The Reluctant Fundamentalist MCQs

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Author: Nasir Iqbal | Assistant Professor of English Literature


Updated on: November 11, 2025
Estimated Reading Time: 17 min

The Reluctant Fundamentalist MCQs

1. What physical detail of the American listener does Changez observe upon greeting him?

A. Strong wrists
B. Short-cropped hair
C. Pale blue eyes
D. Single vent suit

D. Single vent suit.
Changez notes the European tourist could have purchased the American’s suit, which features a single vent.

2. What district of Lahore is renowned for its perfect cup of tea?

A. Gulberg district
B. River Ravi area
C. Old Anarkali
D. Lahore fort

C. Old Anarkali.
Changez suggests that the quest for the perfect cup of tea would bring someone to the district of Old Anarkali.

3. What feeling did Princeton initially inspire in Changez?

A. Fear of failure
B. Great contentment
C. Being a film star
D. Intense loneliness

C. Being a film star.
Princeton inspired the feeling that his life was a film in which Changez was the central, starring role.

4. What unique offering did Underwood Samson provide beyond a good salary?

A. Flexible schedule
B. Exalted brand name
C. Free accommodation
D. Overseas postings

B. Exalted brand name.
The firm gave a competitive salary, robust skills, and an exalted brand name, guaranteeing future admission success.
5. What did Jim, the interviewer, reveal he liked about Changez?

A. His great ambition
B. His controlled temper
C. His academic record
D. His polite manner

B. His controlled temper.
Jim told Changez, who spoke aggressively, that he liked the fact that Changez possessed a temper.

6. What was the most expensive district in Lahore where Changez’s family home was located?

A. Anarkali area
B. Gulberg district
C. Ravi River region
D. Mall Road

B. Gulberg district.
The family home sits on an acre of land in Gulberg, which is noted as one of the city’s most expensive districts.

7. What did Changez’s great-grandfather endow with his financial means?

A. A public garden
B. A university library
C. A mosque extension
D. A school for Muslims

D. A school for Muslims.
Changez’s great-grandfather was a barrister who endowed a school specifically for the Muslims of the Punjab.

8. What did Changez compare his family’s declining status to in Pakistan?

A. Falling currency
B. Old European aristocracy
C. Feudal landlords
D. Modern bourgeoisie

B. Old European aristocracy.
Changez compares his family’s situation to the old European aristocracy facing the bourgeoisie’s ascendance in the 19th century.

9. What beverage did Changez order along with Kashmiri tea?

A. Fresh lime soda
B. Sticky orange jalebis
C. Milk and sugar
D. Pak-Punjab samosa

B. Sticky orange jalebis.
Changez ordered the Kashmiri tea and also a plate of the sticky, orange sweets known as jalebis.
10. What fictitious service did Jim ask Changez to value during the interview?

A. Telepathic media
B. Instantaneous travel
C. Virtual real estate
D. Perpetual motion

B. Instantaneous travel.
Changez was asked to value a company offering a single service line: instantaneous travel, like a Star Trek transporter.

11. Changez compared his intense focus during the valuation case to the state achieved by whom?

A. Zen masters
B. Ancient scholars
C. Military generals
D. Wall Street bankers

A. Zen masters.
The mental state he entered, free from doubt and fear, was compared to that attained by Sufi mystics and Zen masters.

12. What was the estimated net present value that Changez arrived at for the fictitious company?

A. 1.9 billion
B. 3.0 billion
C. 2.3 billion dollars
D. 5.1 billion

C. 2.3 billion dollars.
Changez arrived at a final valuation number of two point three billion dollars for the instantaneous travel company.

13. Where did Changez meet Erica?

A. New York party
B. Holiday in Greece
C. Princeton campus
D. At the gym

B. Holiday in Greece.
Changez met Erica the summer after graduation when they were part of a group holidaying together in Greece.

14. What was the Ivy League eating club Erica belonged to?

A. Cap and Gown
B. Ivy
C. Colonial
D. Cottage

B. Ivy.
Erica and her friends were members of the university’s most prestigious eating club, which was called Ivy.
15. What item of clothing was Erica wearing when Changez first saw her?

A. Summer dress
B. Blue gentleman’s shirt
C. Chairman Mao T-shirt
D. Short silk skirt

C. Chairman Mao T-shirt.
Erica wore a short T-shirt bearing an image of Chairman Mao, showing her firm navel underneath.

16. What part of Changez’s background did Erica say made him seem “solid”?

A. His Princeton degree
B. His family wealth
C. His big-family vibe
D. His future job

C. His big-family vibe.
Erica told Changez that he gave off a strong sense of home, calling it a “big-family vibe”.

17. What animal did Changez compare Erica’s magnetism and presence to?

A. A cheetah
B. A deer
C. A lioness
D. A wolf

C. A lioness.
Erica was compared to a lioness who was strong, sleek, and invariably surrounded by her pride.

18. Where did Erica bare her breasts while Changez watched?

A. On a ferry boat
B. On Rhodes Island
C. Near the harbour
D. On Santorini beach

B. On Rhodes island.
Changez watched Erica untie her bikini and bare her breasts while lying on a beach on the island of Rhodes.

