- What time did the astrologer open his bag each day?
a) At sunrise / b) At midday / c) At sunset / d) At midnight
Answer: b) At midday - How many cowrie shells did his equipment include?
a) Six / b) Eight / c) A dozen / d) Twenty
Answer: c) A dozen - What kind of charts were on the square of cloth?
a) Clear and simple / b) Obscure mystic charts / c) Astronomical maps / d) Palm leaf diagrams
Answer: b) Obscure mystic charts - What was on his forehead?
a) Sandalwood paste / b) Turmeric / c) Sacred ash and vermilion / d) Charcoal
Answer: c) Sacred ash and vermilion - What did his simple clients think his abnormal gleam was?
a) A sign of wealth / b) A prophetic light / c) A trick of the light / d) A disease
Answer: b) A prophetic light - What colour was his turban?
a) White / b) Red / c) Saffron / d) Black
Answer: c) Saffron - To what does the author compare people’s attraction to the astrologer?
a) Moths to a flame / b) Bees to cosmos or dahlia stalks / c) Flies to honey / d) Birds to a tree
Answer: b) Bees to cosmos or dahlia stalks - Under which tree did he sit?
a) Banyan / b) Peepal / c) Tamarind / d) Neem
Answer: c) Tamarind - Where was the tamarind tree located?
a) Near the river / b) Flanking a path through the Town Hall Park / c) In the marketplace / d) Outside the temple
Answer: b) Flanking a path through the Town Hall Park - Which of these was NOT mentioned as a trade on the road?
a) Medicine sellers / b) Sellers of stolen hardware / c) Fruit vendors / d) Magicians
Answer: c) Fruit vendors - Who created enough din all day to attract the whole town?
a) The groundnut vendor / b) The astrologer / c) An auctioneer of cheap cloth / d) A snake charmer
Answer: c) An auctioneer of cheap cloth - What did the groundnut vendor call his ware one day?
a) Raja’s Special / b) Bombay Ice-cream / c) Maharaja’s Mix / d) King’s Nut
Answer: b) Bombay Ice-cream - What did the groundnut vendor call his ware on the third day?
a) Delhi Almond / b) Bombay Ice-cream / c) Raja’s Delicacy / d) Royal Treat
Answer: c) Raja’s Delicacy - How was the astrologer’s business lit?
a) Municipal lights / b) A flare above the groundnut heap / c) A gas lamp / d) A cycle lamp
Answer: b) A flare above the groundnut heap - Why did the lack of municipal lighting suit the astrologer?
a) He liked the dark / b) He had not intended to be an astrologer and knew nothing of the future / c) He could hide from police / d) It saved him money
Answer: b) He had not intended to be an astrologer and knew nothing of the future - The astrologer was as much a stranger to the stars as …
a) his own family / b) his innocent customers / c) the vendors / d) the auctioneer
Answer: b) his innocent customers - His success was a matter of …
a) real astrology / b) divine power / c) study, practice and shrewd guesswork / d) luck
Answer: c) study, practice and shrewd guesswork - What would the astrologer have done if he had stayed in his village?
a) Become a priest / b) Worked as a trader / c) Tilled the land like his forefathers / d) Become a teacher
Answer: c) Tilled the land like his forefathers - How far did he have to leave his village behind?
a) Fifty miles / b) A couple of hundred miles / c) Ten miles / d) Five hundred miles
Answer: b) A couple of hundred miles - His working analysis of mankind’s troubles included all EXCEPT:
a) Marriage / b) Money / c) Health / d) Tangles of human ties
Answer: c) Health - How long did the astrologer wait before opening his mouth?
a) Two minutes / b) Five minutes / c) At least ten minutes / d) Fifteen minutes
Answer: c) At least ten minutes - How much did he charge per question?
a) One pie / b) Two pies / c) Three pies / d) One anna
Answer: c) Three pies - What typical statement would he make about a person’s efforts?
a) “You will be rich soon.” / b) “You are not getting the fullest results for your efforts.” / c) “You have a long life ahead.” / d) “Danger is near you.”
