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.

How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia MCQs

1. What viral condition was the narrator afflicted with as a child?

A. Yellow fever
B. Influenza
C. Hepatitis E
D. The measles

C. Hepatitis E.
The virus afflicting the narrator is called hepatitis E, typically transmitted through the faecal-oral route.

2. What financial status does the father claim that 10,000 earns a man in the city?

A. Rich man
B. A pòor man
C. Middle class
D. Comfortable

B. A pòor man.
The father argues that earning ten thousand makes you a pòor man when living in the city.

3. How does the father view the natural ingredients in the countryside?

A. Backbreaking toil
B. Delicious bounty
C. Future wealth
D. Mortality

A. Backbreaking toil.
The father sees the natural ingredients of the country as units of backbreaking toil and sniffing mortality.

4. What does the grandmother use to conceal her mouth?

A. Her shawl edge
B. Her hand
C. A handkerchief
D. A cloth mask

A. Her shawl’s edge.
The grandmother holds the edge of her shawl in her mouth to conceal her lack of teeth.

5. What degree of undress did the parents typically practice when having sex?

A. Fully naked
B. Almost fully clothed
C. Half undressed
D. In darkness

B. Almost fully clothed.
The parents remain almost entirely clothed, having never stripped naked to copulate.

6. What evolutionary change does the narrator embody by moving?

A. Rise of modern man
B. Proliferation of the nuclear
C. Increased anxiety
D. Decline of family

B. Proliferation of the nuclear.
The narrator and other migrants represent an ongoing proliferation of the nuclear family structure.

7. What geographical feature often separates wealthy neighbourhoods from the pòor?

A. A river
B. A dense forest
C. An open sewer
D. A tall wall

C. An open sewer.
The homes of the impoverished may be separated from wealthy areas by an open sewer, track, or alley.

8. What is the teacher’s primary pedagogical tool?

A. Debate
B. Rote memorisation
C. Textbooks
D. Corporal punishment

B. Rote memorisation.
The teacher’s sole pedagogical tool is enforced rote memorisation, delivered in a distracted chant.

9. What material did the teacher use to add abrasion to the punishment?

A. Coarse sand
B. Fine powder
C. A rough stick
D. Betel nut

A. Coarse sand.
The teacher kept a small amount of coarse sand in his pocket to add abrasion when gripping the ear.

10. What job did the teacher originally desire?

A. Electrician
B. Meter reader
C. Factory worker
D. Professor

B. Meter reader.
The teacher wanted to be a meter reader at the electric utility, a job his elder brother received.

11. What is the sister’s future, preventing her from continuing school?

A. Marriage
B. Factory work
C. Travel abroad
D. Sewing

A. Marriage.
The sister’s time for education has passed because marriage is now her designated future.

12. What serious consequence is mentioned regarding the brother’s job without a respirator?

A. Near-term cough
B. Future death
C. Blindness
D. Constant fatigue

B. Future death.
While paint inhalation causes a cough in the near term, the long-term consequences can be death.

13. Why is the narrator considered fortunate despite the family’s situation?

A. He is third-born
B. He is intelligent
C. He is healthy
D. He is loved

A. He is third-born.
The narrator is fortunate because, as the third-born, he is not working or being sent back to the village.

14. What is the family television powered by?

A. Small battery
B. Solar panel
C. Stolen electricity wire
D. Gas generator

C. Stolen electricity wire.
The family television is powered by a wire of communally stolen electricity that runs down the building.

15. What did the narrator’s mother dismissively compare the pretty girl’s breasts to?

A. Large lemons
B. Cheap little squashed mangoes
C. Flat pancakes
D. Two small nuts

B. Cheap little squashed mangoes.
The mother dismissively noted that the pretty girl’s breasts were the size of two cheap little squashed mangoes.

16. What is the narrator’s night job?

A. Cleaning kitchens
B. DVD delivery boy
C. Taxi driver
D. Security guard

B. DVD delivery boy.
The narrator is fit partly because of his night job as a DVD delivery boy in the city.

17. Who blames the narrator’s physique on his diet?

A. His mother
B. The bodybuilder gunman
C. His brother
D. The pretty girl

B. The bodybuilder gunman.
The neighbour, a former bodybuilder turned gunman, blames the narrator’s diet for his lack of bulk.

18. What secret daily indulgence consumes 10% of the narrator’s salary?

A. A packet of milk
B. New clothes
C. Lottery tickets
D. Cigarettes

A. A packet of milk.
The narrator secretly buys a quarter-litre packet of milk daily, consuming ten per cent of his salary.

