50 MCQs on Nectar in a Sieve – Kamala Markandaya

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50 MCQs on Nectar in a Sieve – Kamala Markandaya

Given below are 50 MCQs on  Nectar in a Sieve – Kamala Markandaya. This will probably help you in your competitive and objective-type papers.

When was Kamala Markandaya born? 

  • A) 1920
    B) 1924
    C) 1930
    D) 1934
    Answer: B) 1924
  • What was Kamala Markandaya’s birth name?
    A) Kamala Devi
    B) Kamala Purnaiya
    C) Kamala Das
    D) Kamala Rani
    Answer: B) Kamala Purnaiya
  • In which Indian city was Kamala Markandaya born?
    A) Kolkata
    B) Chennai
    C) Mumbai
    D) Mysore
    Answer: D) Mysore
  • What was Kamala Markandaya’s debut novel?
    A) Some Inner Fury
    B) Nectar in a Sieve
    C) A Silence of Desire
    D) Possession
    Answer: B) Nectar in a Sieve
  • Which of the following themes is NOT commonly found in Kamala Markandaya’s works?
    A) Tradition vs. Modernity
    B) Colonialism and Its Effects
    C) Science Fiction
    D) Social Injustice
    Answer: C) Science Fiction
  • Which prestigious literary award did Kamala Markandaya receive?
    A) Nobel Prize in Literature
    B) Booker Prize
    C) Sahitya Akademi Award
    D) Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
    Answer: C) Sahitya Akademi Award
  • Where did Kamala Markandaya spend her later years?
    A) New Delhi, India
    B) London, England
    C) New York City, USA
    D) Paris, France
    Answer: B) London, England
  • What is a common characteristic of Kamala Markandaya’s writing style?
    A) Sparse and minimalist prose
    B) Experimental narrative structures
    C) Vivid descriptions and nuanced characterizations
    D) Heavy use of symbolism and allegory
    Answer: C) Vivid descriptions and nuanced characterizations
  • Which of the following is NOT a novel by Kamala Markandaya?
    Kamala Markandaya
    Kamala Markandaya – Nectar in a Sieve

    A) The Nowhere Man
    B) The Guide
    C) Possession
    D) Some Inner Fury
    Answer: B) The Guide

  • In which year did Kamala Markandaya pass away?
    A) 1994
    B) 2004
    C) 2014
    D) 2024
    Answer: B) 2004
  • Who is the narrator of Nectar in a Sieve?
    A) Ira
    B) Rukmani
    C) Kunthi
    D) Nathan
    Answer: B) Rukmani
  • What is Nathan’s occupation?
    A) Potter
    B) Weaver
    C) Farmer
    D) Merchant
    Answer: C) Farmer
  • Who helps Rukmani learn to read and write?
    A) Her mother
    B) Her husband
    C) Kenny
    D) Her father
    Answer: D) Her father

  • What major change disrupts village life?
    A) A new market
    B) A school
    C) A tannery
    D) A temple
    Answer: C) A tannery

  • Who is Kenny in the novel?
    A) A village leader
    B) A British doctor
    C) A farmer
    D) A merchant
    Answer: B) A British doctor

  • Which of Rukmani’s children becomes a prostitute?
    A) Kunthi
    B) Ira
    C) Ammu
    D) Thambi
    Answer: B) Ira

  • Why does Ira turn to prostitution?
    A) To rebel against her parents
    B) To support her parents and her albino child
    C) To escape an arranged marriage
    D) To gain independence
    Answer: B) To support her parents and her albino child

  • What is the central theme of Nectar in a Sieve?
    A) Political corruption
    B) Gender inequality
    C) Industrialization vs. tradition
    D) Religious conflict
    Answer: C) Industrialization vs. tradition

  • Who is Kunthi in the novel?
    A) Rukmani’s sister
    B) A neighbor who blackmails Rukmani
    C) A healer
    D) Rukmani’s daughter
    Answer: B) A neighbor who blackmails Rukmani

  • What does the title Nectar in a Sieve symbolize?
    A) Wealth and prosperity
    B) The fleeting nature of happiness
    C) A life of ease
    D) Religious devotion
    Answer: B) The fleeting nature of happiness

