Chapter 18 - V.S. Naipaul : A House for Mr. Biswas

Objective Type Questions

For each of the following questions, four alternatives are given for the answer. Only one of them is correct. Choose the correct alternative.

1. Who is the author of "A House for Mr. Biswas"?
   (a) Salman Rushdie
   (b) V.S. Naipaul
   (c) Arundhati Roy
   (d) Jhumpa Lahiri

2. What is the central theme of "A House for Mr. Biswas"?
   (a) Love and betrayal
   (b) Struggle for identity
   (c) Political intrigue
   (d) Time travel

3. What is the protagonist's full name in the novel?
   (a) Mohan Biswas
   (b) Anand Biswas
   (c) Prakash Biswas
   (d) Mohun Biswas

4. In the novel, what is Mr. Biswas's occupation?
   (a) Doctor
   (b) Journalist
   (c) School teacher
   (d) Sign painter

5. Where does Mr. Biswas work as a sign painter?
   (a) Port of Spain
   (b) A rural village
   (c) London
   (d) New York

6. What is the significance of the title "A House for Mr. Biswas"?
   (a) It symbolizes his financial success
   (b) It represents his quest for stability
   (c) It reflects his love for architecture
   (d) It is a metaphor for his social status

7. Whom does Mr. Biswas marry in the novel?
   (a) Shama
   (b) Tara
   (c) Savi
   (d) Anjali

8. What is the name of the family that Mr. Biswas marries into?
   (a) Tulsi
   (b) Seth
   (c) Biswas
   (d) Sharma

9. How many children does Mr. Biswas have?
   (a) Two
   (b) Three
   (c) Four
   (d) Five

10. What is the name of the fictional town where much of the novel is set?
    (a) Hanuman House
    (b) Arwacas
    (c) Port of Spain
    (d) Short hills

11. What does Mr. Biswas dream of owning throughout the novel?
    (a) A car
    (b) A boat
    (c) A house
    (d) A business

12. Who plays a significant role in shaping Mr. Biswas's life?
    (a) His father
    (b) His mother
    (c) His wife
    (d) His teacher

13. What is the significance of Mr. Biswas's birth according to traditional Hindu astrology?
    (a) He is destined for greatness
    (b) He is cursed and will face struggles
    (c) He is a divine being
    (d) He is a symbol of good luck

14. What is the name of the newspaper where Mr. Biswas works briefly?
    (a) The Trinidad Chronicle
    (b) The Arwacas Gazette
    (c) The Sentinel
    (d) The Daily Express

15. What is the name of Mr. Biswas's father-in-law?
    (a) Sharma
    (b) Seth
    (c) Pundit Tulsi
    (d) Ganesh

16. Which character represents the educated and modern perspective in the novel?
    (a) Shama
    (b) Savi
    (c) Anand
    (d) Govind

17. What does Mr. Biswas do to improve his social status?
    (a) Opens a successful business
    (b) Pursues higher education
    (c) Marries into a wealthy family
    (d) Builds a grand house

18. Who serves as Mr. Biswas's mentor in the art of sign painting?
    (a) Ramchand
    (b) Tara
    (c) Anand
    (d) Bipti

19. Which character is known for being a traditional and conservative figure in the Tulsi family?
    (a) Seth
    (b) Shama
    (c) Anand
    (d) Owad

20. What is the significance of the Shorthills house in the novel?
    (a) It is Mr. Biswas's childhood home
    (b) It symbolizes wealth and success
    (c) It is the family ancestral home
    (d) It is the house Mr. Biswas dreams of owning

21. What is the name of the newspaper that Mr. Biswas briefly works for in the city?
    (a) The Sentinel
    (b) The Trinidad Chronicle
    (c) The Arwacas Gazette
    (d) The Daily Express

22. Which character represents the voice of reason and practicality in Mr. Biswas's life?
    (a) Shama
    (b) Savi
    (c) Anand
    (d) Govind

23. What is the significance of Mr. Biswas's quest for independence?
    (a) Economic stability
    (b) Personal identity
    (c) Social recognition
    (d) All of the above

