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Introduction to Salman Rushdie

Total questions: 14

Worksheet time: 1hrs 6mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Salman Rushdie is British, but he was born and spent his childhood...

a)

in Cambridge, USA

b)

in Mumbai, India

c)

in London, England

d)

in Peshawar, Pakistan

2.

Rushdie grew up in a ................... family. Tolerance was a key feature of his family's approach to the religion.

a)

Christian

b)

Jewish

c)

Muslim

d)

Atheist

3.

At Cambridge University, Rushdie studied...

a)

Literature

b)

History

c)

Political Science

d)

Creative Writing

4.

Before becoming a novelist, Rushdie worked in....

a)

theatre and opera

b)

television and radio

c)

television and advertising

d)

business

5.

Rushdie's first novel, Grimus, was published in...

a)

1947

b)

1964

c)

1975

d)

1981

6.

Rushdie first received international acclaim when he published .........., a novel that narrates key events in India's history and which won, among other awards, the Booker Prize.

a)

Midnight's Children

b)

The Satanic Verses

c)

Shame

d)

Shalimar the Clown

7.

Which novel led lead to accusations of blasphemy against Islam and resulted in a fatwa against Rushdie?

a)

The Satanic Verses

b)

Midnight's Children

c)

Haroun and the Sea of Stories

d)

Shame

8.

Due to the fatwa issued by Iran's supreme leader (the Ayatollah Khomeini) in 1989 after The Satanic Verses came out, Rushdie was forced into hiding. How many years did he spend in hiding?

a)

2

b)

5

c)

9

d)

32 and counting (he is still in hiding)

9.

Which novel became a U2 song with lyrics by Rushdie?

a)

Quichotte

b)

The Golden House

c)

The Ground Beneath Her Feet

d)

Luka and the Fire of Life

10.

Rushdie wrote Haroun and the Sea of Stories ....

a)

in order to explore nautical themes

b)

as a promise to his son Zafar

c)

because he had time on his hands, being in hiding and all

d)

as a means of making up for the insults of The Satanic Verses

11.

Haroun and the Sea of Stories, which you are about to start reading, incorporates elements of magical realism. What is that?

a)

literature that depicts fantastical elements as a normal part of the 'real' world

b)

stories about magicians

c)

writing that has a magical effect on you

d)

literature that shows the world in the most realistic way possible

12.

While reading Haroun and the Sea of Stories, we will be looking at it as an example of a hero's journey. The Hero's Journey is essentially a template or pattern that many stories employ. The journey always involves:

a)

magic and realism

b)

a hero leaving, facing challenges and returning transformed

c)

high tech weaponry

d)

fabulous costumes

13.

An excellent way to engage fully with literature as you read is....

a)

to try to memorize what you read

b)

to make annotations

c)

to relax; if you fall asleep no worries, you need the rest

d)

to skim

14.

Given that Rushdie's writing is playful, hyperbolic, outlandish and highly imaginative, you should expect a final project to be...

a)

an analytical essay

b)

a multiple-choice test

c)

a rock opera

d)

a creative writing piece