  • Why do Rukmani and Nathan leave their village?
    A) To seek medical treatment
    B) To escape famine
    C) They lose their land to the tannery
    D) To visit relatives
    Answer: C) They lose their land to the tannery

  • How many children do Rukmani and Nathan have?
    A) Five
    B) Six
    C) Seven
    D) Eight
    Answer: C) Seven

  • Which of Rukmani’s children dies during infancy?
    A) Raja
    B) Kuti
    C) Thambi
    D) Arjun
    Answer: B) Kuti

  • What is the relationship between Rukmani and Kenny?
    A) Friends and the patient-doctor
    B) Business partners
    C) Siblings
    D) Political allies
    Answer: A) Friends and patient-doctor

  • What occupation do Arjun and Thambi take up?
    A) Farming
    B) Weaving
    C) Working at the tannery
    D) Fishing
    Answer: C) Working at the tannery

  • Why do Arjun and Thambi leave home?
    A) To join a political movement
    B) To escape an arranged marriage
    C) They are dissatisfied with village life and seek better wages
    D) To study in the city
    Answer: C) They are dissatisfied with village life and seek better wages

  • Who is Murugan, and where does he go?
    A) Rukmani’s third son, who works in the city as a servant
    B) A village priest
    C) A tannery worker
    D) A farmer who stays with his parents
    Answer: A) Rukmani’s third son, who works in the city as a servant

  • What happens to Murugan’s wife when Rukmani and Nathan visit?
    A) She welcomes them warmly
    B) She is missing
    C) She has abandoned her home with their child
    D) She is working at the tannery
    Answer: C) She has abandoned her home with their child

  • Which son is killed by the tannery guards while stealing food?
    A) Arjun
    B) Thambi
    C) Raja
    D) Murugan
    Answer: C) Raja

  • Why does Raja steal from the tannery?
    A) He wants to start a business
    B) He is hungry and desperate
    C) He is seeking revenge
    D) He is supporting his family
    Answer: B) He is hungry and desperate

  • Who is Kuti, and what happens to him?
    A) The youngest son, who dies from malnutrition
    B) The village healer
    C) A successful merchant
    D) A scholar in the city
    Answer: A) The youngest son who dies from malnutrition

  • What role does Selvam play in the family?
    A) He takes over the family farm
    B) He becomes Kenny’s medical assistant
    C) He leaves for the city like his brothers
    D) He works at the tannery
    Answer: B) He becomes Kenny’s medical assistant

  • Why does Selvam stay with his parents while others leave?
    A) He wants to continue farming
    B) He is too young to leave
    C) He is loyal to his family and works with Kenny
    D) He is sick and cannot travel
    Answer: C) He is loyal to his family and works with Kenny
  • How does Nathan die?
    A) In a tannery accident
    B) During a flood
    C) From illness and exhaustion
    D) In his sleep
    Answer: C) From illness and exhaustion 
  • Who is Kenny in the novel?
    A) A local merchant
    B) A British doctor who helps the villagers
    C) Rukmani’s brother
    D) The tannery owner
    Answer: B) A British doctor who helps the villagers

  • What is Kenny’s attitude toward the villagers’ hardships?
    A) He is indifferent and uncaring
    B) He is sympathetic but frustrated by their acceptance of fate
    C) He blames the villagers for their poverty
    D) He encourages them to join the tannery
    Answer: B) He is sympathetic but frustrated by their acceptance of fate

  • How does Kenny help Rukmani’s family?
    A) He gives them a loan
    B) He hires Nathan at the tannery
    C) He provides medical care and supports Selvam’s education
    D) He buys their land
    Answer: C) He provides medical care and supports Selvam’s education

  • Who is Kunthi in the novel?
    A) Rukmani’s best friend
    B) A jealous and manipulative neighbor
    C) Nathan’s sister
    D) A village midwife
    Answer: B) A jealous and manipulative neighbor

  • How does Kunthi blackmail Rukmani and Nathan?
    A) By threatening to burn their crops
    B) By revealing Nathan’s infidelity
    C) By exposing their financial struggles
    D) By claiming ownership of their land
    Answer: B) By revealing Nathan’s infidelity

  • Who is Puli, and how does he help Rukmani and Nathan?
    A) A village priest who offers them shelter
    B) An orphaned street boy who guides them in the city
    C) A tannery worker who gives Nathan a job
    D) A distant relative who provides financial help
    Answer: B) An orphaned street boy who guides them in the city

