

c. social role of zamindars

d. names of local villages

e. presence of capitalism

20. After Rukmani and Nathan travel to the city to find

Murugan, Rukmani

a. receives money from her fourth son

b. sends money to her village friends

c. decides to live at the temple

d. plans to build a new hut in her village

e. returns home with an adopted son

LANGLIT CURRICULUM FOCUSED QUIZ 5 NIAS: CHAPTERS 1-15 (PP. 16-19)

1. The narrative point of view in Nectar in a Sieve is

a. third-person omniscient

b. second-person

c. alternating person

d. first-person

e. third-person

2. The first sentence in Chapter 1 of Nectar in a Sieve

indicates

a. Ira had a baby

b. Ruku adopted Puli

c. Ruku is pregnant

d. Kenny is a doctor

e. Ruku’s husband is dead

3. Who is Ruku describing when she says, “the child I

clung to who was not mine”?

a. Arjun

b. Kuti

c. Puli

d. Raja

e. Sacrabani

4. In the first few paragraphs of Nectar in a Sieve, Ruku

a. reflects on how she learned to read and write

b. describes the interior of her childhood home

c. shares her experiences of getting her first job

d. remembers how her mother prepared food

e. recalls her own childhood with her sisters

5. Why does Ruku marry a poor tenant farmer?

a. They were introduced by her grandmother.

b. She is granted some land to farm.

c. She meets him at the temple.

d. Her family lacks a dowry for her.

e. Her father meets him in a field.

6. Ruku and Nathan’s marriage is described as

a. “the golden partners”

b. “an unhappy coincidence”

c. “a poor match”

d. “a perfect pair”

e. “the lucky ones”

7. Which action comforts Ruku while she is pregnant?

a. painting

b. dancing

c. singing

d. sewing

e. writing

8. Ruku is MOST disappointed at her first child’s birth

since the child is

a. fatherless

b. albino

c. sick

d. female

e. starving

9. Ruku FIRST visits Kennington to

a. proposition him

b. see if he has jobs for her sons

c. find a cure for her infertility

d. seek help for her ill mother

e. ask for food to feed her family

10. Which character in Nectar in a Sieve says, “bend like the

grass that you do not break”?

a. Kenny

b. Ruku

c. Nathan

d. Ira

e. Old Granny

11. Who is the “matchmaker” in Nectar in a Sieve?

a. Ruku

b. Old Granny

c. Janaki

d. Kenny

e. Kunthi

12. The same year Ira is married, Ruku’s village is

a. renamed for political reasons

b. rioted by tannery workers

c. attacked by foreigners

d. burned to the ground

e. destroyed by a monsoon

13. Kenny is MOST angry with Ruku and the villagers

because they

a. dislike the tannery

b. do not want the hospital

c. do not ask for help

d. do not accept him

e. beg him for money

CURRICULUM FOCUSED QUIZ 5 PAGE 10 OF 51 DEMIDEC RESOURCES ©2013

14. Who are the FIRST villagers to work in the tannery?

a. Puli’s parents

b. Ruku’s neighbors

c. Kunthi’s sons

d. Kenny’s workers

e. Selvam’s friends

15. Why does Janaki’s family leave the village?

a. Kenny gives her family land.

b. Kunthi attacks her and her family.

c. She connects with her parents in the city.

d. Her sons hear about jobs in another country.

e. Her husband closes his shop.

16. The indigenous villagers in Nectar in a Sieve are

a. Hindu

b. Jain

c. Buddhist

d. Muslim

e. Christian

17. Ira’s husband returns her to her family after he finds

out she

a. is dying of starvation

b. wants to return home

c. bears an albino child

d. has been unfaithful

e. cannot conceive children

18. Which of Ruku’s sons MOST openly rebels against

tenant farming?

a. Selvam

b. Raja

c. Thambi

d. Kuti

e. Arjun

19. In Chapter 11 of Nectar in a Sieve, Nathan leaves the

village to

a. see a doctor

b. sell rice

c. find his son

d. buy land

e. attend a funeral

20. Kunthi’s attire in Chapter 11 of Nectar in a Sieve

suggests she is

a. attending to the land

b. joining the tannery

c. traveling far from home

d. going to the temple

e. working as a prostitute

21. Why does Ruku attack Kunthi on her way home from

visiting Kenny?

a. Kunthi criticizes Ira’s son for being albino.

b. Kunthi has been influencing Ira to become a

prostitute.

c. Ruku discovers Kunthi has been visiting Kenny.

d. Ruku catches Kunthi stealing rice from her

house.

e. Kunthi threatens to tell Nathan that Ruku has

been unfaithful.

22. Which event in Nectar in a Sieve brings the MOST

happiness to Ruku and her family?

a. the festival of Deepavali

b. Sacrabani’s birth

c. the hospital’s construction

d. the tannery’s arrival

e. Sivaji’s visit

23. Who is Kuti’s primary caregiver?

a. Kali

b. Old Granny

c. Janaki

d. Ruku

e. Ira

24. Arjun and Thambi travel to Ceylon to

a. find their brother

b. open a hospital

c. become rice farmers

d. work on tea plantations

e. join the military

25. Raja trespasses on the tannery property to

a. start a riot

b. steal a skin

c. kill an officer

d. destroy the tannery

e. find his brother

LANGLIT CURRICULUM FOCUSED QUIZ 6 NIAS: CHAPTERS 16-30 (PP. 19-21)

1. In Chapter 16 of Nectar in a Sieve, which character does

Ruku think is sneaking around her family’s hut at night?

a. Kali

b. Kunthi

c. Janaki

d. Sivaji

e. Kenny

2. Ira becomes a prostitute in order to

a. become pregnant

b. buy food for Kuti

c. give money to Ruku

d. find a man to marry

e. buy her own house

3. Kuti dies within weeks of

a. the hospital’s completion

b. his mother’s birthday

c. the tannery’s opening

d. an abundant harvest

e. a devastating monsoon

4. Which of Ruku’s sons does Kenny decide to train as his

apprentice?

a. Sacrabani

b. Selvam

c. Raja

d. Arjun

e. Thambi

5. Kenny plans to use the funds he has raised to

a. open a factory

b. organize a festival

c. extend a market

d. start a church

e. construct a hospital

6. Ruku does not understand the purpose of

a. asking for help

b. fighting with Ira

c. sleeping late

d. working so hard

e. singing psalms

7. Sacrabani’s MOST unusual feature is his

a. birthmark

b. obesity

c. albinism

d. blindness

e. missing thumb

8. The father of Ira’s son is

a. dead

b. a temple priest

c. unknown

d. a landowner

e. a doctor

9. Which of the following statements does Selvam make

about Ira’s son?

a. “He looks peculiar.”

b. “A lovely child. Fair as a blossom.”

c. “People say he is milk white!”

d. “A pink-eyed child is no worse than a brown-

eyed one.”

e. “One day he will look like everyone else.”

10. The hospital’s opening in Nectar in a Sieve is prolonged

by

a. insufficient funds

b. construction delays

c. lack of treatment

d. a worker shortage

e. flood damages

11. Old Granny’s death in Nectar in a Sieve is caused by

a. pneumonia

b. starvation

c. old age

d. cancer

e. suicide

12. Which of the following words BEST describes how Ruku

feels when Old Granny dies?

a. envious

b. guilty

c. jubilant

d. cynical

e. furious

13. Ruku claims the FIRST sign of her community’s demise

was

a. the hospital’s construction

b. the tannery’s arrival

c. the monsoon

d. her son’s death

e. the birth of Ira’s son

CURRICULUM FOCUSED QUIZ 6 PAGE 12 OF 51 DEMIDEC RESOURCES ©2013

14. Which character offers to take care of Ira and

Sacrabani?

a. Thambi

b. Arjun

c. Nathan

d. Selvam

e. Kenny

15. After leaving their land, Nathan and Ruku

a. rent land from their neighbors

b. build a hut in a different village

c. search for their son in the city

d. attempt to destroy the tannery

e. work at the hospital

16. Nathan and Ruku travel to the city on a

a. bullock cart

b. cycle rickshaw

c. horse

d. train

e. palanquin

17. All of the following statements about Ruku and

Nathan’s journey to the city are false EXCEPT that they

a. do not notify their son they are coming

b. accidentally separate from each other in the

village

c. offer rice to the villagers traveling with them

d. argue with the driver for charging them too

much

e. plan to rest along the way at Ruku’s mother’s

house

18. On their first night in the city, Ruku and Nathan find

food and rest in a

a. mill

b. barn

c. tavern

d. hut

e. temple

19. On their first night in the temple, why does Nathan

NOT get in line for food?

a. Ruku does not think he should eat.

b. He is ashamed to be there.

c. Ruku offers to get it for him.

d. His leg is broken.

e. He is too sick to stand.

20. Which of the following items is taken from Ruku’s sari

the first night she and Nathan stay at the temple?

a. rice

b. a bracelet

c. money

d. a letter

e. a pan

21. Upon arriving at the doctor’s house, Nathan and Ruku

discover

a. Murugan died from starvation

b. the doctor sent Murugan to Ruku’s village

c. Murugan works at the tannery

d. the doctor is an Englishman

e. Murugan no longer workers there

22. Who is Murugan’s wife?

a. Aditi

b. Ahsan

c. Amala

d. Ammu

e. Abha

23. How does Ruku try to make money at the temple?

a. cutting hair

b. reading letters

c. cooking food

d. making jewelry

e. stitching clothes

24. Ruku, Nathan, and Puli work together at a(n)

a. rock quarry

b. sewing workshop

c. tea plantation

d. fish market

e. rice paddy

25. Which of the following statements BEST describes the

ending of Nectar in a Sieve?

a. Ruku establishes her life in the city with Puli.

b. Nathan and Ruku return to their village with

Murugan’s family.

c. Murugan builds a house for Ruku.

d. Ruku lives with her son in the city.

e. Ruku returns home to her village.

LANGLIT CURRICULUM FOCUSED QUIZ 7 NIAS: CHARACTERS (PP. 21-22)

1. Who narrates Nectar in a Sieve?

a. Janaki

b. Kali

c. Nathan

d. Ruku

e. Ira

2. Ruku learns how to read and write from her

a. brother

b. grandmother

c. mother

d. uncle

e. father

3. Where does Nathan die?

a. at a city temple

b. on the road

c. near a river

d. in the tannery

e. in their village

4. Ruku’s role as a wife and a mother can BEST be

described as

a. callous

b. ashamed

c. devoted

d. selfish

e. hopeless

5. Who is Ruku’s husband?

a. Biswas

b. Selvam

c. Nathan

d. Kenny

e. Murugan

6. Which of the following words does NOT describe

Nathan?

a. faithful

b. affectionate

c. caring

d. hardworking

e. patient

7. Nathan is a(n)

a. artisan

b. builder

c. shaman

d. farmer

e. merchant

8. In whose arms does Nathan die?

a. Murugan’s

b. Puli’s

c. Ruku’s

d. Selvam’s

e. Kenny’s

9. Kenny spends MOST of his time

a. helping the villagers

b. finding a job

c. cultivating the land

d. building a hospital

e. organizing tannery workers

10. Which character in Nectar in a Sieve represents the

Western philanthropist?

a. Old Granny

b. Sacrabani

c. Ruku

d. Nathan

e. Kenny

11. Who is Ruku’s firstborn child?

a. Arjun

b. Irawaddy

c. Murugan

d. Raja

e. Thambi

12. Which two characters lead a strike at the tannery?

a. Raja and Selvam

b. Arjun and Thambi

c. Thambi and Raja

d. Arjun and Raja

e. Selvam and Thambi

13. Murugan and his wife have

a. two sons and one daughter

b. three sons

c. two daughters and one son

d. one daughter

e. one son

14. Which character is killed by the tannery guards?

a. Kuti

b. Arjun

c. Raja

d. Selvam

e. Thambi

CURRICULUM FOCUSED QUIZ 7 PAGE 14 OF 51 DEMIDEC RESOURCES ©2013

15. At the end of Nectar in a Sieve, Selvam

a. leaves to work in Ceylon

b. welcomes Ruku and Puli home

c. finds Ruku in the city

d. saves Kuti’s life

e. leaves his wife and children

16. Ira is a mother figure for

a. Puli and Raja

b. Kuti and Sacrabani

c. Sacrabani and Murugan

d. Arjun and Kuti

e. Thambi and Arjun

17. All of the following statements about Puli are true

EXCEPT that he

a. steals Ruku’s money

b. helps Ruku and Nathan

c. is a smart orphan

d. travels to Ruku’s village

e. suffers from leprosy

18. Which of the following statements about Kunthi is

TRUE?

a. Old Granny is her mother.

b. She is close to Kenny.

c. Her sons start trouble at the tannery.

d. She is Kuti’s mother.

e. She works as a prostitute.

