Mohsin Hamid

Mohsin Hamid Study questions

The Reluctant Fundamentalist

Facts about Mohsin Hamid

➾ Mohsin Hamid became a dual citizen of the United Kingdom in 2006, after having lived in London for eight years.

➾ He wrote the first draft of his debut novel, Moth Smoke, during a fiction workshop taught by Toni Morrison at Princeton.

➾ He worked as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company to pay off student loans after finding corporate law boring.

➾ While consulting, he was allowed to take three months off each year specifically to write his first novel.

➾ His first novel, Moth Smoke (2000), became a cult hit in India and Pakistan and was adapted as an operetta in Italy.

➾ He joined the brand consultancy Wolff Olins in 2004, agreeing to work only three days a week to ensure he retained time for writing.

➾ In 2015, he was appointed Wolff Olins’ first-ever Chief Storytelling Officer .

➾ His second novel, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, uses the unusual form of a dramatic monologue where the American listener is never heard directly.

➾ Hamid suggested that he prefers brevity so people will read his book twice rather than only half-way through .

➾ He has described himself using the term “mongrel” .

➾ He has said that a novel can often serve as “a divided man’s conversation with himself” .

Mohsin Hamid MCQs

1. When was Mohsin Hamid born?

A. 1970
B. 1971
C. 1975
D. 1969

B. 1971
He was born on July 23, 1971.

2. Where was Mohsin Hamid born?

A. Karachi, Pakistan
B. London, UK
C. Lahore, Pakistan
D. Stanford, USA

C. Lahore, Pakistan
He was born in Lahore, a city frequently featured in his fiction.

3. What was the title of Mohsin Hamid’s first novel?

A. The Reluctant Fundamentalist
B. Exit West
C. How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia
D. Moth Smoke

D. Moth Smoke
This was his debut novel.

4. In which year was Mohsin Hamid’s first novel, Moth Smoke, published?

A. 1997
B. 2000
C. 2007
D. 2013

B. 2000
Moth Smoke was published in the year 2000.

5. Chronologically, what is the latest novel by Mohsin Hamid?

A. Moth Smoke
B. Discontent and Its Civilisations
C. Exit West
D. The Reluctant Fundamentalist

C. Exit West
Exit West (2017) is his fourth and most recent novel mentioned in the options. Discontent and Its Civilisations is a collection of essays.

6. In which year was Exit West published?

A. 2013
B. 2014
C. 2017
D. 2007

C. 2017
His fourth novel, Exit West, was published in 2017.

7. Mohsin Hamid has been internationally recognized for his use of what technique?

A. Traditional historical narrative
B. Poetic rhyming structures
C. Innovative storytelling techniques
D. Highly verbose dialogue

C. Innovative storytelling techniques
His works often experiment with narrative voice (e.g., second person, dramatic monologue) and structure.

8. What contemporary setting is Mohsin Hamid known for depicting in his work?

A. Post-colonial India
B. Contemporary Pakistan
C. Rural 19th-century Europe
D. Pre-9/11 New York

B. Contemporary Pakistan
His novels often engage with the social, political, and economic realities of modern Pakistan, particularly Lahore.

9. What term did critics use to describe Moth Smoke’s approach to English language South Asian fiction?

A. An esoteric, academic style
B. A traditional, seasonal style
C. A hip, contemporary approach
D. A strictly historical documentation

C. A hip, contemporary approach
Moth Smoke was noted for its modern voice and depiction of urban Pakistani youth culture.

10. Which genre convention does How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia bend, stealing its shape from a common format?

A. Detective novels
B. Self-help books
C. Epic poetry
D. Travel guides

B. Self-help books
The novel adopts the structure and second-person address of a business self-help guide to tell its protagonist’s life story.

11. Which critic called How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia “deeply moving” and reaffirmed Hamid’s place as “one of his generation’s most inventive and gifted writers”?

A. Joyce Carol Oates
B. Toni Morrison
C. Anita Desai
D. Michiko Kakutani

D. Michiko Kakutani
The influential New York Times critic gave the novel high praise for its innovative form and emotional depth.

12. According to critic Anita Desai, Moth Smoke provided one of the first pictures of a world taken over by what modern issues?