24. What profession does Anand pursue in the novel?
    (a) Doctor
    (b) Lawyer
    (c) Engineer
    (d) Journalist

25. What is the fate of Mr. Biswas's dream house?
    (a) It is destroyed in a fire
    (b) It is sold to pay off debts
    (c) It becomes a historical landmark
    (d) It is inherited by Anand

26. What role does religion play in the Tulsi family?
    (a) It is central to their lives
    (b) They are atheists
    (c) It is only observed on special occasions
    (d) It is irrelevant to them

27. What does Mr. Biswas strive to overcome throughout the novel?
    (a) Poverty
    (b) Illiteracy
    (c) Caste discrimination
    (d) Social expectations

28. What is the significance of the character Bipti in Mr. Biswas's life?
    (a) She is his mother
    (b) She is his wife
    (c) She is his sister
    (d) She is his aunt

29. How does Mr. Biswas feel about his in-laws' lifestyle?
    (a) Envious
    (b) Content
    (c) Disapproving
    (d) Indifferent

30. Who influences Mr. Biswas to become a sign painter?
    (a) Bipti
    (b) Anand
    (c) Sharma
    (d) Ramchand

31. What is the relationship between Mr. Biswas and his father-in-law, Pundit Tulsi?
    (a) Friendly
    (b) Strained
    (c) Respectful
    (d) Indifferent

32. What does the Shorthills house represent for the Tulsi family?
    (a) Financial success
    (b) Cultural heritage
    (c) Social status
    (d) A burden

33. What does Mr. Biswas discover about the Shorthills house after it is sold?
    (a) It is haunted
    (b) It is in disrepair
    (c) It is a historical landmark
    (d) It was not legally owned by the Tulsis

34. What is the role of Hanuman House in the novel?
    (a) It is Mr. Biswas's workplace
    (b) It is the family home
    (c) It is a religious institution
    (d) It is Mr. Biswas's dream house

35. In what ways does Mr. Biswas strive for independence in the novel?
    (a) Financially
    (b) Emotionally
    (c) Personally
    (d) All of the above

36. What does V.S. Naipaul's initials stand for?
    (a) Vijay Salman
    (b) Vidiadhar Surajprasad
    (c) Vikram Shyam
    (d) Venkat Satish

37. In which country was V.S. Naipaul born?
    (a) India
    (b) Trinidad and Tobago
    (c) England
    (d) Kenya

38. Which of Naipaul's novels won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2001?
    (a) Half a Life
    (b) A House for Mr. Biswas
    (c) The Enigma of Arrival
    (d) Half a Life

39. What genre is Naipaul most associated with in his literary works?
    (a) Science Fiction
    (b) Historical Fiction
    (c) Satire
    (d) Postcolonial Literature

40. Which of Naipaul's novels explores the impact of British colonialism in the Caribbean?
    (a) A Bend in the River
    (b) A House for Mr. Biswas
    (c) Miguel Street
    (d) The Mimic Men

41. What is the title of V.S. Naipaul's travelogue about his journey through India?
    (a) An Area of Darkness
    (b) In a Free State
    (c) The Mystic Masseur
    (d) The Enigma of Arrival

42. In which year did Naipaul receive his knighthood, becoming Sir V.S. Naipaul?
    (a) 1990
    (b) 1994
    (c) 2001
    (d) 2016

43. What literary award did Naipaul receive for his novel "In a Free State" in 1971?
    (a) Booker Prize
    (b) Nobel Prize in Literature
    (c) Pulitzer Prize
    (d) National Book Award

44. In which year was V.S. Naipaul born?
    (a) 1925
    (b) 1932
    (c) 1940
    (d) 1951

45. What is the theme of Naipaul's novel "A House for Mr. Biswas"?
    (a) Immigration and identity
    (b) Postcolonial politics
    (c) Struggle for independence
    (d) Search for a home and identity

46. What autobiographical work by Naipaul explores his family’s history and his own upbringing?
    (a) The Enigma of Arrival
    (b) An Area of Darkness
    (c) Finding the Center
    (d) A Way in the World