19. Which of the following characters is NOT Ruku’s friend?

a. Old Granny

b. Janaki

c. Kunthi

d. Kenny

e. Kali

20. Which of the following items would Old Granny MOST

likely sell?

a. berries

b. bracelets

c. saris

d. pottery

e. fish

LANGLIT CURRICULUM FOCUSED QUIZ 8 NIAS: THEMES – TITLE THROUGH TEMPORALITY (PP. 22-24)

1. The title and epigraph of Nectar in a Sieve are taken

from the poem

a. “Frost at Midnight”

b. “Fears in Solitude”

c. “Work Without Hope”

d. “A Vision in a Dream”

e. “The Watchman”

2. In Nectar in a Sieve, Kamala Markandaya incorporates

lines written by

a. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

b. Alfred Lord Tennyson

c. Samuel Taylor Coleridge

d. Elizabeth Barrett Browning

e. Ralph Waldo Emerson

3. A sieve is a(n)

a. needle used to inject medicine

b. type of skin rash caused by allergies

c. enclosed structure occupied by honey bees

d. tool used to nourish soil in fields

e. device used to separate liquids and solids

4. Nectar is associated with all of the following elements

EXCEPT

a. life

b. wealth

c. beauty

d. joy

e. reproduction

5. The title of Nectar in a Sieve contains

a. alliteration

b. an oxymoron

c. a metaphor

d. personification

e. a simile

6. In “Work Without Hope” the speaker discusses the

power of

a. nature

b. technology

c. science

d. education

e. dreams

7. Who is the “sole unbusy thing” in “Work Without

Hope”?

a. a slug

b. a bee

c. the speaker

d. a bird

e. the stream

8. Which of the following words BEST describes the

speaker’s tone in the final couplet of “Work Without

Hope”?

a. sarcastic

b. bitter

c. anxious

d. lethargic

e. resentful

9. The epigraph of Nectar in a Sieve is MOST different

from typical epigraphs in that it

a. shares information about the main characters

b. is placed at the end rather than the beginning

c. is written by someone other than the author

d. summarizes the plot in a short paragraph

e. raises questions rather than answering them

10. When Ruku says, “how grateful I am that not all the

clamor which invaded our lives later could subdue the

memory or still the longing for it,” she is referring to

a. Puli’s adoption

b. her marriage

c. Kuti’s death

d. the tannery

e. Nathan’s death

11. All of the following statements concerning Ruku’s

narration in Nectar in a Sieve are true EXCEPT that she

a. reflects on her past actions and decisions

b. turns to the past for comfort

c. describes her unhappiness at living alone

d. shares her feelings of disappointment

e. intentionally excludes certain events in her life

12. Which of the following moments in Nectar in a Sieve is

the MOST ambiguous?

a. the location of Arjun and Thambi’s new job

b. Nathan’s reasoning for giving Kunthi his family’s

rice

c. Kenny’s treatment of Ruku’s infertility

d. Ira’s reason for turning to prostitution

e. the cause of Raja’s death at the tannery

CURRICULUM FOCUSED QUIZ 8 PAGE 16 OF 51 DEMIDEC RESOURCES ©2013

13. Which character does Ruku dream about in the

opening passages of Nectar in a Sieve?

a. Nathan

b. Kuti

c. Murugan

d. Old Granny

e. Puli

14. Which of Ruku’s memories is the MOST vivid?

a. her daughter’s wedding

b. her experiences at the quarry

c. her lost family members

d. her journey to the city

e. the tannery’s destruction

15. Which of the following statements BEST describes how

Ruku feels about her life?

a. She confuses present with past events.

b. She enjoys the present more than the past.

c. She envisions her future choices.

d. She regrets decisions she made in the past.

e. She cherishes the past more than the present.

16. To whom does Ruku refer when she says, “So they were

reconciled and threw the past away with both hands”?

a. Janaki and Kali

b. Kali and Old Granny

c. Kunthi and Janaki

d. Old Granny and Ira

e. Ira and Kunthi

17. Which memory does Ruku describe as “hard and bright

within me like a diamond”?

a. Puli’s adoption

b. Nathan’s death

c. the tannery’s construction

d. Sacrabani’s birth

e. the festival of Deepavali

18. The ending of Nectar in a Sieve

a. includes a theme-related poem

b. takes the reader back to the beginning

c. stops abruptly with unclear conclusions

d. implies that the story was a dream

e. asks the reader a question

19. Which event would MOST express a sense of futility in

Nectar in a Sieve?

a. the tannery’s destruction

b. Murugan’s return home

c. the village’s destruction

d. the end of colonialism in India

e. Ruku’s death

20. At the end of Nectar in a Sieve, Ruku promises to

a. share her story

b. find her children

c. start a new life

d. move to the city

e. pray for her village

LANGLIT CURRICULUM FOCUSED QUIZ 9 NIAS: THEMES – CRITIQUES OF COLONIALISM THROUGH THE FRIENDSHIP (PP. 24-30)

1. Nectar in a Sieve is MOST likely set in

a. western India

b. southern India

c. eastern India

d. central India

e. northern India

2. Which of the following human emotions is LEAST

present in Nectar in a Sieve?

a. endurance

b. suffering

c. joy

d. pain

e. anger

3. Which of the following factors seems MOST to affect

Ruku’s life in the opening passages of Nectar in a

Sieve?

a. colonialism

b. family arguments

c. dangerous animals

d. food shortages

e. natural disasters

4. As a child, Ruku dreams about

a. writing a book

b. traveling the world

c. living in a castle

d. having a wedding

e. finding a treasure chest

5. Ruku’s father is a(n)

a. collector

b. architect

c. lawyer

d. doctor

e. chief

6. Which character tells Ruku that the headman “is no

longer of consequence”?

a. her brother

b. her husband

c. her sister

d. her mother

e. her grandfather

7. Which literary element is MOST apparent in Ruku’s

statement, “the change that now came into my life […]

seemed wrought in the twinkling of any eye”?

a. foreshadowing

b. simile

c. alliteration

d. onomatopoeia

e. allusion

8. All of the following statements about the tannery in

Nectar in a Sieve are true EXCEPT that it

a. is economically devastating

b. changes native traditions

c. contaminates the water

d. pollutes the land

e. alters family structures

9. The MOST extensive empire in world history was the

a. Mongol Empire

b. Spanish Empire

c. British Empire

d. Russian Empire

e. Ottoman Empire

10. Who is the village tanner before the tannery is

constructed in Nectar in a Sieve?

a. Kuti

b. Kunthi

c. Kennington

d. Kannan

e. Kannada

11. Which action does Nathan believe people should take

when the tannery arrives in Nectar in a Sieve?

a. migrate to another city

b. fight the tannery workers

c. cry out for help

d. refuse to work

e. adapt to the changes

12. According to Ruku in Nectar in a Sieve, which three

forces control women?

a. technology, women, and white men

b. white men, technology, and children

c. men, children, and the land

d. women, technology, and events

e. white men, other men, and events

CURRICULUM FOCUSED QUIZ 9 PAGE 18 OF 51 DEMIDEC RESOURCES ©2013

13. Which character in Nectar in a Sieve refers to the

villagers as “meek suffering fools”?

a. Murugan

b. Kenny

c. Biswas

d. Amma

e. Sivaji

14. Ruku FIRST understands how events in her life are

connected when

a. Ira gives birth to Sacrabani

b. Arjun and Thambi migrate to Ceylon

c. Nathan dies at the temple

d. Old Granny dies in the street

e. Murugan leaves home for the city

15. Ruku compares the tannery to

a. a prison

b. weeds

c. viruses

d. fire

e. a snake

16. Throughout Nectar in a Sieve, Ruku and Kenny struggle

to

a. understand each other

b. cultivate their land

c. communicate in English

d. fall in love

e. work together

17. Which item does Ruku collect from the fields to use as

protection for her family’s hut?

a. manure

b. grass

c. rocks

d. bones

e. sticks

18. All of the following statements about Kenny are true

EXCEPT that he

a. speaks the villagers’ local language

b. supports modernization

c. is a white male doctor

d. disappears for years at a time

e. lives in the village with his wife and children

19. In Chapter 12 of Nectar in a Sieve, Kenny’s description

of his family invokes images of

a. marriage

b. slavery

c. heaven

d. rebirth

e. nature

20. When Kenny says, “I can only take you people in small

doses,” he is referring to

a. the tannery workers

b. his family

c. the villagers

d. the tax collectors

e. his patients

LANGLIT CURRICULUM FOCUSED QUIZ 10 NIAS: THEMES – SUFFERING (PP. 30-34)

1. Nectar in a Sieve could BEST be described as

a. misleading

b. depressing

c. critical

d. spiritual

e. fantastical

2. Which task gives Ruku the MOST pleasure in the early

years of her marriage?

a. nurturing her garden

b. fixing the family’s hut

c. talking to her neighbors

d. cooking for her children

e. working at the store

3. According to Ruku, life is

a. senseless

b. regenerative

c. multifaceted

d. extraordinary

e. diminutive

4. While working outside, Ruku accidentally touches a

a. snake

b. frog

c. cockroach

d. spider

e. mouse

5. Which two forces MAINLY shape the villagers’ lives in

Nectar in a Sieve?

a. hope and fear

b. captivity and freedom

c. generosity and greed

d. strength and weakness

e. pride and shame

6. In Chapter 7 of Nectar in a Sieve, Ruku compares nature

to a(n)

a. dream

b. animal

c. machine

d. heart

e. toy

7. In Nectar in a Sieve, the villagers play drums after

a. the tannery’s construction

b. a drought

c. a storm

d. a missionary’s arrival

e. the hospital’s opening

8. Kamala Markandaya urges readers of Nectar in a Sieve

to consider the relationship between

a. dishonesty and marriage

b. work and a person’s perceived value

c. collective and individual experiences

d. colonialism and rural village life

e. natural disasters and the environment

9. According to Ruku, crying out for help is useless

without

a. reciprocity

b. money

c. honesty

d. family

e. vulnerability

10. Ruku fears Ira will suffer the same fate as

a. Ammu

b. Kali

c. Janaki

d. Kunthi

e. Old Granny

11. Throughout Nectar in a Sieve, Ruku

a. fights an internal battle against pain

b. is dissatisfied with life in the village

c. cries out for help during difficult moments

d. wishes to live with Kenny in the city

e. refuses to accept her suffering

12. For Deepavali, Ruku buys her children

a. blankets

b. fireworks

c. rice cakes

d. books

e. medicine

CURRICULUM FOCUSED QUIZ 10 PAGE 20 OF 51 DEMIDEC RESOURCES ©2013

13. Which of the following terms BEST describes Nathan’s

behavior at Deepavali?

a. carefree

b. impatient

c. furious

d. nervous

e. suspicious

14. On the evening of Deepavali, Nathan and Ruku

a. steal food for their family

b. travel to the city

c. take their children to the doctor

d. conceive their last child

e. watch men build the tannery

15. The line “the truth is unpalatable” FIRST appears in

Nectar in a Sieve when

a. Kuti dies of starvation

b. Ira tells Ruku she is a prostitute

c. tannery officials bring Raja’s body to Ruku

d. Kenny tells Ruku her mother will die

e. tax collectors seek money from the villagers

LANGLIT CURRICULUM FOCUSED QUIZ 11 NIAS: RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN WOMEN THROUGH RECEPTION AND LITERARY CRITICISM (PP. 34-38)

1. Which of the following social structures is MOST

evident in Nectar in a Sieve?

a. Women are in power, while men pay the rent.

b. Men and women work together and are both in

power.

c. Men are in power, while women are excluded

from it.

d. Men are in power, while women work on the

land.

e. Men have most power, but women gain power

over time.

