Moth Smoke MCQs

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Author: Nasir Iqbal | Assistant Professor of English Literature


Updated on: November 11, 2025
Estimated Reading Time: 15 min

Moth Smoke MCQs

1. Who asked a Sufi saint about the Mughal Empire’s fate?

A. Dara’s father
B. Emperor Shah Jahan
C. Aurangzeb’s brother
D. Iskandar’s relative

B. Emperor Shah Jahan.
Shah Jahan was concerned about the future leadership of the Mughal Empire after his passing.

2. What will happen to Dara’s fate, according to the saint?

A. Become emperor
B. Seek advice
C. Ask Iskandar
D. Remain unknown

C. Ask Iskandar.
The saint indicated that the fate of Dara should specifically be inquired about from Iskandar.

3. What kind of light is cast into the narrator’s cell?

A. Bright fluorescent
B. Firelight
C. Thin strips
D. Soft moonlight

C. Thin strips.
The light from the hanging bulb outside is cut by bars into thin strips that snake along the floor.

4. What object does the guard offer the narrator in the cell?

A. Food basket
B. Rusty weapon
C. White envelope
D. Set of keys

C. White envelope.
The narrator reaches slowly for the smooth and sharp white envelope offered by the guard.
5. Who among the main characters is referred to as “Aurangzeb”?

A. The accused
B. The best friend
C. The prosecutor
D. The judge

B. The best friend.
Aurangzeb is identified as the best friend who is characterised as “righteously treacherous”.

6. What is the accused man’s full name?

A. Murad Badshah
B. Khurram Shah
C. Julius Superb
D. Darashikoh Shezad

D. Darashikoh Shezad.
The man who enters, manacled and proud, is named Darashikoh Shezad.

7. How are the two lawyers entering the chamber characterised?

A. Rich and poor
B. Old and young
C. Tall and short
D. Sick and healthy

C. Tall and short.
The lawyers are described as hawk-faced men, one tall and slender, the other short and fat.

8. What specific crime does the prosecutor accuse Darashikoh of committing?

A. Stealing assets
B. Assaulting a woman
C. Indifference killing
D. Drug possession

C. Indifference killing.
The prosecutor states that Darashikoh killed not out of anger but out of indifference, like a serpent.

9. What city has “afternoons longer than this place,” according to Daru?

A. Karachi
B. Rawalpindi
C. Lahore
D. Islamabad

C. Lahore.
Daru is driving in Lahore and notes that no place has afternoons longer, especially in summer.
10. What kind of object does Daru use to spear hash onto his hand?

A. Plastic fork
B. Toothpick
C. Screwdriver
D. Compass

D. Compass.
He takes a compass he has owned for a long time and spears the hash on one blackened end.

11. What is Ozi’s father’s retired profession/title?

A. Military general
B. Chief Justice
C. Federal Secretary
D. Banking CEO

C. Federal Secretary.
Ozi’s father is the frequently investigated but unincarcerated retired Federal Secretary Khurram Shah.

12. What type of expensive vehicle does Daru notice parked at Ozi’s new place?

A. Two Land Cruisers
B. Single Rolls-Royce
C. Two Pajeros
D. One yellow cab

C. Two Pajeros.
Daru notices not one but two lovely new Pajeros parked in Ozi’s driveway.

13. How is Mumtaz’s voice primarily described when she greets Daru?

A. Sweet melody
B. Shrill scream
C. Hoarse voice
D. Gentle whisper

C. Hoarse voice.
Mumtaz has a hoarse voice, described as having intimacy’s border with asthma.

14. What is the name of Ozi and Mumtaz’s young son?

A. Khurram
B. Dara
C. Muazzam
D. Manucci

C. Muazzam.
Ozi introduces Daru to his tired little boy, Muazzam, who starts crying.
15. What expensive liquor brand does Ozi serve to Daru?

A. Red Label
B. Chivas Regal
C. Black Label
D. Glenfiddich

C. Black Label.
Mumtaz pulls out an unopened bottle of Black Label from a cabinet for them to drink.

16. How long ago did Ozi claim to have quit smoking cigarettes?

A. Yesterday only
B. Five months ago
C. Three years
D. Seven weeks

C. Three years.
Ozi tells Daru that he hasn’t had a cigarette in three years since he became a father.

17. What specific reason does Ozi give for quitting cigarettes?

A. Health concerns
B. Doctor’s orders
C. Father’s responsibility
D. Mumtaz insisted

C. Father responsibility.
Ozi says he is a father now and has to be responsible, so he quit smoking.

18. What type of article did Mumtaz read about a missing girl in Defense?

A. Gossip column
B. Fashion review
C. Police suspect her lover
D. Family killed her

D. Family killed her.
The article discusses police suspicion that the missing girl’s family killed her after finding she had a lover.