47. Which Naipaul novel tells the story of a character named Mohun Biswas and his quest for stability?
    (a) In a Free State
    (b) Guerrillas
    (c) A House for Mr. Biswas
    (d) The Enigma of Arrival

48. What is the title of Naipaul’s novel that explores the impact of colonialism in the Caribbean?
    (a) A Bend in the River
    (b) A House for Mr. Biswas
    (c) The Mystic Masseur
    (d) The Mimic Men

49. In which year did V.S. Naipaul pass away?
    (a) 2013
    (b) 2018
    (c) 2021
    (d) 2023

50. What is the name of Naipaul’s first published novel?
    (a) A House for Mr. Biswas
    (b) The Mystic Masseur
    (c) The Suffrage of Elvira
    (d) Miguel Street

51. What is the title of Naipaul’s novel that explores the life of a self-made man in Trinidad?
    (a) The Suffrage of Elvira
    (b) A Way in the World
    (c) The Mystic Masseur
    (d) Miguel Street

52. Which Caribbean island serves as the setting for Naipaul’s novel "Guerrillas"?
    (a) Jamaica
    (b) Trinidad and Tobago
    (c) Barbados
    (d) St. Kitts

53. What is the primary setting for Naipaul’s novel "A Bend in the River"?
    (a) India
    (b) Africa
    (c) England
    (d) Caribbean

54. In which year did V.S. Naipaul receive the Trinity Cross, the highest national honor of Trinidad and Tobago?
    (a) 1962
    (b) 1975
    (c) 1990
    (d) 2005

55. What is the title of Naipaul’s novel that explores the life of a Trinidadian man who becomes a mystic?
    (a) The Mystic Masseur
    (b) The Suffrage of Elvira
    (c) A House for Mr. Biswas
    (d) The Enigma of Arrival

56. What is the name of Naipaul’s wife, who played a crucial role in his literary career?
    (a) Patricia Hale
    (b) Margaret Gooding
    (c) Nadira Naipaul
    (d) Joan Didion

57. What is the nationality of Mr. Biswas?
    (a) Indian
    (b) Trinidadian
    (c) British
    (d) South African

58. What physical attribute marked Mr. Biswas as unlucky at birth?
    (a) An extra finger
    (b) A birthmark
    (c) A cleft lip
    (d) Different colored eyes

59. Mr. Biswas married into which family?
    (a) The Singh family
    (b) The Tulsi family
    (c) The Naipaul family
    (d) The Sharma family

60. What profession does Mr. Biswas aspire to?
    (a) Lawyer
    (b) Doctor
    (c) Journalist
    (d) Teacher

61. What is Mr. Biswas’ primary ambition?
    (a) To become wealthy
    (b) To travel the world
    (c) To own a house
    (d) To write a novel

62. What is the name of Mr. Biswas’ wife?
    (a) Shama
    (b) Savi
    (c) Tara
    (d) Dehuti

63. What is the main setting of the novel?
    (a) India
    (b) England
    (c) Trinidad
    (d) South Africa

64. Who is Mr. Biswas’ eldest child?
    (a) Anand
    (b) Savi
    (c) Myna
    (d) Kamla

65. What causes the death of Mr. Biswas’ father, Raghu?
    (a) Illness
    (b) Drowning
    (c) Accident
    (d) Old age

66. Who is the head of the Tulsi family?
    (a) Mrs. Tulsi
    (b) Seth
    (c) Shama
    (d) Shekhar

67. Which character is most associated with modernity in the novel?
    (a) Dorothy
    (b) Mr. Biswas
    (c) Tara
    (d) Shama

68. What genre does “A House for Mr. Biswas” primarily belong to?
    (a) Science fiction
    (b) Historical fiction
    (c) Coming of age
    (d) Mystery

69. Who is the only son of Mr. Biswas and Shama?
    (a) Pratap
    (b) Anand
    (c) Owad
    (d) Prasad

70. What theme is prominent in Mr. Biswas’ quest for a house?
    (a) Love
    (b) Betrayal
    (c) Independence
    (d) Revenge