2. Which of the following terms BEST describes Ruku’s

relationship with other women?

a. suspicious

b. dishonest

c. loyal

d. complex

e. direct

3. Which of the following children does NOT provide

support for the family?

a. Thambi

b. Ira

c. Selvam

d. Murugan

e. Arjun

4. Which character is Ruku’s foil in Nectar in a Sieve?

a. Old Granny

b. Janaki

c. Kunthi

d. Kali

e. Ira

5. Which of the following statements about the portrayal

of women in Nectar in a Sieve is FALSE?

a. Women lack power in society.

b. Women who cannot conceive are useless.

c. Women share a universal sisterhood.

d. Women depend on men for survival.

e. Women provide dowries for men.

6. In which year was Nectar in a Sieve published?

a. 1954

b. 1962

c. 1947

d. 1982

e. 1943

7. Which award did the American Library Association give

Nectar in a Sieve?

a. Must Read

b. Universal Novel

c. Best Seller

d. Unforgettable Story

e. Notable Book

8. Nectar in a Sieve is BEST classified as

a. fantasy narrative

b. social realism

c. adventure nonfiction

d. historical drama

e. western fiction

9. Public school curriculum writers view Nectar in a Sieve

MAINLY as

a. mostly harmless

b. completely innocent

c. extremely offensive

d. slightly precarious

e. reasonably safe

10. Readers of Nectar in a Sieve would MOST likely

overlook the

a. misery of starvation

b. critiques of colonialism

c. significance of family

d. importance of fertility

e. portrayal of women

11. Which event in Nectar in a Sieve MOST catalyzes Ruku’s

friendship with Kenny?

a. Her mother passes away.

b. She is unable to conceive.

c. The tannery arrives in the village.

d. She discovers Nathan’s infidelity.

e. Ira is unable to conceive.

12. When Ira is a baby, Ruku is MOST proud of her

daughter’s

a. curiosity

b. strength

c. beauty

d. intelligence

e. gender

CURRICULUM FOCUSED QUIZ 11 PAGE 22 OF 51 DEMIDEC RESOURCES ©2013

13. Which term BEST describes Nathan’s feeling about Ira’s

maternal behavior towards Kuti in Nectar in a Sieve?

a. angry

b. content

c. jealous

d. indifferent

e. suspicious

14. Ira’s status as an unmarried woman at the end of

Nectar in a Sieve makes her

a. vulnerable

b. marriageable

c. invaluable

d. untouchable

e. desirable

15. All of the following terms describe Ruku’s response to

Ira’s prostitution EXCEPT

a. judgmental

b. pragmatic

c. compassionate

d. sad

e. disappointed

LANGLIT CURRICULUM FOCUSED QUIZ 12 “QUIT INDIA” SPEECH: GANDHI THROUGH CONFLICT IN INDIA (PP. 39-43)

1. In which city was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi born?

a. Rajkot

b. Mumbai

c. Baroda

d. Ahmedabad

e. Porbandar

2. Where did Mohandas Gandhi study law?

a. Rome

b. Madrid

c. Budapest

d. London

e. Berlin

3. In which country did Mohandas Gandhi work for 21

years?

a. Algeria

b. Morocco

c. South Africa

d. Ethiopia

e. Ghana

4. Mohandas Gandhi was prompted to speak out against

apartheid after he was

a. removed from a train car reserved only for white

people

b. not allowed to join a particular branch of the

military

c. arrested for helping a black man get a job

d. required to relocate his family to another town

e. forced to work on the land rather than at an

industry

5. Mohandas Gandhi’s approach to end apartheid is BEST

described as

a. racist

b. hypocritical

c. authoritarian

d. nonviolent

e. traditional

6. In his book Hind Swaraj, Mohandas Gandhi

a. criticizes Western modernity

b. analyzes India’s independence

c. explains his Indian childhood

d. discusses the partition of India

e. describes the causes of World War II

7. The term “Mahatma” means

a. political figure

b. victorious one

c. strong leader

d. powerful ruler

e. great soul

8. In 1921, Mohandas Gandhi became a member of the

a. Telugu Desam Party

b. Association of Young Indians

c. Communist Party of India

d. Bahujan Samaj Party

e. Indian National Congress

9. The term swaraj means

a. self-esteem

b. self-respect

c. self-rule

d. self-sacrifice

e. self-reliant

10. Which term did Mohandas Gandhi give individuals at

the bottom of the Indian caste system?

a. Harijans

b. Shudras

c. Brahmins

d. Kshatriyas

e. Vaishyas

11. Mohandas Gandhi was referred to as

a. gita

b. ajit

c. hari

d. bapu

e. devika

12. Who gave Mohandas Gandhi the title “Father of the

Nation”?

a. Subhas Chandra Bose

b. Harivansh Rai Bachchan

c. Lal Bahadur Shastri

d. Vaikom Muhammad Basheer

e. Atal Bihari Vajpayee

13. Which three tenets form the basis of Satyagraha?

a. self-suffering, truth, and nonviolence

b. truth, nonviolence, and self-suffering

c. truth, passion, and honesty

d. strength, confidence, and understanding

e. nonviolence, confidence, and compassion

CURRICULUM FOCUSED QUIZ 12 PAGE 24 OF 51 DEMIDEC RESOURCES ©2013

14. All of the following statements about Satyagraha are

true EXCEPT that it

a. encourages a person to understand the world

through spirituality

b. focuses on a person’s moral standards

c. implies a quest for truth through any means

necessary

d. requires a person to practice self-restraint

e. is the key principle in Gandhi’s “Quit India”

speech

15. Which name was given to Mohandas Gandhi’s

nonviolent action campaign of tax resistance?

a. Aligarh Movement

b. Indian Rebellion

c. Green Revolution

d. Salt March

e. Hind Affair

16. Which British Prime Minister sent Sir Richard Stafford

Cripps to initiate negotiations with Mohandas Gandhi?

a. Harold Wilson

b. Clement Attlee

c. Neville Chamberlain

d. Winston Churchill

e. Stanley Baldwin

17. Who was the founder of Pakistan?

a. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

b. Muhammad Ali Jinnah

c. Shankar Dayal Sharma

d. Liaquat Ali Khan

e. Abul Kalam Azad

18. The Cripps Mission encouraged Indian leaders to

a. publicly support the British government

b. preserve the culture of India

c. revise the Indian caste system

d. take control of the British trade route

e. combine the Indian and English languages

19. In his “Quit India” speech, Mohandas Gandhi urges

Indians to

a. “gather or separate”

b. “go or stop”

c. “cheer or cry”

d. “walk or run”

e. “do or die”

20. The Indian nationalist movement called for self-

government within the British Empire, otherwise known

as

a. “Free Rein”

b. “Open Territory”

c. “Home Rule”

d. “Safe Zone”

e. “Full Swing”

21. Where were Mohandas Gandhi and his wife imprisoned

in 1942?

a. Konark Sun Temple

b. Ahmednagar Fort

c. Chennai Prison

d. Musheerabard Jail

e. Aga Khan Palace

22. Who was India’s FIRST Prime Minister?

a. Narendra Modi

b. Morarji Desai

c. Gulzarilal Nanda

d. Jawaharlal Nehru

e. Chandra Shekhar

23. Which two countries resulted from the Partition of

India?

a. Pakistan and India

b. Nepal and Pakistan

c. India and Nepal

d. Afghanistan and Pakistan

e. India and Afghanistan

24. Ram Janmabhoomi is located in

a. Azamgarh

b. Achalpur

c. Achhnera

d. Alappuzha

e. Ayodhya

25. In a 1992 riot, Hindu extremists destroyed the

a. Jama Masjid

b. Fatehpuri Masjid

c. Aasfi Masjid

d. Mecca Masjid

e. Babri Masjid

LANGLIT CURRICULUM FOCUSED QUIZ 13 “QUIT INDIA” SPEECH: TEXT AND ANALYSIS (PP. 43-45)

1. In which year did Mohandas Gandhi give his “Quit India”

speech?

a. 1948

b. 1935

c. 1944

d. 1939

e. 1942

2. Whose viewpoint does Mohandas Gandhi ask the

audience to take in the opening paragraph of his “Quit

India” speech?

a. a politician’s

b. the British leaders’

c. his

d. the Congress’s

e. a soldier’s

3. Which of the following questions does Mohandas Gandhi

assume his audience is asking?

a. What gift did you receive from God?

b. Are you the same person you were in the past?

c. How do you believe a non-violent soldier will fight

for freedom?

d. Why do you think the British attacked us?

e. What will you do to bring us the freedom we

deserve?

4. According to Mohandas Gandhi, the draft resolution of the

Working Committee was based on

a. Karma

b. Swadeshi

c. Jati

d. Ahimsa

e. Hawala

5. Which “priceless gift” does Mohandas Gandhi believe God

gave him?

a. intelligence

b. patience

c. compassion

d. faith

e. courage

6. In his “Quit India” speech, Mohandas Gandhi is the LEAST

concerned with

a. independence

b. nonviolence

c. equality

d. freedom

e. power

7. Mohandas Gandhi believes power belongs to the

a. Indian people

b. British Empire

c. Indian Prime Minister

d. Indian National Congress

e. gods and goddesses

8. Who does Mohandas Gandhi think should earn power?

a. Tansis

b. Iranis

c. Zorsis

d. Parsis

e. Vendis

9. Which country does Mohandas Gandhi believe has had

the MOST democratic struggle for freedom?

a. the United States

b. Britain

c. Pakistan

d. India

e. South Africa

10. Which book did Mohandas Gandhi read while he was in

prison?

a. French Revolution

b. Indian Revolution

c. Haitian Revolution

d. Russian Revolution

e. Serbian Revolution

11. Who shared information with Mohandas Gandhi about the

Russian Revolution?

a. Morarji Desai

b. Pandit Jawaharlal

c. Chandra Shekhar

d. Gulzarilal Nanda

e. Narendra Modi

12. In his “Quit India” speech, Mohandas Gandhi invites his

audience to

a. train to become soldiers

b. join a struggle for democracy

c. sign a petition to end imperialism

d. fight for their rights using violence

e. work at a new government organization

13. Mohandas Gandhi notices that there is hostility between

his people and the

a. Bengalis

b. British

c. Pakistanis

d. Afghans

e. Americans

CURRICULUM FOCUSED QUIZ 13 PAGE 26 OF 51 DEMIDEC RESOURCES ©2013

14. Which of the following statements does Mohandas Gandhi

share in his “Quit India” speech?

a. “I know I am meant to lead.”

b. “I think time will heal our current situation.”

c. “I have never felt any hatred.”

d. “I will always bring peace to those around me.”

e. “I only trust those who sacrifice.”