19. Who is the author listed for the article about the missing girl?

A. Ozi’s cousin
B. Daru’s friend
C. Zulfikar Manto
D. Julius Superb

C. Zulfikar Manto.
Mumtaz identifies the author of the article, whom Daru hadn’t heard of before, as Zulfikar Manto.
20. Why did Daru light a cigarette when he saw the police check post?

A. Needed relief
B. Hiding the hash
C. Cover his breath
D. Feeling anxious

C. Cover his breath.
Daru lights a cigarette quickly to conceal the smell of alcohol on his breath from the police.

21. How much money does Daru end up bribing the first policeman with?

A. Two thousand
B. Eighty-three
C. Seven hundred
D. One thousand

C. Seven hundred.
Daru negotiates down the bribe, keeping eighty-three rupees for petrol out of the total seven hundred eighty-three.

22. Who is Manucci?

A. A colleague
B. Daru’s servant
C. Ozi’s driver
D. The defense lawyer

B. Daru’s servant.
Manucci wakes Daru for breakfast and performs household duties, sleeping in the living room.

23. What dead animal does Daru find lying in the middle of his driveway?

A. Small bird
B. Large cat
C. Stiff dog
D. Injured snake

C. Stiff dog.
Daru finds a dead dog covered with gorged ticks just outside the gate on his driveway.

24. What is the real name of the character Daru refers to as “Raider”?

A. Khurram
B. Darashikoh
C. Haider
D. Ghulam

C. Haider.
Raider’s real name is Haider, and his ambition is to become a specialist in hostile takeovers.
25. What item of clothing does Raider famously wear at the bank?

A. Bow tie
B. White gloves
C. Suspenders
D. Silk scarf

C. Suspenders.
Raider is noted as the only man at their bank who consistently wears suspenders.

26. What is the name of Daru’s troublesome client, the rural landlord?

A. Ghulam
B. Khurram
C. Malik Jiwan
D. Aurangzeb

C. Malik Jiwan.
Malik Jiwan is a rural landlord, a Provincial Assembly member, and a client with a large US account.

27. How much money was Malik Jiwan’s check deposit for, in US currency?

A. Fifty thousand
B. Ten thousand
C. Thirty thousand
D. Two hundred

C. Thirty thousand.
Malik Jiwan deposited a check for thirty thousand U.S. dollars a week ago that hadn’t cleared.

28. What is the final consequence of Daru’s argument with Malik Jiwan?

A. Demoted
B. Suspended
C. Fired by BM
D. Transferred abroad

C. Fired by BM.
Daru is fired by his Branch Manager (BM) after insulting Malik Jiwan in the office.

29. How will Daru receive his severance pay?

A. Cash hand delivery
B. Bank transfer
C. Registered post
D. Cheque immediately

C. Registered post.
The Branch Manager informs Daru that his severance pay will be sent to his home address by registered post.
30. What expensive vehicle does Daru sit in the back of on the way to the party?

A. Land Cruiser
B. Mercedes sedan
C. Ozi’s Pajero
D. Audi coupe

C. Ozi’s Pajero.
Daru sits in the back of Ozi’s Pajero, noting that it costs more than his own house.

31. What rule does Ozi proclaim regarding large and small cars?

A. Slowest car wins
B. Drive defensively
C. Bigger cars, right
D. Smaller cars first

C. Bigger cars right.
Ozi claims that the first rule of the road is that bigger cars have the undisputed right of way.

32. What specific drug does Raider offer Daru at the party?

A. LSD
B. Heroin
C. Pot
D. Ex

D. Ex.
Raider offers Daru “Ex” (ecstasy/MDMA), which he says is great stuff and very peppy.

33. What is Daru doing when Mumtaz finds him sitting alone on the lawn?

A. Drinking Scotch
B. Rolling a joint
C. Reading a book
D. Smoking a cigar

B. Rolling a joint.
Mumtaz smiles and conspiratorially notes that Daru looks like he is rolling a jay (joint).

34. What odd habit does Mumtaz have regarding interesting articles?

A. Memorises quotes
B. Tears out a piece
C. Writes long reviews
D. Hides the newspaper

B. Tears out a piece.
Mumtaz keeps a torn-out piece of an interesting article as a talisman until she finds a new one.
35. What is the title of the Professor Superb article Mumtaz reads aloud?

A. The Great Betrayal
B. The Wealth Divide
C. The Phoenix and the Flame
D. The Serpent’s Coil

C. The Phoenix and the Flame.
Mumtaz reads Daru a passage from an article written by Professor Superb titled “The Phoenix and the Flame”.