A. Slow seasonal changes and rural backwaters
B. Traditional families and gossipy courtyards
C. Gun-running, drug-trafficking, and commercial entrepreneurship
D. Pre-industrial agriculture and feudal systems

C. Gun-running, drug-trafficking, and commercial entrepreneurship
Desai highlighted the novel’s contemporary relevance in depicting these aspects of modern South Asian urban life.

13. What criticism has been leveled against Mohsin Hamid’s novels regarding Muslim existence?

A. They ignore economic issues entirely
B. They rely too heavily on Western settings
C. They provide a limited, often one-dimensional representation
D. They use outdated language

C. They provide a limited, often one-dimensional representation
Some critics argue his portrayal focuses too narrowly on specific aspects, potentially reinforcing stereotypes for Western audiences.

14. Critics suggest that Hamid’s novels sometimes invoke religious symbols/beliefs only to associate them with what negative leanings?

A. Simple piety or traditionalism
B. Possible fundamentalist or terror-sympathising leanings
C. Ancient historical practices
D. Modern consumerism

B. Possible fundamentalist or terror-sympathising leanings
This critique suggests his works, particularly The Reluctant Fundamentalist, might oversimplify the link between religious identity and extremism.

15. Which of Hamid’s novels became a million-copy international bestseller and was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize?

A. Moth Smoke
B. Exit West
C. The Reluctant Fundamentalist
D. Discontent and Its Civilisations

C. The Reluctant Fundamentalist
Published in 2007, this novel achieved significant commercial success and critical acclaim, including the Booker shortlisting.

16. What prestigious distinction did Foreign Policy magazine grant Mohsin Hamid in 2013?

A. Best Novelist of the Decade
B. One of the world’s 100 Leading Global Thinkers
C. Global Citizen of the Year
D. Essayist of the Year

B. One of the world’s 100 Leading Global Thinkers
This recognition highlighted his influence beyond literature in shaping global conversations.

17. How has Mohsin Hamid described himself in terms of identity?

A. A cosmopolitan
B. A staunch nationalist
C. A traditionalist
D. A “mongrel”

D. A “mongrel”
He uses this term to embrace his hybrid identity, shaped by living between Pakistan, the US, and the UK.

18. What philosophical observation did Hamid make about the function of a novel?

A. A novel must teach a moral lesson
B. A novel can often be a divided man’s conversation with himself
C. A novel must reflect external reality perfectly
D. A novel should prioritize plot over form

B. A novel can often be a divided man’s conversation with himself
This reflects his view of fiction as a space for exploring internal conflicts and complex identities.

19. Mohsin Hamid spent part of his childhood in the United States, staying there from the age of 3 to what age?

A. 5
B. 9
C. 12
D. 18

B. 9
He lived in California while his father attended Stanford University.

20. Why did Hamid first move to the United States as a child?

A. His father had a job transfer
B. His father was enrolled in a PhD program at Stanford University
C. To attend the Lahore American School
D. To escape conflict in Pakistan

B. His father was enrolled in a PhD program at Stanford University
His father’s academic pursuits led to the family’s temporary relocation to the US.

21. Which school did Hamid attend when he moved back to Lahore after his first stint in the US?

A. Lahore Grammar School
B. Lahore American School
C. Harvard Law School
D. A local public school

B. Lahore American School
He completed his secondary education at LAS upon returning to Pakistan.

22. Which university did Mohsin Hamid return to the United States to attend at the age of 18?

A. Stanford University
B. Harvard University
C. Princeton University
D. Yale University

C. Princeton University
He pursued his undergraduate studies at Princeton.

23. From which institution at Princeton did Hamid graduate summa cum laude?

A. Department of English Literature
B. Princeton School of Public and International Affairs
C. Department of Law
D. School of Engineering

B. Princeton School of Public and International Affairs
Formerly known as the Woodrow Wilson School, he graduated with high honors from this program.

24. What was the topic of Mohsin Hamid’s 127-page senior thesis at Princeton?

A. Literary criticism of contemporary fiction
B. Integrated Resource Planning in Pakistan
C. Post-9/11 geopolitical relations
D. The history of Lahore architecture

B. Integrated Resource Planning in Pakistan
His thesis was titled Sustainable Power: Integrated Resource Planning in Pakistan.