15. Mohandas Gandhi considers himself a friend of the British

since he

a. forgives the British for their mistakes

b. understands what it is like to live and work in

Britain

c. respects the decisions of the British government

d. feels sorry for them because they are in distress

e. believes the British will help India in the future

16. How does Mohandas Gandhi open his “Quit India”

speech?

a. explaining how God has given him a priceless gift

of compassion

b. sharing the Working Committee’s draft resolution

c. describing India’s struggle for freedom

d. questioning his audience’s attitudes toward the

British

e. assuring his audience that he is the same believer

in nonviolence

17. During World War II, Mohandas Gandhi and the Indian

National Congress leaders

a. provoked European violence

b. opposed German Nazism

c. condemned British imperialism

d. refused Indian assistance

e. supported African apartheid

18. Which fear does Mohandas Gandhi share with his

audience in his “Quit India” speech?

a. British people will force their language on Indians.

b. Hindus will continue to overrule Muslims.

c. Indian people will welcome Japanese militarism.

d. Congress will support communist policies.

e. God will punish Indians for not fighting for their

country.

19. Which aspect of the British system does Mohandas Gandhi

consider corrupt?

a. legal system

b. armed forces

c. religious ideologies

d. voting rights

e. imperial rule

20. The weekly journal Mohandas Gandhi published from

1932 to 1948 was called

a. Halder

b. Harivansh

c. Hakim

d. Harilal

e. Harijan

21. Which part of the British Empire does Mohandas Gandhi

claim is MOST important?

a. the Monarchy

b. its history

c. the English language

d. the financial system

e. the Prime Minister

22. In his “Quit India” speech, Mohandas Gandhi claims he

wants to

a. prevent the Indian people from invading Britain

b. write the resolution for the Working Committee

c. take leadership of the Indian National Congress

d. distribute power to different Indian political parties

e. save the British from their mistakes

23. The Indian National Congress

a. legislated the partition of India

b. did not seek power for itself

c. worked closely with other nations

d. allowed Indian citizens to be members

e. supported the use of violence to save India

24. In his “Quit India” speech, Mohandas Gandhi says every

man will be

a. a leader in government

b. his own master

c. a puppet to Britain

d. a slave to Congress

e. the ruler of India

25. Mohandas Gandhi’s “Quit India” speech is BEST compared

to

a. Imaginary Homelands

b. “‘Commonwealth Literature’ Does Not Exist”

c. “Tryst with Destiny”

d. “Background, Casually”

e. “When Mr. Pirzada Came To Dine”

LANGLIT CURRICULUM FOCUSED QUIZ 14 “TRYST WITH DESTINY” (PP. 45-48)

1. Which of the following roles did Jawaharlal Nehru NOT

envision for a modern Indian nation state?

a. sovereign

b. democratic republic

c. secular

d. capitalist

e. socialist

2. When did Jawaharlal Nehru deliver his “Tryst with

Destiny” speech?

a. July 8, 1942

b. October 10, 1945

c. August 14, 1947

d. March 17, 1949

e. September 22, 1944

3. Jawaharlal Nehru says in “Tryst with Destiny” that at the

“stroke of the midnight hour,” India will

a. surrender to Britain

b. awake to life and freedom

c. lose its dignity

d. reunite with its lost brothers

e. become itself again

4. Jawaharlal Nehru shares in “Tryst with Destiny” that

freedom and power bring

a. greed

b. jealousy

c. responsibility

d. intelligence

e. success

5. In “Tryst with Destiny,” Jawaharlal Nehru compares

India to a(n)

a. garden

b. cave

c. island

d. cottage

e. mansion

6. Jawaharlal Nehru mentions a new star for India, known

as the star of

a. nonviolence

b. peace

c. freedom

d. unity

e. hope

7. Who does Jawaharlal Nehru refer to as the “Father of

our Nation” in “Tryst with Destiny”?

a. Salman Rushdie

b. Muhammad Ali Jinnah

c. himself

d. Mohandas Gandhi

e. Amar Gopal Bose

8. Jawaharlal Nehru mentions all of the following goals in

his “Tryst with Destiny” speech EXCEPT to

a. end poverty and disease

b. bring opportunity to the common man

c. expel Britain once and for all

d. build up a prosperous nation

e. create institutions that ensure justice

9. In “Tryst with Destiny,” Jawaharlal Nehru refers to India

by all of the following names EXCEPT

a. the ancient

b. the eternal

c. a much-loved motherland

d. the ever-new

e. a priceless gift

10. Jai Hind means

a. prosperity to India

b. victory to India

c. equality to India

d. freedom to India

e. justice to India

11. Jawaharlal Nehru’s “Tryst with Destiny” speech marked

India’s independence from

a. greed

b. hate

c. poverty

d. war

e. imperialism

12. Which popular film incorporates an excerpt from “Tryst

with Destiny”?

a. Nature

b. Space

c. Sunrise

d. Heaven

e. Earth

CURRICULUM FOCUSED QUIZ 14 PAGE 28 OF 51 DEMIDEC RESOURCES ©2013

13. In “Tryst with Destiny,” Jawaharlal Nehru asks the

people of India to

a. dedicate themselves to the service of all

mankind

b. join a struggle for democracy

c. fight for the freedom of their country

d. purge themselves of hatred towards other

nations

e. turn to religion in times of need

14. Who does Jawaharlal Nehru refer to as the “greatest

man of our generation”?

a. Stafford Cripps

b. Mohandas Gandhi

c. Winston Churchill

d. Muhammed Ali Jinnah

e. Salman Rushdie

15. According to Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s tryst with destiny

was made

a. within a few weeks

b. the day India was born

c. many years ago

d. in an hour

e. in three days

16. Jawaharlal Nehru describes India as

a. stepping out from the old to the new

b. looking for a long lost sibling

c. upgrading from silver to gold

d. reaching out to grab a new star

e. regaining trust that was forgotten

17. “Tryst with Destiny” is BEST classified as

a. patriotic

b. demonstrative

c. ironic

d. persuasive

e. informative

18. Jawaharlal Nehru’s rhetoric of unity and commonality in

“Tryst with Destiny” emphasizes the

a. importance of freedom

b. value of sacrifice

c. meaning of a nation

d. value of a citizen

e. significance of war

19. Throughout “Tryst with Destiny”, Jawaharlal Nehru’s

tone is BEST described as

a. optimistic

b. sarcastic

c. hesitant

d. hopeless

e. assertive

20. Which warning does Jawaharlal Nehru share with his

audience in “Tryst with Destiny”?

a. Do not close your eyes or your freedom will be

gone.

b. A disaster in one part of the world can affect

everyone else.

c. If we rejoice loudly, others will become angry.

d. A wrong decision made today will impact

tomorrow.

e. Never step off the path or you will get lost in

this world.

LANGLIT CURRICULUM FOCUSED QUIZ 15 SALMAN RUSHDIE: POSTMODERNISM THROUGH THE COMMONWEALTH OF NATIONS (PP. 48-51)

1. The FIRST book Salman Rushdie published was

a. Grimus

b. Midnight’s Children

c. The Riddle of Midnight

d. Satanic Verses

e. Imaginary Homelands

2. Which of Salman Rushdie’s books won the 1981 Booker

Prize?

a. Midnight’s Children

b. The Riddle of Midnight

c. Grimus

d. Imaginary Homelands

e. Satanic Verses

3. Midnight’s Children is BEST described as

a. frightening

b. quintessential

c. cheerful

d. monotonous

e. mysterious

4. All of the following statements about Salman Rushdie’s

Satanic Verses are true EXCEPT that it

a. was written to belittle the Prophet Mohammad

b. was published in 1988

c. caused Salman Rushdie to live under police

protection

d. was accused of blaspheming Islam

e. was banned in several countries

5. The style of Satanic Verses is

a. political satire

b. tragic comedy

c. historical fiction

d. magical realism

e. romantic drama

6. Salman Rushdie’s primary goal in writing Satanic Verses

was to

a. educate citizens on their personal rights

b. share his views on religion

c. criticize the effects of imperialism

d. discuss the experience of migration

e. persuade people to fight for freedom

7. In which collection were “Imaginary Homelands,” “The

Riddle of Midnight,” and “‘Commonwealth Literature’

Does Not Exist” published?

a. Grimus

b. Imaginary Homelands

c. The Riddle of Midnight

d. Midnight’s Children

e. Satanic Verses

8. Salman Rushdie is MOST often referred to as a(n)

a. postmodernist

b. modernist

c. nationalist

d. impressionist

e. expressionist

9. Why does Salman Rushdie MOST value the experiences

of migration?

a. They are an adventure.

b. They bring hope to individuals.

c. They give people a chance to escape from

poverty.

d. They provide a dual perspective on reality.

e. They allow people to become leaders.

10. Which literary technique allows a writer to portray

paradoxical truths while giving life to a diverse vision of

the world?

a. romantic drama

b. historical fiction

c. political satire

d. magical realism

e. tragic comedy

11. Throughout “The Riddle of Midnight: India, August

1987,” Salman Rushdie

a. compares India to Britain

b. presents a new geographical boundary for India

c. imagines India as a lost planet

d. criticizes Indian children that were born at the

same time

e. questions what holds India together

12. Salman Rushdie’s view of nationalism is MOST similar

to that of

a. Jawaharlal Nehru

b. Nissim Ezekiel

c. Benedict Anderson

d. Jhumpa Lahiri

e. Mahatma Gandhi

CURRICULUM FOCUSED QUIZ 15 PAGE 30 OF 51 DEMIDEC RESOURCES ©2013

13. How many member states comprise the

Commonwealth of Nations?

a. 47

b. 61

c. 53

d. 56

e. 42

14. In which year did the London Declaration formally

constitute the Commonwealth of Nations?

a. 1953

b. 1951

c. 1942

d. 1947

e. 1949

15. Which political writer refers to the Commonwealth of

Nations as “a large and somewhat anomalous club”?

a. Jawaharlal Nehru

b. James Astill

c. Mahatma Gandhi

d. Benedict Anderson

e. Salman Rushdie

LANGLIT CURRICULUM FOCUSED QUIZ 16 “THE RIDDLE OF MIDNIGHT: INDIA, AUGUST 1987”: TEXT (PP. 51-54)

1. “The Riddle of Midnight” was FIRST published in the

a. 1950s

b. 2970s

c. 1990s

d. 1980s

e. 1960s

2. In what collection was Salman Rushdie’s “The Riddle of

Midnight” published?

a. East, West

b. The Jaguar Smile

c. Homeless by Choice

d. Imaginary Homelands

e. Step across the Line

3. In “The Riddle of Midnight”, Salman Rushdie claims he was

born before

a. the British invasion

b. West Pakistan

c. anyone else in 1947

d. midnight

e. independent India

4. Salman Rushdie claims that he FIRST drew inspiration for

Midnight’s Children from

a. a family joke

b. India’s occupation

c. the plight of orphans

d. a British poem

e. his twin sister

5. On what date did India achieve its independence from

Britain?

a. July 12, 1947

b. October 31, 1947

c. August 15, 1947

d. December 8, 1948

e. September 23, 1948

6. The title of Salman Rushdie’s novel Midnight’s Children

came to signify India’s

a. spiritual revival

b. focus on children

c. departure from Britain

d. significant birth rate

e. post-colonial generation

7. Which riddle does Salman Rushdie attempt to answer in

“The Riddle of Midnight”?

a. “Does India exist?”

b. “Is the Ramayana real?”

c. “Who are midnight’s children?”

d. “Where does Asia belong?”

e. “What happened to the Mughals?”