36. What word did Professor Superb’s ancestor croak before he died?

A. Goodbye
B. Convert
C. Superb
D. Success

C. Superb.
The dying Scottish officer, upon hearing his batman converted, croaked the word “Superb,” naming the line.

37. What did Daru never win, despite boxing until the end of college?

A. Any fight
B. A championship
C. His father’s approval
D. Enough money

B. A championship.
Daru confirms he made it to a couple of championships but never managed to win one.

38. How did Daru’s mother react when she came to watch his boxing matches?

A. Cheered loudly
B. Took photos
C. Hid her face
D. Gave him advice

C. Hid her face.
Although terrified, his mother always attended when asked, but concealed her face behind her hands.

39. What was the specific focus of Daru’s incomplete dissertation?

A. Macroeconomics
B. Global finance
C. Microcredit
D. Corporate law

C. Microcredit.
Daru’s dissertation subject was development, focusing specifically on small loans to low-income groups (microcredit).
40. What colour does Professor Superb assign to the element of “sex” in the case?

A. Red
B. Blue
C. Purple
D. Black

C. Purple.
He describes the box covering the case as being painted or smeared with purple “sex”.

41. What specific piece of advice does Murad Badshah give Daru regarding job searching?

A. Finish PhD.
B. Use connections
C. Travel abroad
D. Wait for the market

B. Use connections.
Murad Badshah suggests Daru should meet Ozi’s father again because “it’s all about connections”.

42. What kind of object does Murad Badshah pull out from under his kurta?

A. Stolen watch
B. Gold chain
C. Silver revolver
D. Small knife

C. Silver revolver.
Murad Badshah reaches under his kurta to produce a large, shiny silver revolver.

43. What is the secret Mumtaz reveals to Daru while driving?

A. She’s leaving Ozi
B. She is Zulfikar Manto
C. She quit smoking
D. She has a gun

B. She is Zulfikar Manto.
Mumtaz reveals that she is the mysterious journalist Zulfikar Manto, who submits articles by mail.

44. Where does Mumtaz need Daru to direct her so she can conduct an interview?

A. Town Hall
B. Data Darbar
C. Heera Mandi
D. Charing Cross

C. Heera Mandi.
She needs to interview the madam of a brothel in the old city area called Heera Mandi.
45. What feature does Dilaram immediately comment on regarding Mumtaz’s appearance?

A. Her height
B. Her small breasts
C. Her long hair
D. Her wide hips

B. Her small breasts.
Dilaram comments that Mumtaz has a nice face and good hips, but her breasts are not generous.

46. Where do the Shezad family luncheons invariably take place?

A. Daru’s house
B. Dadi’s place
C. Fatty Chacha’s place
D. Munni Phoppo’s house

C. Fatty Chacha’s place.
The regular family luncheons are always held at Daru’s Uncle Fatty Chacha’s smaller house.

47. What sport did Fatty Chacha use to participate in when he was younger?

A. Cricket
B. Polo
C. Running
D. Boxing

D. Boxing.
Fatty Chacha was a boxer in his younger days, learning the sport from Daru’s father.

48. What negative quality does Murad Badshah openly admit to possessing?

A. Being large
B. Stuttering
C. Being unloved
D. Lack of industry

B. Stuttering.
Although he denies being fat, Murad Badshah openly admits that he stutters.

49. What type of transportation vehicle is Murad Badshah, captain of a fleet of?

A. Taxicabs
B. Buses
C. Rickshaws
D. Trucks

C. Rickshaws.
Murad Badshah used inherited money to buy five rickshaws and became the captain of this fleet.
50. What resource does Professor Superb use to define the social “elite” in Pakistan?

A. Income level
B. Land ownership
C. Air-conditioning
D. Foreign education

C. Air-conditioning.
The elite are defined by their ability to control their environment using air-conditioning, unlike the masses.

Brief Overview

Moth Smoke is a novel by Mohsin Hamid, first published in 2000. The story is a harsh social commentary on Pakistan’s deep class divisions, corruption, and political tensions during the nuclear tests of that era.

The novel is centered on Darashikoh Shezad, or Daru, who is the accused in a trial for killing a child. Daru loses his job at a bank and becomes poor. He starts using drugs like hash and heroin (“hairy”) and begins selling hash to his wealthy acquaintances for money.

Daru’s best friend is the rich Aurangzeb (Ozi). Daru begins a secret love affair with Ozi’s wife, Mumtaz. Mumtaz is also a journalist who writes secretly under the pen name Zulfikar Manto.

Ozi hits and kills a young boy with his car and leaves the scene of the accident. Daru saw the accident but did not tell the police. Daru soon joins Murad Badshah, his friend and drug dealer, to rob high-end boutiques.

Daru is later severely beaten by the father of a boy he sold drugs to. Mumtaz tenderly cares for him while he heals. Daru is finally arrested for the fatal hit-and-run that Ozi committed.

Mumtaz leaves Ozi and uses her writing to defend Daru and publicly expose the social corruption. The book details Daru’s rapid journey from being an unemployed man to a criminal, set against the hypocritical wealth of Lahore.

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