Exit West MCQs

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Author: Nasir Iqbal | Assistant Professor of English Literature


Updated on: November 11, 2025
Estimated Reading Time: 16 min

Exit West MCQs

1. Who are the two main characters introduced at the beginning of the novel?

A. John and Jane
B. Saeed and Nadia
C. Adam and Eve
D. Mark and Mary

B. Saeed and Nadia.
They meet in a classroom in a city troubled by refugees but still mostly at peace.

2. What attire does Nadia consistently wear when Saeed first meets her?

A. Red dress
B. Black robe
C. Denim jacket
D. White scarf

B. Black robe.
She is always clad from the tips of her toes to her jugular notch in a flowing black robe.

3. What specific class were Saeed and Nadia attending in the evenings?

A. Cooking course
B. History lecture
C. Corporate branding
D. Astronomy night

C. Corporate branding.
They were attending an evening class focusing on corporate identity and product branding.

4. What notable feature did Saeed first observe about Nadia’s appearance?

A. Bright eyes
B. Beauty mark
C. Tall stature
D. Long hair

B. Beauty mark.
Saeed noticed a tawny oval beauty mark on Nadia’s neck that sometimes rarely moved with her pulse.
5. What was Saeed’s job occupation in the city?

A. Banker
B. Doctor
C. Advertising placement
D. University professor

C. Advertising placement.
Saeed worked for an agency that specialized in the placement of outdoor advertising.

6. What type of vehicle did Nadia ride when she left class?

A. Taxi cab
B. City bus
C. Motorcycle helmet
D. Trail bike

D. Trail bike.
She rode off on a scuffed-up hundred-ish cc trail bike, after snapping down her visor.

7. In which distant city did a man emerge from a dark closet?

A. Tokyo
B. Vienna
C. Sydney
D. San Diego

C. Sydney.
This mysterious incident occurred in the Sydney neighborhood of Surry Hills, Australia.

8. What were Saeed’s parents’ former and current professions?

A. Lawyer and judge
B. Teacher and professor
C. Banker and chemist
D. Musician and writer

B. Teacher and professor.
His mother was a former schoolteacher, and his father was a university professor.

9. What object, sitting on a tripod, did Saeed inherit from his father?

A. A clipper ship
B. A rare book
C. A black telescope
D. An antique watch

C. A black telescope.
The black and sleek telescope had been given by his father, who received it from his own father.
10. Where did Saeed’s parents originally meet when they were young?

A. Café
B. Bookshop
C. Cinema
D. Mosque

C. Cinema.
They met at the cinema during the intermission of a film about a resourceful princess.

11. What was Nadia’s practical reason for wearing the black robe?

A. Religious devotion
B. To stay warm
C. So men don’t fuck
D. Personal style choice

C. So men don’t fuck.
She told Saeed she wore the robe for self-protection against aggressive men.

12. Why did Nadia intentionally break ties with her family?

A. To get married
B. To move abroad
C. To live independently
D. To join the military

C. To live independently.
Announcing she was moving out on her own as an unmarried woman caused a complete break.

13. Which city did Nadia express a strong desire to travel to first?

A. Chile
B. Cuba
C. London
D. Vienna

B. Cuba.
She thought Cuba sounded perfect, reminding her of music, old buildings, and the sea.

14. Which natural feature did Saeed wish to visit in Chile?

A. Coastal cliffs
B. Patagonia mountains
C. Atacama Desert
D. Santiago city

C. Atacama Desert.
He wanted to lie on his back in the dry desert air and see the Milky Way.
15. How did Saeed enter Nadia’s apartment on their first proper date?

A. Climbed window
B. Nadia let him
C. Wore her black robe
D. Knocked on door

C. Wore her black robe.
Saeed pulled on a spare black robe and used the key Nadia dropped to hide his identity.

16. Whose death made the violence in the city suddenly real for Nadia?

A. Her mother’s
B. Her friend’s
C. Cousin’s death
D. Saeed’s neighbor

C. Cousin’s death.
Her cousin, a doctor, was tragically killed and literally blown to bits by a truck bomb.

17. Who was Nadia seeing before Saeed, known for his “animal beauty”?

A. A doctor
B. A musician
C. A soldier
D. An accountant

B. A musician.
Nadia was seeing a musician whom she appreciated for his comfort and wanton attitude toward her body.

18. What item did Nadia procure for her second date with Saeed?

A. Barbecue food
B. Psychedelic shrooms
C. New records
D. Designer clothes

B. Psychedelic shrooms.
She ordered psychedelic mushrooms via social media, listed as foodstuffs, for their date.

19. What major event happened in the city the morning the shrooms arrived?

A. Pay raise
B. Boss quit
C. Stock exchange takeover
D. Office party

C. Stock exchange takeover.
Militants took over the city’s stock exchange, which the army later stormed with maximum force.
20. What was Saeed’s reason for repeatedly resisting having sex with Nadia?