8. Salman Rushdie contends that the question of India’s

existence makes MOST sense

a. spiritually

b. geographically

c. economically

d. linguistically

e. politically

9. Why does Salman Rushdie find the existence of a “free

India” MOST perplexing?

a. He does not understand the concept of freedom.

b. Freedom is not possible in this life.

c. A united India had never existed before 1947.

d. Indian people do not recognize their freedom.

e. No one has the power to declare a nation free.

10. In determining whether or not India is united, Salman

Rushdie considers all of the following aspects EXCEPT

a. culture

b. religion

c. language

d. topography

e. race

11. With whom does Salman Rushdie agree in his assessment

of India as a “functioning anarchy”?

a. J.K. Galbraith

b. Harbans Lal

c. Rajiv Gandhi

d. Abdul Ghani

e. Bal Thackeray

12. Where is the Babri Masjid mosque located?

a. Ayodhya

b. Chennai

c. Delhi

d. Jaunpur

e. Hyderabad

CURRICULUM FOCUSED QUIZ 16 PAGE 32 OF 51 DEMIDEC RESOURCES ©2013

13. According to Salman Rushdie in “The Riddle of Midnight”,

why is the town of Ayodhya MOST controversial?

a. Muslims refuse to allow entry to non-Muslims.

b. It is a sacred place for both Muslims and Hindus.

c. The British still maintain a heavy presence there.

d. The citizens did not support India’s independence.

e. Only Hindus are allowed to live within the city

limits.

14. Which fundamentalist group targeted Ayodhya?

a. Punya Bhoomi Bharat

b. Mahasabha Party

c. Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh

d. Bharatiya Janata Party

e. Vishwa Hindu Parishad

15. Which Indian city is known as the “Walled City”, according

to Salman Rushdie?

a. Delhi

b. Meerut

c. Chennai

d. Ahmedabad

e. Bombay

16. Which Muslim festival celebrates the end of the fasting

month?

a. Ramadan

b. Ashura

c. Eid

d. Arafah

e. Dhu al-Hijjah

17. One person Salman Rushdie interviewed for “The Riddle of

Midnight” claimed that Hindus resented Muslims’

a. spiritual practices

b. committed citizenship

c. large families

d. political influence

e. material prosperity

18. Which of the following Indian cities contain sites of

religious significance to both Muslims and Hindus?

a. Ahmedabad and Benares

b. Meerut and Ahmedabad

c. Benares and Meerut

d. Mathura and Benares

e. Mathura and Meerut

19. Which event led Sikhs to become the MAIN target of a

ten-day massacre in India in 1984?

a. Sikhs lobbied for a separate state.

b. Sikhs assassinated Indira Gandhi.

c. Hindus killed Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.

d. Muslims attacked the Chandni Chowk docks.

e. Sikhs finished building the Golden Temple.

20. In “The Riddle of Midnight”, Salman Rushdie reveals that

he comes from a

a. Chennai Muslim family

b. Bombay Muslim family

c. Khalistan Muslim family

d. Kolkata Hindu family

e. Delhi Hindu family

21. Salman Rushdie claims Indians MOST criticized Midnight’s

Children for

a. being too pessimistic

b. showing disrespect to Congress

c. containing little truth

d. glorifying violence

e. promoting communalism

22. When Salman Rushdie refers to the “Balkanization of

India”, he MOST likely means its

a. fragmentation into separate regions

b. takeover by Eastern European powers

c. adaptation of nationalist ideology

d. total independence from colonial powers

e. perceived religious and political hatred

23. Who was the Prime Minister of India at the time Salman

Rushdie wrote “The Riddle of Midnight”?

a. Chandra Sekhar

b. Atal Bihari Vajpayee

c. I.K. Gujral

d. Rajiv Gandhi

e. Charan Singh

24. According to Salman Rushdie, a new version of Indian

communalism has taken the form of Hindu consciousness

that transcends

a. religion

b. money

c. caste

d. power

e. politics

25. Which of the following people does Salman Rushdie NOT

interview for “The Riddle of Midnight”?

a. Abdul Ghani

b. Hari Singh

c. Harbans Lal

d. Robi Chatterjee

e. Bal Thackeray

LANGLIT CURRICULUM FOCUSED QUIZ 17 “THE RIDDLE OF MIDNIGHT: INDIA, AUGUST 1987”: ANALYSIS (PP. 54-56)

1. Whose “Tryst with Destiny” speech preceded “The

Riddle of Midnight” by 40 years?

a. Bal Thackeray

b. Jawaharlal Nehru

c. Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale

d. Mahatma Gandhi

e. Indira Gandhi

2. Salman Rushdie’s goal in “The Riddle of Midnight” is to

find

a. other people born in 1947

b. himself as an Indian Muslim

c. information for a new novel

d. people who feel as he does

e. the cause of religious conflict

3. Salman Rushdie contends that, if India does NOT exist,

it is a result of

a. fatalism

b. nativism

c. communalism

d. reductionism

e. anarchism

4. Which two interviewees in “The Riddle of Midnight”

does Salman Rushdie observe are nearly the same

except for their religions?

a. Bal Thackeray and Harbans Lal

b. Abdul Ghani and Bal Thackeray

c. Robi Chatterjee and Harbans Lal

d. Bal Thackeray and Robi Chatterjee

e. Harbans Lal and Abdul Ghani

5. Which movement does Salman Rushdie cite as

polarizing Indian Muslims and Hindus?

a. Ram Janmabhoomi

b. Quit India

c. Vishwa Hindu Parishad

d. Salt Satyagraha

e. Indian Nationalism

6. The religious views of Salman Rushdie’s interviewees in

“The Riddle of Midnight” are BEST described as

a. liberal

b. apathetic

c. pacifist

d. ambiguous

e. entrenched

7. Which event does Salman Rushdie claim preceded Sikh

protests throughout India?

a. Sikh-led government takeover

b. banning of religious extremism

c. Golden Temple storming

d. Babri Masjid debate

e. assassination of Indira Gandhi

8. What term BEST describes Mukadam’s perspective in

Salman Rushdie’s “The Riddle of Midnight”?

a. fearless

b. traditional

c. aggressive

d. idealistic

e. uncertain

9. In “The Riddle of Midnight”, Salman Rushdie claims that

in “old, secular […] India”, no one was more patriotic

than

a. Hindus

b. Sikhs

c. Jains

d. Muslims

e. atheists

10. Which literary term BEST describes Salman Rushdie’s

method of telling India’s story in “The Riddle of

Midnight”?

a. polysyndeton

b. synecdoche

c. flashback

d. euphony

e. aphorism

11. Salman Rushdie refers to the proposed separate Sikh

state as

a. Dal Khalsa

b. Khalistan

c. Rajasthan

d. Harmandir

e. Haryana

12. Which discovery does Salman Rushdie make in his

research for “The Riddle of Midnight”?

a. The British Empire ruined India’s future.

b. Muslims and Hindus have little in common.

c. Others do not see India the way he does.

d. There is no hope for a unified India.

e. People crave political engagement.

CURRICULUM FOCUSED QUIZ 17 PAGE 34 OF 51 DEMIDEC RESOURCES ©2013

13. In “The Riddle of Midnight”, why does Robi Chatterjee

assert that the people for whom India was founded

have become alienated from it?

a. Religion serves to divide groups of people.

b. People are too focused on tolerance.

c. Fundamentalist politics has taken over.

d. Rajiv Gandhi’s Congress is ineffective and

biased.

e. People are preoccupied with labeling others.

14. Which element does Robi Chatterjee contend is tearing

India apart in “The Riddle of Midnight”?

a. communism

b. religion

c. economics

d. tolerance

e. nationalism

15. Salman Rushdie claims that nationalism created India in

that it

a. united the Indians against Britain

b. made people desire a homeland

c. provided a political basis for existence

d. resulted in people’s financial gain

e. superseded religion as a governing force

LANGLIT CURRICULUM FOCUSED QUIZ 18 “IMAGINARY HOMELANDS”: TEXT (PP. 56-61)

1. To whose novel does Salman Rushdie refer in the opening

of “Imaginary Homelands”?

a. Henry James

b. Paul Bourget

c. L.P. Hartley

d. Ivan Turgenev

e. John Fowles

2. In the first paragraph of “Imaginary Homelands”, Salman

Rushdie comments that his present is

a. reality

b. foreign

c. misty

d. home

e. restored

3. Which surprising discovery does Salman Rushdie make in

“Imaginary Homelands” when he visits Bombay?

a. A photograph of his family is posted in the post

office.

b. His family’s house was not the color he

remembered.

c. The house in which he was raised has been

demolished.

d. Bougainvillea creeper runs rampant in the city.

e. His family’s information is still in the telephone

book.

4. According to Salman Rushdie, why must Indian expatriates

create “imaginary homelands”?

a. India does not welcome back those who desert

her.

b. People who return to history turn into pillars of

salt.

c. Things do not stay the same long enough to find

again.

d. There are thousands of versions of India.

e. Lost things cannot be reclaimed exactly as they

were.

5. Salman Rushdie says he wrote Midnight’s Children in

a. London

b. Bombay

c. Berlin

d. Galway

e. New York City

6. Who narrates Midnight’s Children?

a. Arjun

b. Rohan

c. Dinesh

d. Deepak

e. Saleem

7. In “Imaginary Homelands”, Salman Rushdie compares

writing Midnight’s Children to

a. sociology

b. archaeology

c. psychology

d. biology

e. philosophy

8. From which novel does the following line come: “Whole

sight: or all the rest is desolation”?

a. Shadow and Act

b. The Go-Between

c. Midnight’s Children

d. The Dean’s December

e. Daniel Martin

9. According to Salman Rushdie, all truths are

a. fierce

b. provisional

c. certain

d. inadequate

e. atrocious

10. Which metaphor does Saleem use to discuss perception in

Midnight’s Children?

a. a movie screen

b. English literature

c. a radio interview

d. a broken mirror

e. war atrocities

11. In “Imaginary Homelands”, Salman Rushdie refers to all of

the following writers EXCEPT

a. Ngugi wa Thiong’o

b. G.V. Desani

c. Richard Wright

d. Milan Kundera

e. Isaac Bashevis Singer

12. Which of the following terms does Salman Rushdie apply

to literature in “Imaginary Homelands”?

a. self-validating

b. thematic

c. post-lapsarian

d. post-diasporic

e. migratory

CURRICULUM FOCUSED QUIZ 18 PAGE 36 OF 51 DEMIDEC RESOURCES ©2013

13. In “Imaginary Homelands”, Salman Rushdie reflects on his

own feelings of guilt at

a. arguing with the reader

b. renouncing Islam

c. being bicultural

d. speaking ill of India

e. classifying writers

14. Which trait does Salman Rushdie claim he shares MOST

with the protagonist of Midnight’s Children?

a. secularity

b. dissension

c. regeneration

d. influence

e. pessimism

15. In “Imaginary Homelands”, Salman Rushdie claims

Midnight’s Children is NOT meant to be

a. accurate

b. sectarian

c. didactic

d. self-referential

e. despairing

16. Salman Rushdie recognizes all of the following groups of

Indo-British writers in “Imaginary Homelands” EXCEPT

a. political exiles

b. affluent expatriates

c. first-generation migrants

d. government-sponsored writers

e. naturalized Britons

17. Why does Salman Rushdie say, “to conquer English may

be to complete the process of making ourselves free”?

a. Unless Indo-British writers adopt English, they will

always be misunderstood.

b. Indo-British writers have largely benefited from the

British influence.

c. Freedom is determined by the ability to speak the

oppressor’s language.

d. Eventually, most of the world will speak English as

a first language.

e. The Indo-British language struggle reflects their

larger struggles.

