Q.1
"I'm not really a liar, I just learned very early on that those of us deprived of history sometimes need to turn to mythology to feel complete, to belong." This final sentence of the Epigraph touches on which of the novel's themes?
  • History, belonging, storytelling
  • Belonging, change, racism
  • Racism, change, family
  • Growing up, change, racism
Q.2
Which one of the following is NOT an instance when Meena unexpectedly finds herself confronting racism?
  • When Mr Turvey tells her to look after Nanima
  • When she learns the name of Tracey's new dog
  • When Sam objects to sending charity money abroad at the Spring Fête
  • When a child in her class gives a joke answer to a teacher's question
Q.3
"Hiya Robert...how'm you feeling?" How does Meena speak when she is finally able to talk face to face with Robert?
  • She is overly formal
  • She is overly informal
  • She speaks in Standard English
  • She speaks in Black Country dialect
Q.4
How do Meena's parents and their friends spend their time when they visit each other's houses?
  • Cooking and eating
  • Performing music
  • Telling stories about the past
  • All of the above
Q.5
"I knew I was a freak of some kind, too mouthy, clumsy and scabby to be a real Indian girl, too Indian to be a real Tollington wench, but living in the grey area between all categories felt increasingly like home. And Anita never looked at me the way my adopted female cousins did; there was never fear or censure or recoil in those green, cool eyes, only the recognition of a kindred spirit, another mad bad girl trapped inside a superficially obedient body." Which of the following is correct?
  • Meena feels that she has nothing in common with Anita
  • Meena feels more at home with not fully belonging anywhere
  • Meena identifies completely with her adopted cousins
  • Meena receives identical messages from her parents, her friends, her neighbours and her Aunties and Uncles about who she is
Q.6
Which of the following describes part of Meena's home?
  • "Books, thousands of them lining the walls from top to bottom, an armoury of paperbacks, hard covers, some leather-bound with cracked spines, others cheap and cheerful off an airport stand"
  • "The curtains both upstairs and downstairs were drawn and a half-eaten bowl of very old dog food sat on the steps"
  • "A teenage den of old laddered tights, make-up, posters of pop stars, locked diaries"
  • "A place to sleep, bereft of fripperies"
Q.7
The majority of the novel takes place during which time period?
  • Meena's seventh year
  • The summer before Meena's ninth birthday
  • Meena's last two years of primary school
  • Meena's first year at Comp
Q.8
Which of the following best describes Anita's attitude towards friendship?
  • She is friends with people as long as she can gain something from the friendship
  • She is a loyal friend, willing to sacrifice herself for the good of another
  • She is brash and sometimes selfish, but will put her friends first when necessary
  • She likes to gather around her people she really admires
Q.9
Which of the following is NOT an example of change experienced by the village of Tollington?
  • The primary industry employing the inhabitants of the village changes
  • In the past it was mostly the Ballbearings women who were employed, but gradually it seems that only the men of the village have jobs
  • The village school is demolished
  • The nearby Bartlett estate steadily encroaches on the village
Q.10
What are Nanima's final words to Meena as she leaves the hospital to return to India?
  • "Thehro aider!"
  • "Junglee!"
  • "Meena...jewel...precious...light...bless you..."
  • "Bloody women drivers!"
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