A. Against his beliefs
B. Not feeling well
C. Too tired from work
D. Waiting for a car

A. Against his beliefs.
Saeed stated they should not have sex until they were married, due to his beliefs.

21. How did the French photographer capture beautiful stars above famous cities?

A. Special camera
B. Removed city lights
C. Used distant skies
D. Painted the stars

C. Used distant skies.
He found dark, deserted places at the same latitude to photograph the city’s potential sky.

22. What decisive government action made Saeed and Nadia lose contact?

A. Curfew imposed
B. Phone signals vanished
C. Internet suspended
D. Travel banned

B. Phone signals vanished.
The government suspended all mobile phone and internet connectivity as an antiterrorism measure.

23. What traumatic violation did Nadia experience while waiting at the bank?

A. Robbery
B. Groped in crowd
C. Line was too long
D. She lost money

B. Groped in crowd.
While pinned in the unruly crowd, a man groped and tried to penetrate her with his finger.

24. What useful supplies did Saeed bring Nadia when he finally found her?

A. Flowers
B. Kerosene stove
C. Gold coins
D. New phone

B. Kerosene stove.
He brought practical items like a kerosene camping stove, fuel, matches, candles, and chlorine tablets.
25. What did Saeed suggest that Nadia immediately interpreted as a marriage proposal?

A. Marry him quickly
B. Move in together
C. Run away now
D. Get matching tattoos

B. Move in together.
When he suggested she move in with his parents and him, she understood it as a proposal.

26. How did Saeed’s mother tragically die in the city?

A. Killed by militants
B. Died of illness
C. Stray round killed her
D. Fled the country

C. Stray round killed her.
A stray heavy-caliber round struck her through the car windshield as she looked for an earring.

27. What familiar address terms did Nadia and Saeed’s father use for each other?

A. Mother and son
B. Friend and brother
C. Daughter and father
D. Boss and colleague

C. Daughter and father.
They referred to each other as “daughter” and “father,” finding the terms appropriate and comforting.

28. What plant did Nadia save and bring from her old apartment?

A. Rose bush
B. Coconut palm
C. Lemon tree
D. Mesquite tree

C. Lemon tree.
She took her parched but possibly revivable lemon tree, records, and clothes to Saeed’s apartment.

29. What horrific sight did Saeed’s father witness near the graveyard?

A. Public hanging
B. Burnt bodies
C. Severed human head
D. Mass execution

C. Severed human head.
Teenagers were seen playing with what Saeed’s father realized was a severed human head, not a goat head.
30. Where did Saeed and Nadia meet the mysterious “agent” for passage?

A. University café
B. His agency office
C. Burnt-out shopping center
D. Near the cinema

C. Burnt-out shopping center.
They met the agent in the labyrinthine gloom of the shopping center, a ruin with many hiding places.

31. What primary reason did Saeed’s father give for staying behind?

A. Too frail to move
B. He wanted to stay
C. Waiting for siblings
D. His wife was there

D. His wife was there.
He told Saeed he could not leave the city because his deceased wife was buried there.

32. What major commitment did Saeed’s father make Nadia promise?

A. To marry Saeed
B. To return someday
C. To stay by Saeed’s side
D. To never forget him

C. To stay by Saeed’s side.
He asked Nadia, whom he called daughter, to ensure Saeed reached safety by remaining with him.

33. Where did Saeed and Nadia first emerge after passing through the door?

A. London flat
B. Tokyo bar
C. Greek island beach
D. San Diego bluff

C. Greek island beach.
They exited the door onto a deserted beach on the Greek island of Mykonos.

34. In Mykonos, how were the doors leading into the island generally characterized?

A. Heavily guarded
B. Mostly left unsecured
C. All closed
D. Only for rich

B. Mostly left unsecured.
The doors from poorer places were generally left open, perhaps in resignation that people would not return.
35. To which destination did a people smuggler promise passage to Saeed and Nadia?

A. Germany
B. Canada
C. Sweden
D. Australia

C. Sweden.
A swindler in the camp promised to get them to Sweden by the following morning but disappeared with their money.

