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Worksheets'In Custody' by Anita Desai
Total questions: 15
Worksheet time: 8mins
In which way is 'In Custody' a modernist novel?
Because existentialism is a key theme as people questioned the future of humanity.
Because it was written in the 20th century.
Because it was written in a time of increasing industrialisation and globalisation.
Because of the use of modern literary techniques.
Deven disapproves of Imtiaz mainly because
She is a woman.
He has feelings for her.
She is disrespectful towards Nur when reciting.
She is a woman who does not know her place.
Which of these are themes in 'In Custody'?
alienation
equality
existentialism
love preserves more than it destroys
Who is Trivedi?
Deven's uncle
Sarla's father
Deven's student
Deven's boss
Which of these private symbols do not recur in almost all of Desai's novels?
the dust-storm
buses
summer heat
crows
How is alienation represented in 'In Custody'?
through the use of caged animal imagery
through the use of circus/performance imagery
through the juxtaposition of stagnation and progress
through the juxtaposition of illusion and reality
Which animal symbolises Deven in the novel?
Jackal
Rabbit
Horse
Ladybird
Which animal symbolises Sarla in the novel?
Jackal
Rabbit
Horse
Ladybird
Which animal symbolises Imtiaz in the novel?
Jackal
Rabbit
Horse
Reptile
Which animal symbolises Nur in the novel?
Jackal
Rabbit
Horse
Reptile
What is the central incident of the novel?
Deven meets Nur for the first time
Nur's death
Deven's argument with Imtiaz Begum
The interview with Nur
What does Imtiaz tell Deven about her past?
Her Dad was a shop owner
She lost her mother due to pneumonia
She didn't have the chance to go to school
She had to drop out of school to help in her Dad's business.
How is Desai's style characterised?
By bathos (climactic/ anticlimatic moments).
By musicality, pictorialness and synaesthetic experience.
By colour motifs
By the exploration of the psychic self
Which chapters encompass the climax of the novel?
Chapters 1-4
Chapters 5-8
Chapters 9-10
Chapter 11
Which of the following are parallels in the novel?
Deven and Nur are trapped in their marriages.
Deven and Siddiqui are ineffective in their work.
Sarla and Imtiaz are trapped by their marriages.
Deven and Imtiaz both fail to achieve their dreams.
