The Buddha of Suburbia MCQs

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Author: Nasir Iqbal | Assistant Professor of English Literature


Updated on: November 9, 2025
Estimated Reading Time: 17 min

The Buddha of Suburbia MCQs

1. What is the narrator’s name?

A. Amar Amir
B. Haroon Amir
C. Karim Amir
D. Charlie Kay

C. Karim Amir.
Karim Amir introduces himself as the narrator, an Englishman who finds his mixed identity unsettling and boring.

2. Where was Karim Amir born and bred?

A. Central London
B. North London
C. South London suburbs
D. Beckenham

C. South London suburbs.
Karim is established as an Englishman from the South London suburbs who is feeling restless and seeks movement and action.

3. What is the title of Dad’s preferred yoga book?

A. Yoga for Health
B. Yoga for Beginners
C. Yoga for Women
D. Yoga for Men

C. Yoga for Women.
Karim fetches his father’s chosen yoga book, humorously titled Yoga for Women, featuring women in black leotards.

4. What asset does Salamba Sirsasana (a yoga position) revive?

A. Mental calmness
B. A spirit of youthfulness
C. Physical strength
D. Spiritual depth

B. A spirit of youthfulness.
Karim reads that this yoga position revives and maintains a spirit of youthfulness, an asset considered beyond price.
5. Why did Mum often refuse to visit Eva Kay?

A. Eva ignored her
B. Eva was too English
C. She was shy
D. Haroon forbade it

A. Eva ignored her.
Mum felt ignored by Eva Kay, believing that Eva treated her poorly because she was “only English” and not Indian enough.

6. Where did Karim initially plan to go on the evening of Dad’s speech?

A. The cinema
B. The pub
C. The chess club
D. Auntie Jean’s

C. The chess club.
Karim offered to miss going to the chess club as an innocent-sounding excuse to accompany his father to Eva’s evening.

7. What items did Karim wear to Eva’s evening?

A. Blue jeans, white shirt
B. Flared turquoise trousers
C. Black polo-neck
D. Corduroy suit

B. Flared turquoise trousers.
Karim wore turquoise flared trousers, a patterned shirt, suede boots, and a scarlet Indian waistcoat, changing his outfit three times.

8. What was Mum’s favourite indulgence?

A. A glass of wine
B. Walnut Whip
C. Cigarettes
D. Chocolate cake

B. Walnut Whip.
Mum’s ritual involved watching Steptoe and Son and taking measured nibbles from a Walnut Whip chocolate bar.

9. What career value did Karim’s teacher, Cyclops, advise?

A. Reading books
B. A university degree
C. Learning a trade
D. Travelling widely

B. A university degree.
Cyclops, a teacher with one eye, warned Karim not to forget that a university degree was worth £2,000 a year for life.
10. What was Dad’s job in the British Government?

A. A doctor
B. A Civil Service clerk
C. A teacher
D. A lawyer

B. A Civil Service clerk.
Dad was employed by the British Government as an insignificant and badly paid Civil Service clerk, despite his education.

11. What did Dad teach Karim was the primary social grace?

A. Honesty
B. Courtesy
C. Decency
D. Charm

D. Charm.
Dad taught Karim to flirt with everyone, leading Karim to believe that charm was the most important social grace.

12. Where did Eva Kay first meet Dad?

A. A yoga class
B. A bookshop
C. A writing class
D. A pub

C. A writing class.
Dad met Eva Kay a year prior at a local “writing for pleasure” class held in a room at the King’s Head pub.

13. Which pub did Karim persuade Dad to visit on the way to Eva’s?

A. The King’s Head
B. The Beckenham Arms
C. The Three Tuns
D. The Old Vic

C. The Three Tuns.
Karim led his father off the bus to the Three Tuns in Beckenham, a pub popular with kids from local schools.

14. Who was playing music at the pub Karim and Dad visited?

A. The Rolling Stones
B. Kevin Ayers
C. Syd Barrett
D. Pink Floyd

B. Kevin Ayers.
Kevin Ayers, previously with Soft Machine, was whispering into a microphone on a stool in the back room of the pub.
15. What did Karim suggest to Dad might solve his marital gloom?

A. A new job
B. A divorce
C. A holiday
D. Moving away

B. A divorce.
Feeling helpful amidst his father’s moody complaints about Mum, Karim suggested that his parents should consider getting divorced.

16. What was the first sign of Eva’s affection for Dad upon their arrival?

A. Held his hand
B. A kiss on the lips
C. A hug
D. A passionate look

B. A kiss on the lips.
Eva first hugged Dad, then kissed him all over his face, explicitly including his lips, which surprised Karim.

17. Where was Charlie Kay when Karim first arrived at Eva’s house?

A. By the bar
B. On the stairs
C. In the garden
D. In the kitchen

B. On the stairs.
Karim felt watched and looked up to see Charlie, Eva’s son, sitting at the top of the stairs, partly hidden by the banisters.

18. Which musician’s song did Charlie play as a prank during a school assembly?

A. Vaughan Williams
B. The Beatles
C. The Rolling Stones
D. Pink Floyd

B. The Beatles.
Charlie secretly swapped the record being played for “Come Together” by the Beatles, resulting in him being caned later.