19. How does the pretty girl manage to keep their phone chats free for the narrator?

A. Using a landline
B. She insists on calling him
C. Via text messages
D. Uses free WiFi

B. She insists on calling him.
The pretty girl insists on being the one to call, ensuring the narrator spends nothing on outbound calls.

20. What condition makes the pretty girl’s mother’s job agonising?

A. Blindness
B. Severe arthritis
C. Back injury
D. Mental illness

B. Severe arthritis.
The mother suffers from severe and premature arthritis, making her work as a sweepress agonising.

21. What mode of transportation does the narrator use to rush to the pretty girl’s roof?

A. Taxi
B. Running
C. Bicycle
D. Scooter

C. Bicycle.
Despite having an hour left in his shift, the narrator jumps on his bicycle and pedals hard to her location.

22. What animal is mentioned feasting on the narrator’s forearm during the power outage?

A. A spider
B. A mosquito
C. A tiny insect
D. A lizard

B. A mosquito.
Mosquitoes are rampant due to the unrepaired window mesh, and one is seen feasting on his forearm.

23. What does the narrator join at the university to gain influence?

A. A fraternity
B. An organisation
C. A debating club
D. Soccer team

B. An organisation.
To navigate the system and gain protection, the narrator grows a beard and joins an organisation.

24. What is the pretty girl modelling on the billboard Changez sees?

A. Shampoo
B. Blue jeans
C. Beverages
D. Designer jewellery

B. Blue jeans.
The narrator rides past a billboard where the pretty girl is modelling blue jeans alongside two others.

25. What is the mother’s final diagnosis?

A. Lung cancer
B. Thyroid cancer
C. Heart disease
D. Severe infection

B. Thyroid cancer.
The doctor’s diagnosis, confirmed by tests, is papillary thyroid cancer, which is treatable if early.

26. What action of his father disturbs the narrator while talking to the matriarch?

A. His fear
B. Bowing at the neck repeatedly
C. Shifting his weight
D. His nervous tic

B. Bowing at the neck repeatedly.
The narrator is disturbed by his father bowing repeatedly at the neck to the matriarch, like a nervous tic.

27. What substance did the brother procure for the mother’s pain management?

A. Street heroin
B. Morphine
C. Analgesic pills
D. Alcohol

A. Street heroin.
In the absence of modern palliative care, the brother procured street heroin for the mother’s agony.

28. What does the narrator finally decide to do after seeing the pretty girl again?

A. Find her
B. Buy new clothes
C. Get a shave
D. Join the military

C. Get a shave.
That week, the narrator asks an old man at a roadside stall to finally shave him.

29. What specialised skill does the master possess, besides numeracy?

A. Carpentry
B. Font sensibility
C. Driving
D. Accounting

B. Font sensibility.
The master’s lucrative talents include superb numeracy and a keen sensibility for font.

30. Why were the narrator and the pretty girl garnering considerable interest?

A. Arguing loudly
B. Enthusiastic meeting
C. Matching outfits
D. Drinking wine

B. Enthusiastic meeting.
Their enthusiastic meeting was unusual for a model and a waiter, causing people to stare.

31. What is the underlying “scam” that keeps the narrator’s prices low?

A. Bribing retailers
B. Selling stolen goods
C. Rerouting inventory
D. Repackaging expired goods

D. Repackaging expired goods.
The master sources recently expired goods, erasing the date and reprinting a later one.

32. What consequence has resulted from the mingling of water mains and sewers?

A. Less flow
B. Clean water
C. Faeces in taps
D. Blockages

C. Faeces in taps.
Cracked pipes cause underground water mains and sewers to mingle, leading to faeces in tap water.

33. What material shortage has brought the water operation to a standstill?

A. Clean bottles
B. Natural gas
C. New caps
D. Water pump

B. Natural gas.
A shortage of natural gas has yet again caused the bottled water operation to come to a standstill.

34. Why is the pretty girl able to stay at the exclusive hotel?

A. Her fame
B. Secured a 50% discount
C. Modelling shoot
D. Her wealthy date

B. Secured a 50% discount.
Due to low occupancy after the bombing, she secured a discount of fifty per cent to stay there.

35. What was the narrator’s savings originally intended for?

A. Expanding factory
B. Buying a resident’s bond
C. Buying a car
D. Hiring staff

B. Buying a resident’s bond.
The narrator had saved money, intending to buy a resident’s bond on his property for rent-free living.