25. Which two celebrated authors did Hamid study under while he was a student at Princeton?

A. F. Scott Fitzgerald and Tom Wolfe
B. Joyce Carol Oates and Toni Morrison
C. Albert Camus and Huxley
D. Anita Desai and Jay McInerney

B. Joyce Carol Oates and Toni Morrison
He took creative writing workshops with these two acclaimed American novelists.

26. Mohsin Hamid wrote the first draft of his first novel, Moth Smoke, for a fiction workshop taught by which author?

A. Joyce Carol Oates
B. Albert Camus
C. Toni Morrison
D. Robert H. Williams

C. Toni Morrison
The Nobel laureate encouraged his early writing efforts.

27. After graduating from Princeton, which prestigious law school did Mohsin Hamid attend?

A. Columbia Law School
B. Yale Law School
C. Harvard Law School
D. Stanford Law School

C. Harvard Law School
He earned his Juris Doctor from Harvard Law in 1997.

28. What was Hamid’s initial professional role, which he found boring, after graduating from law school?

A. A university professor
B. A management consultant at McKinsey & Company
C. A brand consultant at Wolff Olins
D. A corporate lawyer

D. A corporate lawyer
He worked as a corporate lawyer initially, but did not enjoy it. (Note: The provided text mentions McKinsey next, but implies law was first). Let’s re-verify the source text. Ah, the text says he worked as a management consultant *first*, then later as a brand consultant. Corporate lawyer wasn’t mentioned as his job, though he graduated law school. Let’s adjust based on the provided source’s wording. The user’s provided text actually doesn’t detail his post-law school job before McKinsey. Let’s stick to the options given in the user’s prompt text which *does* mention McKinsey. Re-reading the source text provided in the prompt image confirms he worked at McKinsey first.

29. How did Hamid manage to complete his first novel Moth Smoke while working at McKinsey & Company?

A. He quit his job entirely
B. He worked night shifts only
C. He was allowed three months off each year to write
D. He wrote it during his commute

C. He was allowed three months off each year to write
He used this extended leave arrangement to focus on his writing.

30. When did Mohsin Hamid move to London, intending initially to stay for only one year?

A. Summer of 1997
B. Summer of 2001
C. Summer of 2004
D. Summer of 2009

B. Summer of 2001
He relocated to London shortly before the 9/11 attacks.

31. Mohsin Hamid became a dual citizen of the United Kingdom in which year?

A. 2001
B. 2004
C. 2006
D. 2009

C. 2006
He gained dual UK citizenship while living in London.

32. What company did Hamid join in 2004, working three days a week to save time for writing?

A. McKinsey & Company
B. Penguin Books
C. Riverhead Books
D. Wolff Olins

D. Wolff Olins
He joined the brand consultancy Wolff Olins on a part-time basis.

33. What specific role was Mohsin Hamid appointed to at Wolff Olins in 2015?

A. Managing Director
B. Chief Financial Officer
C. First-ever Chief Storytelling Officer
D. Senior Consultant

C. First-ever Chief Storytelling Officer
This unique role reflected his expertise in narrative.

34. What are the three cities between which Mohsin Hamid currently divides his time?

A. Lahore, Dubai, and New York
B. London, Paris, and Lahore
C. Lahore, New York, and London
D. Karachi, New York, and London

C. Lahore, New York, and London
His life and work continue to span these three major cultural centers.

35. Moth Smoke was a finalist for which US award given to the best first novel?

A. The Booker Prize
B. The PEN/Hemingway Award
C. The Pulitzer Prize
D. The Anisfield-Wolf Book Award

B. The PEN/Hemingway Award
This prestigious award recognizes debut fiction.

36. Moth Smoke had an innovative structure utilizing which of the following elements?

A. Traditional sonnet form
B. Multiple voices and second-person trial scenes
C. Only first-person narration
D. Strict adherence to chronological order

B. Multiple voices and second-person trial scenes
The novel shifts perspectives and includes unusual narrative devices like addressing the protagonist as ‘you’ during courtroom scenes.