19. Which piece of literature did Eva give Karim to read?

A. On the Road
B. Tropic of Cancer
C. Candide
D. The Mad Dog Blues

C. Candide.
To teach Karim a lesson after they discussed Kerouac, Eva handed him Candide, promising to test him later.
20. What physical secret did Eva share with Karim about her marriage?

A. She was barren
B. Her husband hit her
C. She had debt
D. She was moving

B. Her husband hit her.
Eva frightened and excited Karim by telling him secrets, including that her husband hit her and that they never made love.

21. Where did the Corduroy Suit man sit during the gathering?

A. In a circle
B. By the door
C. Apart from others
D. On the sofa

C. Apart from others.
The man of indeterminate age in the threadbare black corduroy suit sat apart from the main group, reading and smoking.

22. Where was Charlie’s father during the philosophical gathering?

A. Upstairs
B. At work
C. In a therapy centre
D. At the pub

C. In a therapy centre.
Charlie explained that his father was having a nervous breakdown and had gone into a kind of therapy centre that allowed it to happen.

23. What phrase did Dad use to describe resisting change?

A. Drinking bitter
B. Driving with the handbrake on
C. Getting divorced
D. Walking uphill

B. Driving with the handbrake on.
Dad warned the group against resisting the process of change, comparing it to attempting to drive a car with the handbrake engaged.

24. What decorations were found in Charlie’s attic space?

A. Posters, instruments
B. Mandalas, guitars
C. Pictures, books
D. Clothes, candles

B. Mandalas, guitars.
The attic had Mandalas painted on the walls, a drum kit, four guitars, cushions, and pictures of the Beatles.
25. Which Pink Floyd album did Charlie play for Karim?

A. Dark Side
B. Piper at Gates
C. Ummagumma
D. Meddle

C. Ummagumma.
Charlie put on a record by Pink Floyd called Ummagumma, forcing Karim to listen while Charlie rolled a joint.

26. What physical discovery did Karim make about Eva in the garden?

A. She was pregnant
B. She had one breast
C. She had a tattoo
D. She was disabled

B. She had one breast.
Crawling across the patio, Karim strained his eyes and eventually saw Eva’s chest, realizing that she had only one breast.

27. What did Mum accuse Karim of looking like when dressed up?

A. A peacock
B. Danny La Rue
C. A mìdget toreador
D. A hippie

B. Danny La Rue.
When Karim came downstairs in his flamboyant outfit, Mum tensed up and warned him not to show them up, calling him Danny La Rue.

28. What clothing item did Charlie recommend Karim wear instead of his elaborate outfit?

A. Black trousers
B. A leather jacket
C. Levi’s
D. A yellow tie

C. Levi’s.
Charlie tattooed his words onto Karim’s brain, suggesting that Karim should wear Levi’s with an open-necked shirt.

29. Who did Mum and Dad resemble in the nude drawing created by Mum?

A. The Kays
B. Gin and Tonic
C. Yoko Ono and Lennon
D. The Budgerigars

C. Yoko Ono and Lennon.
The controversial drawing of Dad and Eva naked made them look like John Lennon and Yoko Ono, which puzzled Karim.
30. What was Dad’s emotional explanation for his feelings for Eva?

A. It felt like duty
B. It hurt so much
C. It was spiritual
D. It was fleeting

B. It hurt so much.
When Karim asked if he was in love, Dad replied that it must be love because it caused him significant emotional pain.

31. What did Changez demand as a dowry item besides money and an overcoat?

A. A gun
B. A car
C. Conan Doyle’s works
D. A telephone

C. Conan Doyle’s works.
Changez, the thirty-year-old husband-to-be, had mysteriously demanded a warm winter overcoat, a colour television, and the complete works of Conan Doyle.

32. What method did Anwar use to try to compel Jamila to marry?

A. Physical violence
B. Emotional blackmail
C. A hunger strike
D. Locking her in

C. A hunger strike.
Anwar attempted to use a hunger strike, citing Gandhi, to pressure his family, especially Jamila, into obeying his wishes.

33. Who was Jamila’s biggest influence concerning black activism?

A. Eva Kay
B. Miss Cutmore
C. Angela Davis
D. Bessie Smith

C. Angela Davis.
Jamila carried a photograph of Angela Davis in her purse, and her political activities were inspired by figures like Davis.

34. What did Dad say Indian men had a lower centre of gravity than?

A. Western people
B. Accidental men
C. Chinese gúrus
D. Doctors

B. Accidental men.
Dad claimed that Indian men were more centred than “Accidental men” because they lived from their stomach (guts), not their head.
35. What nickname did the narrator’s younger brother, Amar, use?

A. Daddio
B. Allie
C. Bubble
D. Haroon

B. Allie.
Amar, four years younger than Karim, went by the nickname Allie, which he used to avoid potential racial trouble.

36. Who was the last boyfriend of Eleanor who died?

A. Matthew
B. Gene
C. Shadwell
D. Terry

B. Gene.
Marlene revealed that Eleanor’s last boyfriend was Gene, a talented West Indian actor who died from an overdose.