36. Why did Saeed and Nadia suddenly flee while fishing on the rocks?

A. Caught enough food
B. Saw four men
C. Too cold outside
D. Reel was broken

B. Saw four men.
They saw four rough-looking men approaching them along the beach and feared attack.

37. What physical ailment led Nadia to seek help in the old town?

A. Fever
B. Broken bone
C. Festering arm cut
D. Severe anxiety

C. Festering arm cut.
Nadia’s arm, cut previously on the rocks, had started to fester, requiring treatment at a clinic.

38. How did the young volunteer girl help Saeed and Nadia leave Mykonos?

A. Money
B. Scooter ride
C. Food supplies
D. New clothes

B. Scooter ride.
She drove them on her scooter to a house on a hill that contained a door.

39. Which Western city did they emerge into after leaving Mykonos?

A. San Francisco
B. Vienna
C. London
D. Amsterdam

C. London.
After watching a television, they quickly discerned that they had arrived in London.
40. What was the strategic reason for choosing their bedroom in the London house?

A. Best view
B. Easy access
C. Balcony jump escape
D. Closest to kitchen

C. Balcony jump escape.
They chose a room with a balcony that allowed a quick jump to the rear garden for escape.

41. What caused the police and riot gear units to retreat from the London house?

A. Armed resistance
B. Lawyers arrived
C. Large migrant crowd
D. Political order

C. Large migrant crowd.
A crowd gathered outside, banging pots and chanting, which caused the police to withdraw.

42. What did the cherry trees in London’s Palace Gardens Terrace blossom into?

A. Heavy fog
B. Desert bloom
C. White blossoms
D. Rain clouds

C. White blossoms.
The cherry trees burst into white blossoms, reminding some residents of ripe cotton.

43. What surprising animal did Saeed and Nadia observe in the London garden?

A. Bear
B. Wild dog
C. Fox
D. Large cat

C. Fox.
A fox appeared in the garden one night, causing amazement and conversation among them.

44. Why did Saeed and Nadia eventually start wandering separately during the day?

A. Arguments
B. Too close proximity
C. They ran out of food
D. Seeking different jobs

B. Too close proximity.
They believed their constant closeness was causing friction and strain in their relationship.
45. What dramatic environmental division resulted from the London power outage?

A. Rich and poor zones
B. Inner and outer city
C. Dark and light London
D. East and West London

C. Dark and light London.
The areas without electricity were dark, contrasting sharply with the still-lit parts of the city.

46. Where did Saeed begin spending more time to find familiarity in London?

A. Local mosque
B. House of countrymen
C. Council meetings
D. Food depot

B. House of countrymen.
He was drawn to a nearby house of people from his own country, seeking familiar language and smells.

47. What did the preacher’s daughter campaign for in Marin regarding government?

A. Monarchy
B. Regional assembly
C. Military rule
D. Global cooperation

B. Regional assembly.
She led a plebiscite movement for a regional assembly in the Bay Area based on universal suffrage.

48. What type of employment did Nadia find in the new city of Marin?

A. Tailor
B. Food cooperative
C. Gardener
D. Musician

B. Food cooperative.
She secured work at a food cooperative located in a commercial zone outside Sausalito.

49. How did Saeed and Nadia perceive the characteristics of the Marin fog?

A. It was polluted
B. It was freezing cold
C. It felt alive
D. It hid the bay

C. It felt alive.
The fog was described as a living thing, revealing atmospheric effects like heat and dampness.
50. What was the eventual, successful nature of Saeed and Nadia’s romantic separation?

A. Sudden fight
B. Mutual friendship
C. Bitter separation
D. Total silence

B. Mutual friendship.
Their passion cooled slowly, maintaining loyalty and friendship without escalating into anger.

Brief Overview

Exit West, a novel by Mohsin Hamid, was published on March 7, 2017. It is a love story set against civil war and displacement. The novel uses magical realism to examine themes of migration and the modern refugee experience.

The novel is about Saeed and Nadia, a young couple living in a city that is falling into violence. Saeed has a beard, and Nadia wears a black robe for protection from men. As the city war worsens, Saeed’s mother is tragically killed. Nadia moves in with Saeed and his gentle father.

They hear strange rumors of magical black doors that can instantly transport people across the globe. They pay an agent to escape. Saeed’s father decides he must stay behind, telling Saeed, “Your mother is here.”

Saeed and Nadia leave through a door and arrive on the Greek island of Mykonos, joining a large refugee camp. They soon use a second door to travel to London, finding shelter in an opulent, empty house. They face conflict from angry native people but manage to remain.

The immense pressures of their new lives cause them to drift apart. Saeed becomes more religious and focused on his past. Nadia seeks personal freedom and change. After Saeed’s father dies, Nadia suggests they move again. They travel to Marin, near San Francisco.

The couple separates there. Half a century later, Nadia returns to their original city. She and Saeed meet at a café to talk about the strange life and journey they once shared.

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