36. What event led to the accountant’s face becoming partially rigid?

A. Old age
B. A stroke
C. A beating
D. Car accident

B. A stroke.
The accountant’s face is stiff from a stroke, reminding him of his deceased father’s rigidity.

37. What is placed against the narrator’s neck during the gunpoint warning?

A. A sharp blade
B. A cold barrel
C. A fist
D. A hot gun

B. A cold barrel.
The boyish motorcyclist places the muzzle of the pistol against the narrator’s neck and twists it.

38. What two conditions did the narrator’s wife attach to their marriage agreement?

A. Travel and money
B. Finish law and no children
C. No servants and a car
D. Respect and a ring

B. Finished law and have no children.
She stipulated that she complete her law course and not be tasked with producing any children while studying.

39. What career has brought the pretty girl success years later?

A. Fashion model
B. Art curator
C. Cooking show
D. Novelist

C. Cooking show.
A popular cooking show on TV, where she packages a sassy persona, has brought the pretty girl success.

40. How did the narrator’s sister die?

A. In childbirth
B. Dengue fever
C. Car crash
D. Heart failure

B. Dengue fever.
The sister was killed by dengue fever, caused by mosquitoes bred in stagnant flood water.

41. What does the guard do after shooting the gunman?

A. Calls the police
B. Fires more rounds
C. Helps the gunman
D. Tells the narrator to flee

B. Fires more rounds.
The guard fires several rounds into the gunman’s face and chest, then takes a photo with his phone.

42. What does the bureaucrat write on the paper before negotiations begin?

A. How much
B. Yes or no
C. Price needed
D. My demand

A. How much.
The bureaucrat writes the words, “How much?” on a sheet of paper to begin the negotiation.

43. What specific injury did the wife sustain during childbirth?

A. Broken arm
B. Perineal tear
C. Skull fracture
D. Severe bleeding

B. Perineal tear.
A severe third-degree perineal tear damaged the wife’s anal sphincter during childbirth.

44. What unique feature will the military’s Phase Ten housing have?

A. Own power plant
B. Drinkable tap water
C. High walls
D. Massive security

B. Drinkable tap water.
The new Phase Ten housing will be unique because residents can drink the water that comes out of the tap.

45. What specific website does the narrator visit late at night?

A. News website
B. Stock market
C. Furnishings boutique
D. Social media

C. Furnishings boutique.
The narrator is tracked lingering on the website of a furniture boutique, which is registered in another city.

46. What crime statistics are confirmed to be high in the city?

A. Robbery/burglary
B. Car theft
C. Kidnapping
D. Extortion

A. Robbery/burglary.
Crime statistics confirm that a significant number of prosperous residents are presently being burgled or robbed.

47. What kind of vehicle is used as a hearse for the painter’s assistant?

A. A limousine
B. A truck
C. A van
D. A hearse

C. A van.
A van, emblazoned with a commercial spray painter’s name, is used as a hearse for the deceased.

48. What procedure allows the narrator to live for a few more years?

A. Blood transfusion
B. Stents in arteries
C. Bypass surgery
D. New medication

B. Stents in arteries.
The world expert suggests that a few stents in his arteries should work to prevent imminent death.

49. What object was used to smash the boutique’s glass door?

A. A hammer
B. A brick
C. A rifle butt
D. A rock

B. A brick.
A brick is thrown beneath the half-lowered steel shutters to smash the pretty girl’s glass shop door.

50. What type of cancer causes the pretty girl’s death?

A. Lung cancer
B. Pancreatic cancer
C. Thyroid cancer
D. Breast cancer

B. Pancreatic cancer.
The pretty girl’s death comes swiftly, as her cancer has spread from her pancreas throughout her body.

Brief Overview

How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia is a novel by Mohsin Hamid, published in 2013. The book follows the life journey of an ambitious man, which is driven by his desire for money and a woman he calls the “pretty girl.” The novel is written entirely in a second-person narrative style, like a self-help book.

The story starts with the ambitious boy moving from a poor village to a big city in Asia. He works very hard and gets an education. As a teenager, he falls in love with the pretty girl; after a secret meeting, she abruptly leaves town.

He finds business success, quickly learning tricks like selling goods with fake expiry dates. He eventually starts a bottled water company, which makes him extremely rich. He marries and has a son.

His great success brings new dangers. He uses violence to protect his firm and secures contracts by bribing officials. Later, he suffers a serious heart attack. While he is sick, his own relative steals his funds. He loses all his fortune and becomes poor again.

Humbled and alone, he eventually finds the pretty girl again, who is also aging and poor. They move in together and spend their final years as devoted companions. The pretty girl dies of cancer. The man soon faces his own death in the hospital.