Nectar in a Sieve

How does Rukmani earn money to afford the trip home?

• she reads and writes letters for money

• she carries explosives to the directors at the quarry

• she prostitutes herself

• she cooks the rice to be served at the temple

How do the people at the temple view Rukmani and Nathan when they return from Murugan's house?

• they mock her and see her as a foreigner who is stealing food from them

• they are saddened by Rukmani's story and share their food and money with her

• they throw rocks at her and call her a liar

• they tell her and Nathan to leave and find someplace else to sleep

What are the last words Nathan speaks to Rukmani?

• "You must not cry, dearest. What has to be, has to be."

• "Would you hold me when my time is come? I am at peace. Do not grieve."

• "...how shall I endure to live without you, who are my love and my life?"

• "You are not alone. I live in my children."

What causes Rukmani and Nathan's earnings at the quarry to decline?

• the monsoon makes the gathering of the rocks more difficult

• Nathan is ill and less able to do the hard, laborious work

• Puli refuses to work in the rain

• all of these reduces their income

Who kills the cobra that Rukmani grabs?

• Rukmani

• Nathan

• Kunthi

• Kali

• Nobody -- it gets away.

At the beginning of Chapter 3, what does Rukmani say caused her (and Nathan, though he never mentioned it) great worry?

• Their finances

• Their low crop yields

• Her inability to get pregnant again

• Her friends ostracizing her

What is the primary setting of 'Nectar in a Sieve'?

• A) A bustling city

• B) A rural village

• C) A coastal town

• D) A mountain village

Who is the protagonist of 'Nectar in a Sieve'?

• A) Kunthi

• B) Ira

• C) Rukmani

• D) Kali

What is the main theme explored in 'Nectar in a Sieve'?

• A) The power of wealth

• B) The struggle for survival

• C) The importance of education

• D) The beauty of nature

How does Rukmani feel about the tannery in the village?

• A) She is indifferent

• B) She is supportive

• C) She is opposed

• D) She is excited