37. What was the name of Charlie Hero’s manager?

A. The Doctor
B. The Fish
C. The Serpent
D. Sergeant Monty

B. The Fish.
Charlie’s manager was the Fish, an ex-public school boy who was only nineteen but considered superior and hip by the local boys.

38. Who did Charlie change his name to when he became a punk star?

A. Charlie Rebel
B. Charlie Hero
C. Charlie Heroin
D. Charlie Boy

B. Charlie Hero.
When the band Mustn’t Grumble embraced the New Wave, Charlie changed his professional name to Charlie Hero.

39. What did Eva say was missing from Western society despite its richness and science?

A. Materialism
B. Domination
C. Soul or wisdom
D. Washing-up bowls

C. Soul or wisdom.
Dad stated that despite Western society’s richness and scientific advancement, there has been no deepening in culture or increase in the way of the spirit/soul.
40. What was Changez’s nickname?

A. Dildio
B. Bubble
C. Fatso
D. Colonel

B. Bubble.
Changez asked Karim to call him by his nickname, Bubble, although Karim privately referred to him by other names.

41. What item did Changez ultimately lunge at Anwar with during a confrontation?

A. A hammer
B. A carrot
C. A dildo
D. A shoe

B. A carrot.
After Anwar insulted him, Changez started to explode and lunged at his father-in-law with a carrot that was lying nearby.

42. Who was Changez’s regular pròstitute friend?

A. Shere Khan
B. Shinko
C. Sophie
D. Sheila

B. Shinko.
Changez had a secretive friend, Shinko, a small, middle-aged Japanese woman who ran a flat divided into rooms.

43. What was the core of Karim’s costume for his debut in The Jungle Book?

A. Indian pyjamas
B. A loincloth
C. A kaftan
D. A suit

B. A loincloth.
Karim’s role as Mowgli required him to wear only a loincloth and be covered in brown make-up (boot polish), looking like a turd.

44. What was the key requirement Shadwell enforced for Karim’s portrayal of Mowgli?

A. Authentic Bengali accent
B. To be nude
C. To dance fiercely
D. To sing loudly

A. Authentic Bengali accent.
Shadwell repeatedly insisted that Karim, cast for “authenticity,” must use an authentic Indian accent (Bengali) during the performance.
45. What was the “political matter” for Karim regarding his role as Mowgli?

A. The brown makeup
B. The Indian accent
C. Kipling’s writing
D. Shadwell’s pay

B. The Indian accent.
Karim pleaded with Shadwell to drop the accent, stating that performing with it was, for him, a serious political matter.

46. What was Matthew Pyke’s play predicted to revolve around?

A. Sex
B. History
C. Class
D. Race

C. Class.
Pyke vaguely predicted that his play would revolve around class, which he referred to as “the only subject there is in England.”

47. What did the aesthetes in West London believe should happen to writers whose work they disliked?

A. Re-education
B. Public ridicule
C. Death by cancer
D. Banning books

C. Death by cancer.
Karim was shocked to hear the highly strung aesthetes express their venom by saying of disliked authors, “May they die of cancer.”

48. What was Changez’s first communal baby daughter named?

A. Jamila Davis
B. Leila Kollontai
C. Tracey Lawrence
D. Sophie Kollontai

B. Leila Kollontai.
Changez introduced the communal baby as Leila Kollontai, who was Simon’s daughter but would be shared by the friends.

49. What activity did Changez believe would be sufficient to make Jamila love him?

A. Working hard
B. Waiting until dooms
C. Getting thinner
D. Being a loving father

B. Waiting until dooms.
Changez was convinced that if he waited until “the day of dooms,” Jamila would eventually change her mind and love him.
50. What final personal revelation did Eva make during her magazine interview?

A. Her husband hit her
B. She had cancer
C. She was broke
D. She was leaving Dad

B. She had cancer.
Eva revealed that she had cancer and had one breast removed, but now believed in self-help and individual initiative.

Brief Overview

The Buddha of Suburbia is a novel by Hanif Kureishi, first published in 1990. It is a semi-autobiographical novel that draws heavily from the author’s experiences growing up as a mixed-race teenager in 1970s London.

The novel begins with Karim Amir, a seventeen-year-old young man who feels restless and like an outsider in the South London suburbs because he is of mixed Indian and English descent.

His Indian father, Haroon Amir, starts teaching Eastern philosophy. He also begins an affair with a dramatic, passionate woman named Eva Kay. Karim’s English mother, Margaret, is upset by the betrayal.

Haroon leaves Margaret to live with Eva. Karim decides to move to London with his father, where he begins to question his sexuality with Eva’s son, Charlie, and his cousin, Jamila.

In London, Eva helps Karim start an acting career. Meanwhile, Karim’s uncle, Anwar, forces his daughter, Jamila, into an arranged marriage with an immigrant named Changez. Anwar later dies.

Karim finds success in acting, securing a significant role on television. His father marries Eva, and his mother also finds new love. Karim ultimately becomes a successful actor and embraces his new life and identity in the city.

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