Answer: b) “You are not getting the fullest results for your efforts.” - What did he often ask about a woman in the family?
a) If she is ill / b) If she is not well disposed towards the person / c) If she will marry soon / d) If she has a secret
Answer: b) If she is not well disposed towards the person - According to the astrologer, what causes most troubles?
a) Bad luck / b) The person’s nature / c) Evil spirits / d) Poverty
Answer: b) The person’s nature - Which planet does he mention in his analysis?
a) Mars / b) Jupiter / c) Saturn / d) Venus
Answer: c) Saturn - He says the person has an impetuous nature and …
a) a kind heart / b) a rough exterior / c) a sharp tongue / d) a generous soul
Answer: b) a rough exterior - What did the nut vendor do as a signal to go home?
a) Shouted / b) Blew out his flare / c) Packed his nuts / d) Closed his cart
Answer: b) Blew out his flare - What light remained after the nut vendor left?
a) A blue flame / b) A green shaft of light / c) A red glow / d) A yellow beam
Answer: b) A green shaft of light - When the green light was blotted out, the astrologer saw …
a) a policeman / b) a woman / c) a man standing before him / d) a dog
Answer: c) a man standing before him - The astrologer first invited the stranger to …
a) show his palm / b) pay money / c) sit down and chat / d) light a cheroot
Answer: c) sit down and chat - What did the stranger thrust under the astrologer’s nose?
a) A knife / b) A coin / c) His palm / d) A cheroot
Answer: c) His palm - The astrologer felt … when challenged.
a) happy / b) piqued / c) sleepy / d) amused
Answer: b) piqued - How much did the stranger first throw to the astrologer?
a) One pie / b) Three pies / c) One anna / d) One rupee
Answer: c) One anna - What did the stranger demand if the astrologer was bluffing?
a) Double the money / b) An apology / c) Return of the anna with interest / d) His turban
Answer: c) Return of the anna with interest - The astrologer asked for five rupees if his answers were satisfactory. What did the stranger say?
a) Yes / b) No / c) Maybe / d) Eight annas
Answer: b) No - Finally, the stranger agreed to pay eight annas provided …
a) the astrologer answered first / b) the astrologer gave twice as much if wrong / c) the astrologer lit a cheroot / d) the astrologer showed his face
Answer: b) the astrologer gave twice as much if wrong - What did the stranger light?
a) A lamp / b) A cheroot / c) A match / d) A flare
Answer: b) A cheroot - How did the astrologer see the stranger’s face?
a) By the flare / b) By the gas light / c) By matchlight / d) By the green shaft
Answer: c) By matchlight - The astrologer’s voice became …
a) loud / b) cheerful / c) faint and shaking / d) angry
Answer: c) faint and shaking - The stranger did NOT want to hear about …
a) his search / b) a woman / c) his past / d) his village
Answer: b) a woman - The stranger’s main question was:
a) Will I be rich? / b) Shall I succeed in my present search? / c) Will I live long? / d) Is my enemy dead?
Answer: b) Shall I succeed in my present search? - The astrologer finally agreed to speak if the stranger gave him …
a) five rupees / b) eight annas / c) a rupee / d) ten annas
Answer: c) a rupee - The astrologer’s first revelation was: “You were left for …”
a) poor / b) dead / c) sick / d) alone
Answer: b) dead - What had passed through the stranger once?
a) A bullet / b) A knife / c) A spear / d) An arrow
Answer: b) A knife - Where was the stranger pushed?
a) Into a river / b) Into a well / c) Off a cliff / d) Into a fire
Answer: b) Into a well - Who saved the stranger?
a) A friend / b) A passer-by who peeped into the well / c) The astrologer / d) The police
Answer: b) A passer-by who peeped into the well - The stranger clenched his fist and asked, “When shall I get at him?” The astrologer answered:
a) “Tomorrow” / b) “In this very town” / c) “In the next world” / d) “Never”
Answer: c) “In the next world” - According to the astrologer, the enemy died … ago.