19. What did Erica praise about Changez’s demeanour after their swim in the sea?

A. His confidence
B. His respectful politeness
C. His muscularity
D. His sense of humour

B. His respectful politeness.
Erica told Changez that she liked his respectful politeness, noting that he gave people their space.
20. What did Changez write in Erica’s soft, orange leather notebook?

A. A romantic note
B. Both their names
C. His email address
D. A joke

B. Both their names.
Changez wrote Erica’s name, and underneath it, his own name, written in the Urdu script.

21. What did Changez joke about wanting to become at dinner with the group?

A. A finance titan
B. An Islamic dictator
C. A famous author
D. A successful banker

B. An Islamic dictator.
Changez shocked his companions by joking that he wanted to be the dictator of an Islamic republic with nuclear capability.

22. What was the profession Erica aspired to?

A. Screenwriter
B. Novelist
C. Art historian
D. Professor

B. Novelist.
Erica revealed that she wanted to be a novelist, having already won an award for her creative thesis.

23. What made New York feel like coming home to Changez?

A. Good food
B. The subway
C. Spoken Urdu
D. The climate

C. Spoken Urdu.
Changez found New York comforting because Urdu was spoken by taxicab drivers.

24. What made Changez feel ashamed about Pakistan’s standing compared to America?

A. Lack of progress
B. Vast wealth disparity
C. Political issues
D. Cultural differences

B. Vast wealth disparity.
Changez felt ashamed by the vast disparity between the ancient Indus civilisation’s achievements and modern American power.
25. Where were Underwood Samson’s impressive offices located in New York?

A. Wall Street
B. Mid-town building
C. East Village
D. Upper West Side

B. Mid-town building.
The offices were perched high on the forty-first and forty-second floors of a midtown Manhattan building.

26. What was the core ethos of Underwood Samson, as described by Vice President Sherman?

A. Innovation
B. Meritocracy
C. Teamwork
D. Client service

B. Meritocracy.
Sherman explained that the firm was a meritocracy, ranking employees every six months based on performance.

27. What maxim was central to the training at Underwood Samson?

A. Maximum efficiency
B. Maximum profit
C. Constant growth
D. Maximum return

D. Maximum return.
The training prioritised efficiency, establishing “Maximum return” as the primary maxim they constantly revisited.

28. What was the total number of analyst trainees in Changez’s cohort?

A. Four people
B. Six people
C. Ten people
D. Seven people

B. Six people.
Changez was one of six entering analysts trained at Underwood Samson, including two women and two non-whites.

29. What famous film did Wainwright quote to Changez?

A. Pulp Fiction
B. Top Gun
C. Wall Street
D. Star Wars

B. Top Gun.
Wainwright whispered a quote from Top Gun, prompting Changez to nickname him “Ice Man”.
30. What food did Wainwright pay for at the Pak-Punjab Deli because Changez’s card was refused?

A. Delicious food
B. Samosas
C. Curry
D. Chicken tikka

A. Delicious food.
Wainwright paid cash for the food because the Pak-Punjab Deli did not accept Changez’s American Express card.

31. What did Changez wear for his first dinner visit to Erica’s home?

A. Formal suit
B. Blazer and tie
C. White kurta and jeans
D. Athletic attire

C. White kurta and jeans.
Changez wore a starched white kurta over jeans, invoking the “ethnic exception clause” of etiquette.

32. What did Erica say about the density of her manuscript?

A. Needed editing
B. Novella, not novel
C. Highly complex
D. Short and punchy

B. Novella, not novel.
Erica described her manuscript as more of a novella than a novel, leaving space for the reader’s thoughts.

33. What was the subject of the intricate sketch Changez saw on Erica’s wall?

A. A tropical island
B. Her family home
C. Chris’s portrait
D. A warship

A. A tropical island.
The sketch, drawn by Chris, depicted a tropical island with a volcano and was inspired by a Tintin comic.

34. What food was served at Jim’s Hamptons summer party?

A. Steaks and lobster
B. Champagne and cake
C. Burgers and hot dogs
D. Grilled octopus

A. Steaks and lobster.
Changez smelled steak and lobster being thrown on a grill at the magnificent house party held in the Hamptons.
35. What unique item did Erica’s parents have set up for dinner on their roof terrace?

A. A telescope
B. A table-tennis table
C. A small fountain
D. A bar with stools

B. A table-tennis table.
Erica’s mother was seated at a table-tennis table that had been converted into their dinner venue.

36. What did Changez note lingered in the air of New York when he returned after 9/11?

A. Fresh rain smell
B. Peculiar odor
C. Crisp autumn air
D. Burning gasoline

B. Peculiar odor.
Changez noticed a peculiar odour lingering in the air due to the smouldering wreckage downtown.

37. What did Erica tell Changez she missed when describing her late boyfriend, Chris?

A. His blue car
B. His long, skinny fingers
C. His great wealth
D. His sense of style

B. His long, skinny fingers.
Erica said she missed home, explaining that her home “was a guy with long, skinny fingers”.

38. What did Erica say she often felt she needed to take to rest after the 9/11 attacks?

A. Yoga class
B. Sleeping medication
C. Strong tea
D. Long walks

B. Sleeping medication.
Erica confessed that she had to take something most nights to help her rest after the attacks occurred.

