WorksheetsThe Namesake
Total questions: 15
Worksheet time: 15mins
Explain the theme of this excerpt from The Namesake.
Travel is meretricious.
If you don't leave, you'll be stuck here forever.
Talking with strangers while traveling leads to all kinds of mischief.
Reading books instead of traveling causes one to become supercilious.
How does the reader know that Gogol has never received a gift from his father before?
Gogol cries gratefully to himself after his father leaves, treasuring the gift through college
Gogol is surprised to see his father, since his mother usually buys the gifts and writes his dad's name on them
Gogol is vitriolic, throwing the gift across the room since he doesn't want anything from his father
Gogol runs to his sister and closest friends, telling them that his father finally got him a gift inspite of their economic situation
Gogol's name, his "namesake," is
Indian
American
British
Russian
How do Ashoke and Ashima plan to name their baby?
They will ask their American friends for names because they want an American name.
Ashoke will name the baby, because Indian fathers always name their children.
They have asked Ashoke's relatives in India to come up with a suitable name.
Ashima's grandmother will send a letter with a boy name and a girl name.
How does Ashoke earn money?
He works as a waiter by day, professor at night classes
He is an assistant medical practitioner
He works as an engineer for a major tech company
He is a graduate teaching assistant at university
Who decides that Gogol will not be called Nikhil in kindergarten?
Ashoke
Mrs. Lapidus, the Principal
Ashima
Mr. Lawson, his teacher
Explain what really happens when Gogol and his friends go to the party .
Nikhil allows Gogol to be free of his family constraints and expectations.
Gogol hides in the bathroom, ashamed to participate in such an American affair.
Gogol convinces Nikhil to go home.
Gogol and Kim start a relationship for the first time.
We all came out of Gogol's overcoat means what?
The Ganguli family played together and wound up twisted in their son's jacket.
Gogol had such a profound impact on his family that they are all changed because of him, and not for the better.
Gogol, despite living such a short life, influenced his writing contemporaries more than anyone really realized.
Sofia and Gogol created new identities after putting on his coat.
Ashima engages in a small _____ when she steps into Ashoke's shoes before meeting him because it was improper for a Bengali woman to do such a thing.
indiscretion
foray
tentative
inviolable
What is the primary theme explored in Jhumpa Lahiri's novel 'The Namesake'?
Identity and self-discovery
War and peace
Love and betrayal
Technology and society
In 'The Namesake', why is Gogol's name significant?
It represents his Indian heritage
It is a common American name
It is the name of a famous Russian author
It was his grandmother's name
How does Ashima feel about moving to America in 'The Namesake'?
Excited and adventurous
Nervous and homesick
Indifferent and detached
Angry and resentful
What literary device is frequently used in 'The Namesake' to highlight cultural differences?
Metaphor
Irony
Symbolism
Alliteration
Which character in 'The Namesake' struggles the most with cultural identity?
Ashoke
Ashima
Gogol
Moushumi
What event in 'The Namesake' prompts Gogol to change his name?
His graduation
His father's death
His marriage
His trip to India