  • What physical disability does Puli have?
    A) Blindness
    B) Muteness
    C) Leprosy-related deformity
    D) A missing leg
    Answer: C) Leprosy-related deformity

  • What is the primary theme of Nectar in a Sieve?
    A) Love and romance
    B) The clash between tradition and industrialization
    C) Political rebellion
    D) Scientific advancement
    Answer: B) The clash between tradition and industrialization

  • How does Markandaya portray poverty in the novel?
    A) As a minor inconvenience
    B) As a romanticized struggle
    C) As a harsh, persistent reality that shapes every aspect of life
    D) As a challenge easily overcome through hard work
    Answer: C) As a harsh, persistent reality that shapes every aspect of life

  • What does the tannery symbolize in the novel?
    A) Social unity
    B) Cultural preservation
    C) Economic progress and its disruptive effects
    D) Religious tradition
    Answer: C) Economic progress and its disruptive effects

  • What does the title Nectar in a Sieve symbolize?
    A) Wealth and power
    B) The fleeting nature of happiness and hope
    C) Spiritual enlightenment
    D) Agricultural success
    Answer: B) The fleeting nature of happiness and hope

  • What role does fate vs. agency play in the novel?
    A) It suggests that humans have total control over their destiny.
    B) It emphasizes how the poor are powerless against societal forces.
    C) It celebrates individual freedom and success.
    D) It ignores external circumstances in favor of personal responsibility.
    Answer: B) It emphasizes how the poor are powerless against societal forces.

  • How is the theme of family and sacrifice portrayed in the novel?
    A) Family members are self-centered and distant.
    B) The family disintegrates due to external pressures.
    C) Despite hardship, family bonds remain a source of comfort and sacrifice.
    D) Family relationships are ideal and untouched by struggle.
    Answer: C) Despite hardship, family bonds remain a source of comfort and sacrifice.

  • Why do Rukmani and Nathan lose their land?
    A) They sell it willingly.
    B) The government seizes it.
    C) They cannot pay the rising rent due to the tannery’s arrival.
    D) Their neighbors steal it.
    Answer: C) They cannot pay the rising rent due to the tannery’s arrival.

  • What is the outcome of Rukmani and Nathan’s journey to the city?
    A) They find prosperity and new jobs.
    B) They reunite with their children and live happily.
    C) Nathan dies, and Rukmani returns to the village with Puli.
    D) They purchase new farmland.
    Answer: C) Nathan dies, and Rukmani returns to the village with Puli.

  • What does the tannery represent in Rukmani’s life?
    A) A source of pride
    B) A beacon of hope
    C) The cause of her family’s suffering and displacement
    D) An opportunity for wealth
    Answer: C) The cause of her family’s suffering and displacement

  • How does Nathan’s character reflect resilience?
    A) He gives up after losing his land.
    B) He constantly blames others for his misfortune.
    C) Despite hardships, he remains loyal to Rukmani and works tirelessly.
    D) He becomes a political leader.
    Answer: C) Despite hardships, he remains loyal to Rukmani and works tirelessly.

  • How does Rukmani’s literacy affect her life?
    A) It isolates her from the community.
    B) It gives her power and independence.
    C) It leads to conflict with Nathan.
    D) It allows her to escape poverty.
    Answer: B) It gives her power and independence.

  • Why is Ira’s albino son, Sacrabani, a symbol of societal judgment?
    A) He is viewed as a miracle.
    B) He is welcomed as a blessing.
    C) He faces rejection and stigma due to his appearance.
    D) He becomes a village leader.
    Answer: C) He faces rejection and stigma due to his appearance.

  • What emotional toll does poverty take on Rukmani and her family?
    A) It strengthens their hope.
    B) It leads to their emotional detachment.
    C) It causes despair, but they continue to endure.
    D) It makes them greedy for wealth.
    Answer: C) It causes despair, but they continue to endure.

  • How does the novel end?
    A) With Rukmani and Nathan finding success in the city.
    B) With Nathan’s death and Rukmani adopting Puli as a son.
    C) With the tannery closing down.
    D) With Rukmani leaving the village forever.
    Answer: B) With Nathan’s death and Rukmani adopting Puli as a son.

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