18. In its original context within “Imaginary Homelands”, the

term “ossified” MOST likely means

a. existential

b. spiritual

c. obsolete

d. rejected

e. definitive

19. Which of the following questions does Salman Rushdie

MAINLY seek to answer in “Imaginary Homelands”?

a. “How are we to live in the world?”

b. “What does it mean to be Indian?”

c. “Who determines history?”

d. “Does India exist?”

e. “Should Indians write in English?”

20. Salman Rushdie asserts that his “relatively easy ride” has

resulted partially from his

a. dark skin

b. non-secularism

c. native origins

d. biculturalism

e. English accent

21. To which pejorative term for native Indians does Salman

Rushdie object in “Imaginary Homelands”?

a. jab

b. swami

c. mahout

d. chara

e. wog

22. Which type of writing does Salman Rushdie propose can

tackle the problem of black-and-white social views?

a. fantasy

b. history

c. post-modernism

d. science fiction

e. idealism

23. At the end of “Imaginary Homelands”, Salman Rushdie

warns against going the way of

a. the United States

b. Britain

c. South America

d. South Africa

e. Canada

24. With which black American writer does Salman Rushdie

MOST agree at the end of “Imaginary Homelands”?

a. James Baldwin

b. Richard Wright

c. W.E.B. DuBois

d. Ralph Ellison

e. Frederick Douglass

25. Salman Rushdie claims that Indo-British writers have

special access to the phenomenon of

a. migration

b. discovery

c. escape

d. freedom

e. alienation

LANGLIT CURRICULUM FOCUSED QUIZ 19 “IMAGINARY HOMELANDS”: ANALYSIS (PP. 61-63)

1. In “Imaginary Homelands”, Salman Rushdie discusses

what it means for him to be an Indian writer who

a. misses his homeland

b. resents the British

c. wants to be British

d. possesses no legacy

e. lives outside India

2. Which L.P. Hartley quote does Salman Rushdie cite at

the beginning of “Imaginary Homelands”?

a. “You flew too near the sun.”

b. “The past is a foreign country.”

c. “To see things as they really are!”

d. “I didn’t belong there, I felt.”

e. “The past kept pricking at me.”

3. Salman Rushdie contrasts personal memory with

a. family memory

b. institutional memory

c. social memory

d. cultural memory

e. collective memory

4. How does Salman Rushdie claim emigrants can claim a

nation as their own in “Imaginary Homelands”?

a. The receiving nation must view their

contributions as valuable.

b. The sending nation must be willing to part with

them forever.

c. They must realize they will never see themselves

as others see them.

d. They must admit that they are no longer bound

to one distinct culture.

e. They must embrace their imperfect memories of

their native homes.

5. In “Imaginary Homelands”, Salman Rushdie refers to

memory as a

a. burned house

b. dead tree

c. chaotic universe

d. rusty nail

e. broken mirror

6. Which term does Salman Rushdie use to describe the

effect of his fragmented memories of India on his

perspective?

a. significant

b. appealing

c. evocative

d. universal

e. alienating

7. Why does Salman Rushdie claim that diasporic writers’

fragmented memories speak to the universal human

experience?

a. All people share the experience of emigrating

from the past.

b. The diaspora symbolizes the difference between

readers and writers.

c. Readers are native to reading and writers are

native to writing.

d. Writers focusing on the diaspora inspire others

to learn from the past.

e. Readers and writers jointly emigrate from

history’s harsh reality.

8. Salman Rushdie reminds the reader of “Imaginary

Homelands” that we are NOT

a. expatriates

b. gods

c. creatures

d. archives

e. lenses

9. According to Salman Rushdie, writers are like

a. doctors

b. psychologists

c. archaeologists

d. sociologists

e. politicians

10. Which term BEST describes Salman Rushdie’s approach

to writing in “Imaginary Homelands”?

a. romantic

b. transcendent

c. postmodernist

d. existentialist

e. modernist

CURRICULUM FOCUSED QUIZ 19 PAGE 38 OF 51 DEMIDEC RESOURCES ©2013

11. In “Imaginary Homelands”, Salman Rushdie claims that

the way we perceive the world is more important than

a. what we think the world should be

b. the fact that others discredit our views

c. how we adapt to others’ worldviews

d. the way others perceive the world

e. the world’s partiality for Western views

12. What does Salman Rushdie claim is the first step

towards changing the world?

a. imagining it

b. re-describing it

c. adapting to it

d. criticizing it

e. turning away from it

13. Which two groups does Salman Rushdie claim are

“natural rivals” in “Imaginary Homelands”?

a. writers and politicians

b. Indians and Britons

c. readers and writers

d. priests and politicians

e. politicians and readers

14. For writers like Salman Rushdie, the concept of

diaspora proves people can

a. change the structure of nations

b. struggle with adapting to new places

c. feel at home in more than one place

d. resist oppressive governments

e. choose to inhabit a dream world

15. Salman Rushdie’s “Imaginary Homelands” is MOST

similar to

a. “Tryst with India”

b. “’Commonwealth Literature’ Does Not Exist”

c. “Background, Casually”

d. “The Riddle of Midnight” India, August 1987”

e. “When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine”

LANGLIT CURRICULUM FOCUSED QUIZ 20 “‘COMMONWEALTH LITERATURE’ DOES NOT EXIST”: TEXT (PP. 63-67)

1. Salman Rushdie’s essay, “‘Commonwealth Literature’

Does Not Exist,” was FIRST published in

a. Imaginary Homelands

b. Midnight’s Children

c. Imagined Communities

d. The Riddle of Midnight

e. Satanic Verses

2. Based on Salman Rushdie’s mention of it in

“‘Commonwealth Literature’ Does not Exist,” the British

Council MOST likely

a. acts as a publishing company

b. conducts political fundraising

c. promotes arts and culture

d. educates college students

e. encourages international tourism

3. Which term BEST describes Salman Rushdie’s tone in

the opening paragraph of “’Commonwealth Literature’

Does Not Exist”?

a. pedantic

b. nostalgic

c. melancholy

d. infuriated

e. sarcastic

4. In “‘Commonwealth Literature’ Does Not Exist,” Salman

Rushdie calls the term “Commonwealth literature” a(n)

a. unnecessity

b. indiscretion

c. misnomer

d. disadvantage

e. fiction

5. Which two countries does Salman Rushdie comment

are mistakenly included under the umbrella of

“Commonwealth literature”?

a. Kenya and Namibia

b. Iraq and Australia

c. Canada and Brazil

d. South Africa and Pakistan

e. India and Bangladesh

6. Salman Rushdie met all of the following writers at a

Commonwealth literature conference EXCEPT

a. Homi Bhabha

b. Randolph Stow

c. Ngugi wa Thiong’o

d. Anita Desai

e. Aritha van Herk

7. Why does Salman Rushdie contend that

Commonwealth literature does not exist, in his essay of

the same name?

a. Not all Commonwealth writers write in British

English.

b. Commonwealth writers have little in common

with each other.

c. Critics and academics should not be able to

define writers’ work.

d. The notion of Commonwealth literature is

inherently racist.

e. Great Britain oppressed writers rather than

freeing them.

8. According to Salman Rushdie, Commonwealth

literature does NOT include

a. political activists

b. people of color

c. women from any nation

d. Hindi-speakers

e. white Britons

9. Which of the following titles does Salman Rushdie NOT

give English literature in “‘Commonwealth Literature’

Does Not Exist”?

a. nationalistic

b. narrow

c. segregationist

d. topographical

e. ghettoized

10. Why does Salman Rushdie contend that the notion of

Commonwealth literature is like the mythical chimera?

a. They are both composed of elements that

cannot be joined.

b. No one knows the purpose of either of the

entities.

c. Neither of them has any realistic characteristics.

d. They were both created by literary critics and

academics.

e. People fear both entities as something

otherworldly.

CURRICULUM FOCUSED QUIZ 20 PAGE 40 OF 51 DEMIDEC RESOURCES ©2013

11. Why does Salman Rushdie claim the concept of

Commonwealth literature is MOST dangerous?

a. It assumes the writers want to identify with the

British Empire.

b. It prevents writers from being classified in

another way.

c. It requires the writers to continue writing in

English.

d. It gives readers the impression that the writers

are free.

e. It masks the underlying issues that should be

explored.

12. Salman Rushdie sarcastically asserts that British

colonizers gave their subjects all of the following gifts

EXCEPT

a. trunk roads

b. pragmatism

c. mission schools

d. language

e. the rules of cricket

13. Besides Britain, which nation does Salman Rushdie

contend made English a pre-eminent world language?

a. Australia

b. Ireland

c. the United States

d. Scotland

e. Canada

14. According to Salman Rushdie, what group uses English

MOST comfortably in India?

a. lower-caste citizens

b. upper-caste citizens

c. the aging generation

d. post-Independence youth

e. pre-colonial natives

15. The “Hindi belt” is located in

a. West India

b. South India

c. Central India

d. North India

e. East India

16. Why does Salman Rushdie say English is an “essential

language” of India?

a. Indians can speak to each other without cultural

bias.

b. It reminds Indians of the white man’s

importance to their culture.

c. Most writers and cultural critics are comfortable

with English.

d. India’s colonizers should leave at least one

helpful legacy.

e. No native Indian language is as descriptive as

English.

17. When “‘Commonwealth Literature’ Does Not Exist” was

published, there was a State-led move against English

in

a. Tamil Nadu

b. Andhra Pradesh

c. Gujarat

d. West Bengal

e. Rajasthan

18. Salman Rushdie says the term “Commonwealth

literature” might indicate

a. culturally biased English-language literature

b. younger English-language literature

c. non-white English-language literature

d. non-continental English-language literature

e. Eastern-based English-language literature

19. According to Salman Rushdie, one of the rules of the

Commonwealth literature ghetto is that literature

a. has no cultural boundaries

b. is an expression of the writer’s nationality

c. is limited to writers who speak English

d. exposes the writer’s true loyalties

e. places the writer on display for readers

20. Which notion does Salman Rushdie call “the

respectable child of old-fashioned exoticism”?

a. tradition

b. homogeneity

c. authenticity

d. Orientalism

e. pragmatism

CURRICULUM FOCUSED QUIZ 20 PAGE 41 OF 51 DEMIDEC RESOURCES ©2013

21. Which term BEST describes the Commonwealth

literature ghetto Salman Rushdie references in

“‘Commonwealth Literature’ Does Not Exist”?

a. peripheral

b. ignorant

c. absurd

d. ungainly

e. imaginary

22. Salman Rushdie claims that people seeking to classify

him as a writer have invented the term

a. “British-resident Indo-Pakistan writer”

b. “British-born Indo writer”

c. “Indo-Pakistan writer”

d. “Indian-born Indo-British writer”

e. “Indian-born British writer”

23. Which term does Salman Rushdie use to describe

Indian culture?

a. heterogeneous

b. miscellaneous

c. diverse

d. sundry

e. eclectic

24. Which Indian writer’s work does Salman Rushdie claim

has been MOST misread because of membership in the

Commonwealth literature ghetto?

a. Raja Rao

b. Mulk Raj Anand

c. Ruth Jhabvala

d. Rabindranath Tagore

e. Jyoti Basu

25. In “‘Commonwealth Literature’ Does Not Exist,” Salman

Rushdie identifies a new literary category called

a. “hegemonic literature”

b. “Third World literature”

c. “non-White literature”

d. “English-only literature”

e. “ghetto literature”

LANGLIT CURRICULUM FOCUSED QUIZ 21 “‘COMMONWEALTH LITERATURE’ DOES NOT EXIST”: ANALYSIS (PP. 67-69)

1. According to Salman Rushdie in “‘Commonwealth

Literature’ Does Not Exist,” who altered the state of

English literature?

