When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine

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

Multiple Choice

1. In describing the reasons for why Lilia’s parents began to invite Mr. Pirzada over, she recalls that, “The supermarket did not carry mustard oil, doctors did not make house calls, [and] neighbors never dropped by without an invitation.” Based on this quote as well as the context of the story, which of the following sentences is true?

A) Mr. Pirzada finds these three elements to be the most challenging about life in the US.

B) There are ways of living that Lilia’s parents miss about their life in India.

C) Life in the US is similar to life in Dacca.

D) Mr. Pirzada is able to adapt to life quite easily in New England.

2. Based on Lilia’s thought process, which of the following best describes the difference between Indian and Pakistani people?

A) Languages

B) Cuisines

C) Customs

D) Borders

3. When Mr. Pirzada enters Lilia’s house one night, he remarks, “‘Another refugee, I am afraid, on Indian territory.’” Which of the following describes the literary term Mr. Pirzada uses in this quote and the effect it has?

A) He uses humor to compare their dinner to the situation on the subcontinent.

B) He uses a simile to chide his host for his lack of benevolence.

C) He uses an allusion to reference the 1947 Partition of India.

D) He uses an onomatopoeia to highlight the woes of refugees.

4. Which of the following historical events best describe the setting of the story?

A) The impending Partition of India and Pakistan

B) The independence of India

C) The looming Indo-Pakistani War

D) The independence of the country of Dacca

5. Which of the following reasons best describes why Lilia’s parents initially invite Mr. Pirzada to their home?

A) To aid in his mourning process

B) To maintain cultural ties with their homeland

C) To be sympathetic to the Bengali refugees

D) To enquire about his recently obtained tenure

6. Based on the end of the story, which of the following literary terms best describes the placement of Lilia’s “Don’t worry” assurance to Mr. Pirzada?

A) Metaphor

B) Foreshadowing

C) Allusion

D) Idiom

7. When Lilia arrives at Dora’s house, she realizes that the TV is not on. Which of the following reasons is implied by Lilia including this in her narrative?

A) The anti-South Asian attitudes of New Englanders

B) The ambivalence towards world affairs in the US

C) The preference for silence over media consumption

D) The respect for the Halloween tradition

8. Which of the following words best describes how the American revolution is taught in Lilia’s school?

A) Sanitized

B) Apathetically

C) Intensely

D) Jadedly

Long Answer

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

1. What perspective is the story told from? How is the narration framed (i.e., present time, retrospectively, etc.)? How might this structure contribute to any of the text’s themes?

2. What does the story imply about the nature of refugees and migration as a choice?