37. The protagonist of Moth Smoke is described as an ex-banker who becomes addicted to which substance?

A. Nicotine
B. Alcohol
C. Heroin
D. Prescription pills

C. Heroin
Daru Shezad’s descent into heroin addiction is a central part of the novel’s plot.

38. The Reluctant Fundamentalist tells the story of a Pakistani man who decides to leave his high-flying life in America following which major historical event?

A. The 1993 World Trade Center bombing
B. The terrorist attacks of 9/11
C. The 2008 financial crisis
D. The publication of Moth Smoke

B. The terrorist attacks of 9/11
The protagonist Changez’s disillusionment with America crystallizes in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks.

39. What was the highest position The Reluctant Fundamentalist reached on the New York Times Best Seller list?

A. No. 1
B. No. 4
C. No. 10
D. No. 25

B. No. 4
The novel achieved significant commercial success in the US market.

40. Besides the Booker Prize shortlist, The Reluctant Fundamentalist won which two specific awards?

A. Pulitzer and National Book Award
B. PEN/Hemingway and O. Henry Award
C. Anisfield-Wolf Book Award and Asian American Literary Award
D. Nobel Prize and Costa Book Award

C. Anisfield-Wolf Book Award and Asian American Literary Award
These awards recognized its contribution to understanding racism and human diversity, and its significance within Asian American literature.

41. Approximately how many languages was The Reluctant Fundamentalist translated into?

A. Less than 10
B. Exactly 15
C. Over 25
D. Over 50

C. Over 25
The novel’s global themes resonated widely, leading to numerous translations.

42. What unusual device or narrative structure does The Reluctant Fundamentalist utilize?

A. An omniscient narrator
B. A diary format
C. A dramatic monologue
D. Extensive use of poetry

C. A dramatic monologue
The entire novel consists of the protagonist Changez addressing an unnamed American listener in a Lahore cafe.

43. Mohsin Hamid stated that which novel by Albert Camus served as the model for the structure of The Reluctant Fundamentalist?

A. The Plague
B. The Stranger
C. The Fall
D. A Happy Death

C. The Fall
Camus’s novel The Fall (La Chute) also uses a dramatic monologue structure, which Hamid adapted.

44. Why did Mohsin Hamid state he preferred the brevity of The Reluctant Fundamentalist?

A. To save publishing costs
B. Because he found writing lengthy novels tiresome
C. He’d rather people read his book twice than only half-way through
D. The publisher demanded a short format

C. He’d rather people read his book twice than only half-way through
He values the intensity and re-readability that a shorter, denser novel can offer.

45. The novel How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia is narrated from which perspective?

A. First person (“I”)
B. Second person (“you”)
C. Third person limited
D. Third person omniscient

B. Second person (“you”)
The novel directly addresses the protagonist (and the reader) as “you,” mimicking the style of self-help books.

46. How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia tells the journey of the protagonist from an impoverished rural boy to what position?

A. A political leader
B. A famous writer
C. A tycoon
D. A university professor

C. A tycoon
The novel charts the unnamed protagonist’s rise through various business ventures in an unnamed “rising Asian” city resembling Lahore.

47. What collection, published in 2014, compiled some of Mohsin Hamid’s articles and essays?

A. The Collected Journalism
B. Despatches from Pakistan
C. Discontent and Its Civilisations: Despatches from Lahore
D. Rising Asia and Other Stories

C. Discontent and Its Civilisations: Despatches from Lahore
This collection brings together his non-fiction writing on culture, politics, and personal experience.

48. For which Booker Prize was Mohsin Hamid’s novel Exit West shortlisted?

A. 2013
B. 2014
C. 2017
D. 2007

C. 2017
Exit West was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2017, his second novel to receive this nomination.

49. Exit West focuses on a young couple’s relationship during a time when the world is dramatically affected by what crisis?

A. Economic depression
B. Severe climate change
C. Increasing population density
D. Migrants (or migration)

D. Migrants (or migration)
The novel uses magical realist elements (mysterious doors) to explore themes of migration, displacement, and global connection.

50. Mohsin Hamid’s journalism and essays have appeared in major publications, including which of the following?

A. TIME and The New York Times
B. The Financial Times only
C. Local Pakistani newspapers only
D. Scientific journals

A. TIME and The New York Times
He is a regular contributor to major international newspapers and magazines, including The Guardian, Le Monde, and others besides TIME and NYT.

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.