a. Indo-Anglo writers

b. Indo-Pakistani writers

c. Anglo-Indo writers

d. British-Indo writers

e. Indo-British writers

2. In “‘Commonwealth Literature’ Does Not Exist,” Salman

Rushdie describes Commonwealth writers as

a. exceptional

b. inauthentic

c. resurrected

d. disregarded

e. damaging

3. Which term BEST describes Salman Rushdie’s feelings

about the “Commonwealth literature” category?

a. emasculation

b. dejection

c. rage

d. worthlessness

e. dissatisfaction

4. According to Salman Rushdie in “‘Commonwealth

Literature’ Does Not Exist,” some writers classified as

Commonwealth writers succumb to

a. their own despair

b. feelings of inferiority

c. a temptation to be British

d. financial success

e. the ghetto mentality

5. The term “Commonwealth literature” does not perform

any of the following maneuvers EXCEPT

a. allowing writers to reset the balance of power

b. providing a narrow literary framework

c. recognizing India’s history with Britain

d. addressing the complexities of language

e. differentiating between unique writers

6. Which advantage of speaking English in India does

Salman Rushdie highlight in “‘Commonwealth

Literature’ Does Not Exist”?

a. allowing more complex conversations

b. uniting Indians and Britons

c. promoting neutrality among people

d. permitting writers to make larger profits

e. reminding Indians of their history

7. In “‘Commonwealth Literature’ Does Not Exist,” Salman

Rushdie specifically asserts the absurdity of restricting

writers to the limitations of their

a. birthplaces

b. ancestry

c. passports

d. languages

e. cultures

8. In which essay does Vikram Chandra echo Salman

Rushdie’s thoughts about Commonwealth literature?

a. “The Commonwealth Pen”

b. “The Cult of Authenticity”

c. “The Home and the World”

d. “Civility and Empire”

e. “The Literature of India”

9. According to Salman Rushdie in “‘Commonwealth

Literature’ Does Not Exist,” there is no such thing as

a. imaginative affinities

b. colonial provenance

c. Indo-British writing

d. pure nationalism

e. Commonwealth authenticity

10. Which two entities does Salman Rushdie claim should

NOT determine a writer’s classification?

a. nationality and religion

b. religion and language

c. color and language

d. religion and color

e. language and nationality

11. Salman Rushdie claims the term “Commonwealth

literature” masks the reality of literature emerging from

the

a. third world

b. political

c. powerless

d. mute

e. imagination

12. Salman Rushdie says if all English literature were

studied together, readers would

a. develop a more complete view of the world

b. cultivate empathy for less fortunate people

c. become interested in other cultures

d. understand the limitations of Anglocentrism

e. better comprehend literary nuances

CURRICULUM FOCUSED QUIZ 21 PAGE 43 OF 51 DEMIDEC RESOURCES ©2013

13. Salman Rushdie closes “‘Commonwealth Literature’

Does Not Exist” with a reference to the poem

a. “The Seven Sages”

b. “The Rose Tree”

c. “When You Are Old”

d. “The Second Coming”

e. “Adam’s Curse”

14. Who wrote the poem to which Salman Rushdie refers at

the end of “‘Commonwealth Literature’ Does Not

Exist”?

a. Robert Frost

b. William Butler Yeats

c. Alfred Lord Tennyson

d. T.S. Eliot

e. William Wordsworth

15. When was the poem to which Salman Rushdie refers at

the end of “‘Commonwealth Literature’ Does Not Exist”

written?

a. turn of the century

b. Great Depression

c. First World War

d. Second World War

e. colonization of India

16. Which term BEST describes Salman Rushdie’s tone as

he references “The Second Coming” at the end of

“‘Commonwealth Literature’ Does Not Exist”?

a. offhand

b. somber

c. exultant

d. pensive

e. sarcastic

17. Which statement BEST summarizes Salman Rushdie’s

conclusion in “‘Commonwealth Literature’ Does Not

Exist”?

a. Britain’s power has been superseded by third-

world nations.

b. Commonwealth writers should rebel against the

title.

c. White writers no longer dominate the literary

market.

d. English is no longer the dominant global

language.

e. English is no longer the British Empire’s sole

property.

18. Salman Rushdie considers Indian literature written in

English MAINLY to be

a. world literature

b. English literature

c. Indo-British literature

d. Indian literature

e. Commonwealth literature

19. Which language is MOST divisive in South India,

according to Salman Rushdie?

a. English

b. Hindi

c. Tamil

d. Punjabi

e. Gujarati

20. At the Commonwealth literature conference he

attended, Salman Rushdie learned that writers in this

category shared

a. no interest in being classified as such

b. support among British financiers

c. no common national association

d. more differences than similarities

e. an ignorance of their classification

LANGLIT CURRICULUM FOCUSED QUIZ 22 “BACKGROUND, CASUALLY” (PP. 69-71)

1. Which term refers to the community of Jews in Israel to

which Nissim Ezekiel belonged?

a. Bene Israel

b. Brahmin Israel

c. Bene Ephraim

d. Beta Israel

e. Bene Roma

2. The historical city of Bombay, India, is now known as

a. Chennai

b. Mumbai

c. Kolkata

d. Bangalore

e. Delhi

3. With which radical political party did Nissim Ezekiel

associate himself?

a. Socialist

b. Communist

c. Republican

d. Libertarian

e. Anarchist

4. Nissim Ezekiel’s FIRST book of poetry was titled

a. The Discovery of India

b. Collected Poems

c. A Time to Change

d. The Exact Name

e. Latter-Day Psalms

5. Which of the following elements of Nissim Ezekiel’s

poetry was MOST unusual?

a. point-of-view

b. appearance

c. tone

d. language

e. imagery

6. Nissim Ezekiel’s writing style is BEST described as

a. pastoral

b. conversational

c. frantic

d. technical

e. pedantic

7. Which term BEST describes “Background, Casually”?

a. satirical

b. obscure

c. nonsensical

d. autobiographical

e. tragic

8. The speaker in “Background, Casually” claims that he

won the scripture prize the same year his classmates

a. told him he had killed Christ

b. pressured him to become Catholic

c. taught him how to box Muslims

d. introduced him to Zen and Yoga

e. voted him their class president

9. The speaker of “Background, Casually” MOST likely

refers to himself as “rabbi saint” in order to emphasize

his spiritual

a. indifference

b. faith

c. confusion

d. universality

e. superiority

10. Which three companions does the speaker of

“Background, Casually” believe shared his room when

he was 22?

a. Passion, Poetry, and Philosophy

b. Poverty, Poetry, and Passion

c. Philosophy, Poetry, and Peace

d. Peace, Poverty, and Passion

e. Philosophy, Poverty, and Poetry

11. The speaker in “Background, Casually” repeatedly

compares his view of himself to

a. God’s view of him

b. society’s view of him

c. his wife’s view of him

d. the government’s view of him

e. his parents’ view of him

12. Which MAIN theme is addressed in “Background,

Casually”?

a. relationships

b. identity

c. spirituality

d. globalism

e. politics

CURRICULUM FOCUSED QUIZ 22 PAGE 45 OF 51 DEMIDEC RESOURCES ©2013

13. In the opening line of “Background, Casually,” the

speaker calls himself a

a. “poet-god-man”

b. “poet-rascal-clown”

c. “poet-teacher-man”

d. “poet-clown-god”

e. “rascal-god-man”

14. Which term BEST describes the speaker of

“Background, Casually” as a child?

a. genius

b. popular

c. blind

d. helpless

e. ugly

15. The speaker of “Background, Casually” is MOST

conflicted about his

a. willingness to travel

b. career as a poet

c. relationship with India

d. political beliefs

e. desire to be admired

16. From where does the speaker of “Background, Casually”

return to India?

a. France

b. the United States

c. China

d. South Africa

e. England

17. When the speaker of “Background, Casually” refers to

“aliens crushing seeds for bread,” he is referring to

a. hired laborers

b. fellow writers

c. poor Hindus

d. himself

e. his ancestors

18. The “Woman” in “Background, Casually” refers to the

speaker as

a. a Founding Father

b. the Son of Man

c. the Poet of the Mean

d. a God of Poetry

e. a Slave to Fame

19. At the end of “Background, Casually,” the speaker

claims he is committed to remaining

a. exceptional

b. a poet

c. married

d. in India

e. Jewish

20. The speaker of “Background, Casually” refers to himself

as a “poet-rascal-clown” for all of the following reasons

EXCEPT to

a. contrast appearance with reality

b. establish a casual tone of voice

c. downplay his vocation’s seriousness

d. establish a sense of irony

e. demonstrate that he is a minority

LANGLIT CURRICULUM FOCUSED QUIZ 23 “WHEN MR. PIRZADA CAME TO DINE:” JHUMPA LAHIRI AND BANGLADESH (PP. 72-73)

1. In what decade was Jhumpa Lahiri born?

a. 1960s

b. 1950s

c. 1930s

d. 1940s

e. 1970s

2. Jhumpa Lahiri’s birth name was

a. Lalithambika

b. Shobhaa

c. Arundhati

d. Nilanjana

e. Mahasweta

3. Jhumpa Lahiri was born in

a. New York

b. Delhi

c. Paris

d. Berlin

e. London

4. Jhumpa Lahiri’s parents were from

a. West Bengal

b. Uttar Pradesh

c. Maharashtra

d. Gujarat

e. Mizoram

5. From where did Jhumpa Lahiri receive her bachelor’s

degree?

a. Brown University

b. Barnard College

c. Boston University

d. Princeton University

e. Vassar College

6. Jhumpa Lahiri obtained degrees in all of the following

fields EXCEPT

a. Renaissance Studies

b. English Literature

c. Art and Design

d. Comparative Literature

e. Creative Writing

7. Where did Jhumpa Lahiri earn her graduate degrees?

a. Cornell University

b. Boston University

c. University of Massachusetts

d. Harvard University

e. Yale University

8. Jhumpa Lahiri has taught creative writing at the

a. Otis College of Art and Design

b. College for Creative Studies

c. California College of the Arts

d. Yale University School of Art

e. Rhode Island School of Design

9. “When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine” is taken from

a. The Unaccustomed Earth

b. The Namesake

c. Malgudi Days

d. Interpreter of Maladies

e. The Lowland

10. In which decade did Jhumpa Lahiri publish her FIRST

short-story collection?

a. 1980s

b. 2000s

c. 1990s

d. 1970s

e. 2010s

11. Which prize did Jhumpa Lahiri win for Interpreter of

Maladies?

a. Pulitzer Prize for Fiction

b. National Book Award

c. Man Booker Prize

d. Asian American Literary Award

e. Nobel Prize for Literature

12. Which title did Jhumpa Lahiri publish in 2008?

a. The Unaccustomed Earth

b. The Lowland

c. The Namesake

d. The Suspension of Time

e. The Magic Barrel

13. Which diasporic filmmaker adapted Jhumpa Lahiri’s The

Namesake?

a. Ezra Mir

b. Mira Nair

c. Jagat Murari

d. Gopal Menon

e. Shah Rukh Khan

CURRICULUM FOCUSED QUIZ 23 PAGE 47 OF 51 DEMIDEC RESOURCES ©2013

14. Jhumpa Lahiri’s MOST recent short story collection was

published in

a. 2012

b. 2011

c. 2010

d. 2014

e. 2013

15. The Lowland was nominated for the

a. Nobel Prize for Fiction

b. Man Booker Prize

c. National Book Award

d. PEN/Faulkner Award

e. Pulitzer Prize for Fiction

16. Which of the following themes is MOST prevalent in

Jhumpa Lahiri’s writing?

