Q & A

Multiple Choice and Long Answer questions create ideal opportunities for whole-book review, unit exam, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. Who often suffers due to the corruption in India?

A) The working class

B) The upper class

C) The police

D) The lower class

2. Which of the following best describes how Thomas views people?

A) People are victims of their own wrongdoing.

B) People are not always who they seem to be on the surface.

C) Only children and orphans are victimized by corrupt systems.

D) People are a mystery and Thomas doesn’t know what to expect from them.

3. According to the novel, what assumptions does the upper class make about the lower classes in India?

A) They cannot problem solve.

B) They will not defend themselves.

C) They should not jump social classes.

D) They are uneducated.

4. Based on his experiences, what might Thomas think about people who are in positions of authority?

A) They are honest.

B) They cannot be trusted.

C) They support him.

D) They don’t understand him.

5. What can the reader infer about intelligent and educated characters based on Thomas’s account of Mr. Shantaram?

A) Education and intelligence do not make a person empathetic or emotionally intelligent.

B) Education and intelligence do not provide or guarantee more opportunities.

C) Education and intelligence can create peaceful homelives.

D) The stifling of intelligence can resolve a variety of problems in households.

6. Why does Thomas find it difficult to escape his circumstances even though he has opportunities to do so?

A) He doesn’t manage his money well.

B) His social class makes him comfortable enough.

C) He often experiences injustices that rob him of opportunities.

D) He does not know how to seize an opportunity when it arises.

7. What does Colonel Taylor represent to the Indian characters in the novel?

A) Authoritarianism

B) Colonialism

C) Altruism

D) Egotism

8. According to events in the novel, what type of person tends to succeed most often?

A) People who are willing to do wrong to get ahead

B) Law-abiding citizens who work hard

C) People who operate in accordance with a moral compass

D) Those who are educated and honest

9. What plot event gives rise to the moral dilemma of revenge?

A) Thomas pushes Mr. Shantaram off the balcony.

B) Thomas kills a robber on the train.

C) Salim enlists Khan to kill Maman.

D) All of the above

10. Which religions are involved in the most prominent underlying religious tensions in the novel?

A) Muslims and Hindus

B) Hindus and Christians

C) Christians and Muslims

D) Muslims, Hindus, and Christians

11. Why does Sahiba refuse to acknowledge Shankar as her son?

A) She does not know who the father is.

B) She is ashamed of his disability.

C) She does not want to pay for the expensive rabies treatment.

D) She doesn’t want her friends to know she has a son.

12. What does Thomas realize about money when he acquires his game show winnings?

A) It creates greed.

B) It fosters new opportunities.

C) It can give someone power over other people.

D) It is a solution to many problems.

13. At the end of the story, where does Thomas believe luck comes from?

A) Making good choices

B) Swindling others

C) Fate

D) By acquiring a fortune

14. What do the female characters in the novel represent to Thomas?

A) His desire to have a family and long-term relationship

B) A need to find a home and sense of belonging

C) The support and stability of a relationship

D) A longing for the relationship he never had with his mother

15. What does food symbolize in Q & A?

A) Corruption

B) Exploitation

C) Social status

D) Fantasy

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. How do Thomas’s kind actions eventually become the catalyst for his success at the end of the novel?

2. How does Thomas display characteristics of a Savior Complex?