a) one month / b) two months / c) four months / d) one year
Answer: c) four months - Where did the enemy die?
a) In the same town / b) In their village / c) In a far-off town / d) On the road
Answer: c) In a far-off town - The stranger’s name was …
a) Guru Nanak / b) Guru Nayak / c) R.K. Narayan / d) Nayak Singh
Answer: b) Guru Nayak - The stranger’s village was … days’ journey due north of the town.
a) one / b) two / c) three / d) four
Answer: b) two - The astrologer told the stranger to take … and be gone.
a) the next train / b) a bullock cart / c) a bus / d) a horse
Answer: a) the next train - What did the astrologer give the stranger to rub on his forehead?
a) Oil / b) Sacred ash / c) Vermilion / d) Sandalwood paste
Answer: b) Sacred ash - The astrologer warned the stranger never to travel … again.
a) northward / b) eastward / c) southward / d) westward
Answer: c) southward - If the stranger obeyed, he would live to be …
a) seventy / b) eighty / c) ninety / d) a hundred
Answer: d) a hundred - Why had the stranger been leaving home now and then?
a) To trade / b) To look for the man and kill him / c) To visit temples / d) To see the astrologer
Answer: b) To look for the man and kill him - The astrologer said the enemy was crushed under …
a) a tree / b) a lorry / c) a train / d) a building
Answer: b) a lorry - Hearing about the enemy’s death, the stranger felt …
a) sad / b) angry / c) gratified / d) confused
Answer: c) gratified - The stranger gave the astrologer … before leaving.
a) a rupee / b) a handful of coins / c) eight annas / d) nothing
Answer: b) a handful of coins - What time did the astrologer reach home?
a) Late evening / b) Nearly midnight / c) Early morning / d) Afternoon
Answer: b) Nearly midnight - Who was waiting for him at the door?
a) His child / b) His mother / c) His wife / d) His neighbour
Answer: c) His wife - The astrologer flung … at his wife.
a) his turban / b) his bag / c) the coins / d) his palm leaves
Answer: c) the coins - How much money did the wife count?
a) Ten annas / b) Eleven annas / c) Twelve and a half annas / d) One rupee
Answer: c) Twelve and a half annas - What did the wife want to buy with the money?
a) Rice and lentils / b) Jaggery and coconut / c) Clothes / d) Oil
Answer: b) Jaggery and coconut - The child had been asking for … for many days.
a) a toy / b) sweets / c) a new dress / d) a story
Answer: b) sweets - The astrologer called the stranger “The swine” because …
a) he was dirty / b) he cheated him (promised a rupee but gave less) / c) he ran away / d) he fought with him
Answer: b) he cheated him (promised a rupee but gave less) - After dinner, where did the astrologer sit?
a) On a chair / b) On the pyol / c) On the bed / d) On the floor
Answer: b) On the pyol - What load did he say was gone from him?
a) Debt / b) The thought that he had a man’s blood on his hands / c) His customers / d) His bag
Answer: b) The thought that he had a man’s blood on his hands - Why had he run away from home?
a) Because of debt / b) Because he thought he had killed a man / c) Because of a famine / d) Because his family threw him out
Answer: b) Because he thought he had killed a man - Who was alive, according to his revelation to his wife?
a) His father / b) His enemy / c) His friend / d) His son
Answer: b) His enemy - The wife gasped and said: “You tried to …!”
a) steal / b) run away / c) kill / d) lie
Answer: c) kill - Where did the astrologer say the incident happened?
a) In this town / b) In their village / c) On the road / d) At the park
Answer: b) In their village - What did the astrologer do with his enemy when they quarrelled?
a) Beat him / b) Passed a knife through his body and pushed him into a well / c) Poisoned him / d) Buried him
Answer: b) Passed a knife through his body and pushed him into a well - What did they do on the day of the quarrel?