39. What did Changez realise Erica was struggling against during social outings?

A. Her depression
B. A social obligation
C. A current pulling her inward
D. Fear of crowds

C. A current pulling her inward.
Changez suspected Erica was struggling against an internal current pulling her into her own depths.
40. What did Changez use to bathe his room in a dim light for his celebration with Erica?

A. Candles
B. A muted television
C. Desk lamp
D. Flashlight

B. A muted television.
Changez lacked a candle, so he turned on the television and set it to mute for a dim, flickering light.

41. What did Changez’s initial reaction to the collapse of the Twin Towers in Manila make him feel?

A. Deep sadness
B. Murderous rage
C. Remarkably pleased
D. Profound confusion

C. Remarkably pleased.
Changez admits that his immediate reaction upon seeing the towers collapse was to be remarkably pleased.

42. What item of clothing did Changez wear when being inspected at the airport?

A. A kurta
B. Pink teddy bear boxers
C. A suit jacket
D. A cashmere shawl

B. Pink teddy bear boxers.
Changez was embarrassed to reveal that he had chosen to wear a pink pair of boxer shorts patterned with teddy bears.

43. What did Jim say Changez’s watchful nature came from?

A. His intelligence
B. His cultural background
C. Feeling out of place
D. His training

C. Feeling out of place.
Jim told Changez his watchful nature came from feeling out of place, an experience Jim shared.

44. After his successful review, what was the new project Changez was assigned to value?

A. A software firm
B. A cable operator
C. A book publisher
D. A real estate portfolio

B. A cable operator.
Changez was assigned to a new project valuing an ailing cable operator that was based in New Jersey.
45. What did Jim use as a ritualistic object before describing the economy?

A. His notebook
B. His car key
C. His diver’s chronometer
D. His expense card

C. His diver’s chronometer.
Jim loosened the strap of his solid diver’s chronometer watch and adjusted it on his forearm.

46. When Changez first returned to his house in Lahore, what did he first notice about it?

A. Its great size
B. Its enduring grandeur
C. Its shabby appearance
D. It’s perfect tidiness

C. It’s shabby appearance.
Changez initially saw his house through the eyes of a foreigner, struck by cracks and dry paint flaking.

47. What did Changez’s mother say his beard made him look like?

A. A terrorist
B. A wise man
C. A mouse
D. A bald man

C. A mouse.
Changez’s mother insisted he shave his stubble before leaving, saying it made him look like a mouse.

48. What unusual detail did the nurse at Erica’s clinic use to identify Changez?

A. His expensive watch
B. His facial hair
C. Maybelline eyelashes
D. His polite accent

C. Maybelline eyelashes.
The nurse recognised Changez because Erica described him as having “Eyelashes like a Maybelline ad”.

49. What Chilean city did Changez travel to for his second major assignment?

A. Santiago
B. Valparaiso
C. Arica
D. Concepcion

B. Valparaiso.
Changez travelled to Chile, taking a road trip from Santiago to the coastal city of Valparaiso.
50. What final gesture did Changez make before leaving America at JFK airport?

A. Left his apartment keys
B. Hugged a friend
C. Left his jacket
D. Sent a message

C. Left his jacket.
Changez left his jacket on the curb at the terminal, wishing warmth for Erica before returning to Pakistan.

Brief Overview

The Reluctant Fundamentalist is a novel by Mohsin Hamid, published in 2007. It is a metafictional story that explores themes of identity, culture, and belonging in a post-9/11 world. The entire novel is told as a dramatic monologue by the protagonist to an American stranger in Lahore, Pakistan.

The story centers on Changez, a talented man from Lahore who was educated at Princeton University. He initially felt immense pride in his financial success, working for the elite valuation firm Underwood Samson in New York.

Changez began dating Erica, a wealthy American woman who was still emotionally obsessed with her deceased boyfriend, Chris. Changez realized he was only a substitute for Chris.

While working abroad in Manila, the 9/11 attacks occurred. Changez confessed that his “initial reaction was to be remarkably pleased” that the American superpower was challenged. He returned to New York and immediately faced intense suspicion and discrimination, making him feel deeply out of place.

Erica’s mental health worsened after the attacks, and she went to a clinic. Changez realized he was functioning like a janissary, a foreign soldier serving an empire that was now threatening his homeland, Pakistan. He quit his job and was consequently fired. Erica later vanished from the clinic; her clothing was found near the Hudson River.

Changez returned to Lahore and became a university lecturer who advocates against American influence. He tells the American stranger he worries that the stranger might be an agent sent to intimidate or even harm him, leaving the stranger’s purpose ambiguous.

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