71. A novel "Mr. Stone and the Knights Champion" (1963) is written by -
    (a) V.S. Naipaul
    (b) Patrick White
    (c) Judith Wright
    (d) None of these

72. Who is Mr. Biswas’ sister?
    (a) Sushila
    (b) Chinta
    (c) Dehuti
    (d) Savi

73. What is the climax of the novel?
    (a) Mr. Biswas buying a house
    (b) Mr. Biswas getting married
    (c) Mr. Biswas' death
    (d) Mr. Biswas collapsing at work

74. Mr. Biswas feels a sense of rivalry with which character?
    (a) Anand
    (b) Seth
    (c) Owad
    (d) Shekhar

75. Who is Mr. Biswas’ mentor in journalism?
    (a) Burnett
    (b) Ajodha
    (c) Ghany
    (d) Lokhan

76. The novel is written from which point of view?
    (a) First person
    (b) Second person
    (c) Third person omniscient
    (d) Third person limited

77. What is the tone of the novel?
    (a) Solemn
    (b) Darkly comic
    (c) Romantic
    (d) Suspenseful

78. Who helped Mr. Biswas get his first job?
    (a) Dhari
    (b) Pratap
    (c) Pundit Jairam
    (d) Tara

79. Which character represents traditional Hindu practices?
    (a) Hari
    (b) Dorothy
    (c) Seth
    (d) Shama

80. Mr. Biswas' aspirations are often thwarted by what?
    (a) His own laziness
    (b) External circumstances
    (c) His wife's family
    (d) All of the above

81. What is a recurring theme in Mr. Biswas' life?
    (a) Success
    (b) Adventure
    (c) Misfortune
    (d) Comedy

82. V.S. Naipaul was … … … writer.
    (a) A British
    (b) An Indian
    (c) An European
    (d) An Italian

83. What is the full name of V.S. Naipaul?
    (a) Vidiadhar Saroj Naipaul
    (b) Vidiadhar Siraj Naipaul
    (c) Vidiadhar Sarojprasad Naipaul
    (d) Vidiadhar Surajprasad Naipaul

84. V.S. Naipaul’s father was an -
    (a) Doctor
    (b) Scientist
    (c) Mathematician
    (d) English Language Journalist

85. Who won both Booker and Nobel Prize?
    (a) Rabindranath Tagore
    (b) Najrul Islam
    (c) Balwant Singh
    (d) V.S. Naipaul

86. What was V.S. Naipaul's last notification work?
    (a) The Masque of Africa
    (b) Miguel Street
    (c) A House of Mr. Biswas
    (d) In a Free Street

87. V.S. Naipaul was born in -
    (a) France
    (b) Canada
    (c) Trinidad
    (d) Japan

88. V.S. Naipaul studied at -
    (a) University of Oxford
    (b) Cambridge University
    (c) University of America
    (d) University of U.K

89. V.S. Naipaul was famous for his … … … writing.
    (a) Comic
    (b) Detective
    (c) Honor
    (d) Mythology

90. V.S. Naipaul was a -
    (a) Trinidad novelist of Indian descent
    (b) Politician
    (c) Scientist
    (d) All of above

91. V.S. Naipaul settled down in England in -
    (a) 1945
    (b) 1950
    (c) 1960
    (d) 1940

92. The Literary Award the 'David Cohen British Literature Prize' was conferred to -
    (a) Patrick White
    (b) Judith Wright
    (c) V.S. Naipaul
    (d) Kamala Das

93. Which is the novel of V.S. Naipaul?
    (a) The Mystic Masseur
    (b) The Suffrage of Elvira
    (c) Miguel Street
    (d) All of the above

94. Who wrote 'A Bend in the River'?
    (a) Balwant Gargi
    (b) V.S. Naipaul
    (c) Radhakrishnan
    (d) K. Advani

95. V.S. Naipaul got the Nobel Prize in Literature in which year?
    (a) 2001
    (b) 2002
    (c) 2003
    (d) 2004

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