a) Worked together / b) Drank, gambled and quarrelled / c) Travelled together / d) Went to a temple
Answer: b) Drank, gambled and quarrelled - The astrologer said, “It’s time to sleep,” and …
a) went inside / b) stretched himself on the pyol / c) closed his eyes / d) lit a lamp
Answer: b) stretched himself on the pyol - The astrologer had thought he had the blood of a man on his hands for …
a) a few months / b) one year / c) many years / d) a week
Answer: c) many years - He ran away from home, settled in the town and married his wife because …
a) he liked the town / b) he was in love / c) he was afraid of being traced by his enemy / d) his parents arranged it
Answer: c) he was afraid of being traced by his enemy - The wife was … when she heard he tried to kill.
a) happy / b) shocked (gasped) / c) excited / d) proud
Answer: b) shocked (gasped) - The story ends with the astrologer …
a) crying / b) laughing / c) yawning and going to sleep / d) leaving the house
Answer: c) yawning and going to sleep - What had the astrologer really intended to be when he began life?
a) A farmer / b) Not an astrologer at all / c) A teacher / d) A trader
Answer: b) Not an astrologer at all - Why did the astrologer never open his mouth for ten minutes?
a) He was shy / b) To gather enough material from the client’s talk / c) To rest / d) He was praying
Answer: b) To gather enough material from the client’s talk - The astrologer’s eyes were between:
a) two lamps / b) painted forehead and dark whiskers / c) a turban and a beard / d) two scars
Answer: b) painted forehead and dark whiskers - What effect did the saffron turban create?
a) Religious awe / b) Colour scheme that never failed / c) Fear / d) Confusion
Answer: b) Colour scheme that never failed - The path through the Town Hall Park was …
a) wide / b) narrow / c) closed / d) muddy
Answer: b) narrow - The groundnut vendor’s names were …
a) true descriptions / b) fancy names changed daily / c) the same every day / d) copied from the auctioneer
Answer: b) fancy names changed daily - The astrologer’s place had … municipal lighting.
a) full / b) partial / c) no benefit of / d) excellent
Answer: c) no benefit of - The astrologer’s customers were described as …
a) clever / b) rich / c) innocent / d) educated
Answer: c) innocent - What did the stranger do after sitting down?
a) Slept / b) Talked continuously / c) Sucked his cheroot and puffed out ruthlessly / d) Read a book
Answer: c) Sucked his cheroot and puffed out ruthlessly - The astrologer shivered in the stranger’s …
a) voice / b) grip / c) shadow / d) light
Answer: b) grip - The astrologer said “There is a woman …” but the stranger …
a) listened carefully / b) asked about her / c) stopped him / d) laughed
Answer: c) stopped him - The astrologer muttered … before answering.
a) a prayer / b) a few incantations / c) a poem / d) the stranger’s name
Answer: b) a few incantations - When the astrologer said “Guru Nayak”, the stranger was …
a) pleased / b) taken aback / c) angry / d) indifferent
Answer: b) taken aback - The astrologer told the stranger that his enemy died in …
a) a hospital / b) a well / c) a far-off town / d) a fire
Answer: c) a far-off town - The enemy died under a lorry, but the astrologer also said he died …
a) peacefully / b) as he deserved / c) in his sleep / d) by drowning
Answer: b) as he deserved - After the stranger left, the place was …
a) crowded / b) noisy / c) deserted, dark and silent / d) lit by many lamps
Answer: c) deserted, dark and silent - The wife was overjoyed because …
a) her husband returned early / b) she could buy sweets for the child / c) the stranger was dead / d) it was a holiday
Answer: b) she could buy sweets for the child - The astrologer promised his wife that his enemy …
a) would return / b) was dead / c) was alive / d) had become rich
Answer: c) was alive - The astrologer described his younger self as a …
a) hardworking farmer / b) silly youngster / c) clever merchant / d) learned priest
Answer: b) silly youngster - The story implies that the astrologer himself was the one who …
a) saved Guru Nayak / b) died under the lorry / c) attacked Guru Nayak years ago / d) was a real prophet
Answer: c) attacked Guru Nayak years ago