a. post-colonial poverty

b. Indians’ daily lives

c. mother-daughter relationships

d. political anonymity

e. Indian nationalism

17. Which term BEST describes Jhumpa Lahiri’s prose

writing?

a. revolutionary

b. dark

c. conflicting

d. surrealistic

e. direct

18. All of the following themes are prevalent in Jhumpa

Lahiri’s prose EXCEPT

a. India as the homeland

b. intercultural conflict

c. the concept of home

d. questions of identity

e. cross-cultural encounters

19. The Republic of Bangladesh was established after a war

with

a. Nepal

b. India

c. Burma

d. Bhutan

e. Pakistan

20. Which Bengali term refers to the Bangladesh Liberation

War?

a. Thik aache

b. Shabdkosh

c. Dhonnobad

d. Khoda hafez

e. Muktijuddho

21. Which religion dominated Pakistan after the partition of

India?

a. Hinduism

b. Buddhism

c. Christianity

d. Islam

e. Sikhism

22. The Bangladesh Liberation War broke out after the

West Pakistani Army launched Operation

a. Blitz

b. Flashlight

c. Mukti Bahini

d. Searchlight

e. Occupation

23. Operation Searchlight targeted all of the following

groups EXCEPT

a. students

b. politicians

c. intelligentsia

d. civilians

e. armed personnel

24. Bangladesh was originally known as

a. West Pakistan

b. East India

c. West India

d. South India

e. East Pakistan

25. Bangladesh’s government in exile was established in

a. Calcutta

b. Amaravati

c. New Delhi

d. Mumbai

e. Hyderabad

LANGLIT CURRICULUM FOCUSED QUIZ 24 “WHEN MR. PIRZADA CAME TO TOWN:” TEXT (PP. 73-80)

1. Mr. Pirzada visits the narrator’s house in “When Pirzada

Came to Dine” MAINLY to

a. tutor the narrator in geography

b. find out if his family is alive

c. send letters to his family

d. set fire to the narrator’s home

e. eat authentic Indian food

2. Which of the following elements was NOT part of Mr.

Pirzada’s life in Dacca?

a. seven daughters

b. a wife of 26 years

c. a job at the university

d. a three-story home

e. three sons

3. How did the narrator’s parents FIRST meet Mr. Pirzada?

a. They found his name in a phone book.

b. He came to their door seeking shelter.

c. He taught them at the university.

d. They were looking for a tutor.

e. They knew him from India.

4. In “Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine,” Lilia’s friend is named

a. Kenyon

b. Amina

c. Dora

d. Ruku

e. Nancy

5. Which of the following terms BEST describes Lilia’s

reaction to the news that Mr. Pirzada is not Indian?

a. unbelieving

b. confused

c. anger

d. indifference

e. humored

6. Why is Lilia’s father MOST upset about her American

education?

a. He wants her to go to an Indian university.

b. She does not care about her culture.

c. He wants her to have Indian friends.

d. She is not learning about the world.

e. She does not know basic math.

7. Mr. Pirzada has all of the following traits EXCEPT

a. a mole on his cheek

b. thick eyelashes

c. a thick mustache

d. poor posture

e. graying hair

8. How does Lilia MOST often feel when Mr. Pirzada gives

her candy?

a. grateful

b. regretful

c. astonished

d. confused

e. awkward

9. Each night before he eats, Mr. Pirzada

a. winds a pocket watch

b. mumbles a prayer

c. brushes his mustache

d. turns off the television

e. stomps his feet

10. Why does Lilia watch Mr. Pirzada more closely after she

discovers he is not Indian?

a. She tries to find out what makes him different.

b. She is afraid he might try to hurt her family.

c. He seems like an alien in her home.

d. His habits seem strange and perverse to her.

e. She wants to be unique like him.

11. The night after she finds out Mr. Pirzada is not Indian,

Lilia is surprised to find herself

a. praying for his family’s safety

b. disliking Mr. Pirzada’s gifts

c. looking closely at the Indian map

d. watching the national news

e. eating chocolate before bed

12. Lilia’s teacher scolds her for

a. discussing the Partition in class

b. asking questions about India

c. reading a book on Pakistan

d. voicing her discontent with school

e. refusing to do a report on America

CURRICULUM FOCUSED QUIZ 24 PAGE 49 OF 51 DEMIDEC RESOURCES ©2013

13. Which term BEST describes Lilia’s feelings after she

learns about the plight of Mr. Pirzada’s family?

a. uncertain

b. angry

c. indifferent

d. helpless

e. terrified

14. One October evening, Mr. Pirzada joins Lilia in

a. eating her candy

b. carving a pumpkin

c. brushing her teeth

d. studying for a test

e. making dessert

15. Which piece of news shocks Mr. Pirzada one night?

a. Pakistani refugees are being killed in India.

b. His family has been found alive.

c. His home in Dacca has been demolished.

d. He has lost his position at the university.

e. India might go to war with Pakistan.

16. When Mr. Pirzada finds out Lilia and her friend are

going trick-or-treating, he responds with

a. sadness

b. delight

c. concern

d. curiosity

e. confusion

17. Which news does Mr. Pirzada send to Lilia’s family

several months after he returns to Dacca?

a. He is returning to the United States.

b. He has been reunited with his family.

c. His family was killed in the war.

d. He and his family have moved to India.

e. He continues to search for his family.

18. Which term BEST describes Lilia’s tone at the end of

“When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine”?

a. bitter

b. doleful

c. satisfied

d. uncertain

e. joyful

19. In the Bangladesh Liberation War, the United States

sided with

a. Bangladesh

b. North India

c. South India

d. East Pakistan

e. West Pakistan

20. Now that the war is over, Mr. Pirzada can BEST be

described as a citizen of

a. Bangladesh

b. India

c. East Pakistan

d. West Pakistan

e. Nepal

21. Which of the following scenes in “When Mr. Pirzada

Came to Dine” BEST exemplifies Lilia’s personal struggle

for identity?

a. Mr. Pirzada tells Lilia how different she is from

his daughters.

b. Lilia’s father insists she learn more about Indian

history.

c. Neighborhood kids smash the pumpkin Lilia

carved.

d. People comment on Lilia’s choice of Halloween

costume.

e. Dora’s mother insists that Lilia call her mother to

tell her that she is all right.

22. Mr. Pirzada sends a card to Lilia’s family to

commemorate

a. Diwali

b. the Muslim New Year

c. American Independence Day

d. Bengali Independence Day

e. Christmas

23. After returning to Dacca, Mr. Pirzada claims to have a

better understanding of

a. elation

b. gratitude

c. anxiety

d. grief

e. beauty

24. The Bangladesh Liberation War lasted for

a. one year

b. three weeks

c. twelve days

d. six hours

e. two months

25. How does “When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine” end?

a. Lilia writes to Mr. Pirzada and his family.

b. Lilia’s father pins up a new map of Asia.

c. Mr. Pirzada and his family rebuild their home in

Dacca.

d. Lilia finds a book on Bangladesh at the library.

e. Lilia throws away the candy Mr. Pirzada gave

her.

LANGLIT CURRICULUM FOCUSED QUIZ 25 “WHEN MR. PIRZADA CAME TO DINE:” ANALYSIS (PP. 81-82)

1. The MAIN cultural setting of “When Mr. Pirzada Came

to Dine” is

a. Hindu-Muslim tensions

b. the India-Pakistan conflict

c. a girl’s Asian-American identity

d. the Bengali Indian diaspora

e. the Bangladesh Liberation War

2. “When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine” was originally

published in

a. The Hudson Review

b. American Short Fiction

c. Fiction Weekly

d. The Louisville Review

e. Boston Review

3. Lilia’s parents can BEST be described as

a. United States citizens

b. first-generation immigrants

c. undocumented aliens

d. refugees with asylum status

e. temporary visitors

4. Why is Lilia’s mother MOST happy that Lilia was born in

the United States?

a. Lilia has adopted refined American habits.

b. She thinks Lilia will have a safe and easy life.

c. She is not proud of her own Indian heritage.

d. Lilia will not experience conflict in America.

e. She sees herself as American now.

5. Mr. Pirzada’s character BEST represents the

a. pain of being away from loved ones

b. joy of gathering together with friends

c. pride of forging one’s path in America

d. fear of losing one’s identity

e. hope of establishing a free nation

6. In which way does Lilia become MOST like an

immigrant in “When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine”?

a. Her father continually reminds her that she is

from India.

b. Mr. Pirzada makes her feel that she does not

belong in her home.

c. Her teacher points out her differences to her

classmates.

d. She feels the loneliness of being separated from

a friend.

e. She is embarrassed by her mother’s pride in her

citizenship.

7. Mr. Pirzada and Lilia’s family are MOST similar in their

a. religious traditions

b. unique habits

c. professional positions

d. food preferences

e. clothing styles

8. Lilia’s mother MOST likely cooks only boiled eggs and

rice at the end of “When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine” in

order to

a. express solidarity with suffering people

b. protest the American way of life

c. spend more time watching the news

d. please Mr. Pirzada’s sensitive palate

e. encourage simplicity in their lives

9. The box in which Lilia stored her candy had belonged

at one time to

a. her mother

b. her grandmother

c. Dora

d. Mr. Pirzada’s daughter

e. Mrs. Kenyon

10. Which of the following scenes MOST effectively marks

Lilia as an American child?

a. She calls her mother from Dora’s house.

b. Someone smashes the pumpkin she carved.

c. She shares her candy with Dora.

d. She refuses to eat pickled mangoes.

e. Mrs. Kenyon does not let her read about

Pakistan.

11. When Lilia arrives at Dora’s house on Halloween night,

she observes that

a. she is dressed differently than Dora

b. Dora’s family does not watch the news

c. Dora’s father takes no interest in Dora

d. there are no carved pumpkins on the step

e. Dora’s house stands out from the others

12. Lilia’s LAST clear memory of Mr. Pirzada’s visits occurs

on

a. Halloween

b. the Muslim New Year

c. Christmas

d. Indian Independence Day

e. her birthday

CURRICULUM FOCUSED QUIZ 25 PAGE 51 OF 51 DEMIDEC RESOURCES ©2013

13. Which two identities are contrasted MOST often in

“When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine”?

a. masculine and feminine

b. personal and public

c. white and non-white

d. Indian and Pakistani

e. Hindu and Muslim

14. Which concept renders Mr. Pirzada’s national identity

LESS relevant in “When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine”?

a. post-materialism

b. post-modernism

c. post-nationalism

d. post-structuralism

e. post-industrialism

15. Which element MOST often obscures the characters’

national identities in “When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine”?

a. politics

b. ritual

c. linguistics

d. religion

e. food

16. Lilia’s observation that the map of Asia is outdated by

the end of the story reminds the reader that

a. a person’s social roles change often in life

b. an individual’s identity is not solely political

c. governments are less reliable than people

d. the world is an ever-evolving entity

e. geographic boundaries will often change

17. Whom does Lilia say “operates as one body” in “When

Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine”?

a. her mother and father

b. she and Dora

c. she and Mr. Pirzada

d. Mr. Pirzada and his family

e. her parents and Mr. Pirzada

18. When Lilia imagines Mr. Pirzada on the map of

Pakistan, she pictures him

a. dancing with joy

b. sweating profusely

c. running after his wife

d. hysterically crying

e. aimlessly wandering

19. “When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine” reminds the reader

that our personal identities are MOST often a mix of

our

a. social statuses

b. individual memories

c. parents’ habits

d. past histories

e. collective conscience

20. The smashed pumpkin on Lilia’s doorstep is MOST

representative of

a. racial prejudice in the United States

b. her and Mr. Pirzada’s relationship

c. her Asian and American identities

d. the destruction of Mr. Pirzada’s family

e. Pakistan and India’s division