What time did the astrologer open his bag each day? a) At sunrise / b) At midday / c) At sunset / d) At midnight Answer: b) At midday
How many cowrie shells did his equipment include? a) Six / b) Eight / c) A dozen / d) Twenty Answer: c) A dozen
What kind of charts were on the square of cloth? a) Clear and simple / b) Obscure mystic charts / c) Astronomical maps / d) Palm leaf diagrams Answer: b) Obscure mystic charts
What was on his forehead? a) Sandalwood paste / b) Turmeric / c) Sacred ash and vermilion / d) Charcoal Answer: c) Sacred ash and vermilion
What did his simple clients think his abnormal gleam was? a) A sign of wealth / b) A prophetic light / c) A trick of the light / d) A disease Answer: b) A prophetic light
What colour was his turban? a) White / b) Red / c) Saffron / d) Black Answer: c) Saffron
To what does the author compare people’s attraction to the astrologer? a) Moths to a flame / b) Bees to cosmos or dahlia stalks / c) Flies to honey / d) Birds to a tree Answer: b) Bees to cosmos or dahlia stalks
Under which tree did he sit? a) Banyan / b) Peepal / c) Tamarind / d) Neem Answer: c) Tamarind
Where was the tamarind tree located? a) Near the river / b) Flanking a path through the Town Hall Park / c) In the marketplace / d) Outside the temple Answer: b) Flanking a path through the Town Hall Park
Which of these was NOT mentioned as a trade on the road? a) Medicine sellers / b) Sellers of stolen hardware / c) Fruit vendors / d) Magicians Answer: c) Fruit vendors
Who created enough din all day to attract the whole town? a) The groundnut vendor / b) The astrologer / c) An auctioneer of cheap cloth / d) A snake charmer Answer: c) An auctioneer of cheap cloth
What did the groundnut vendor call his ware one day? a) Raja’s Special / b) Bombay Ice-cream / c) Maharaja’s Mix / d) King’s Nut Answer: b) Bombay Ice-cream
What did the groundnut vendor call his ware on the third day? a) Delhi Almond / b) Bombay Ice-cream / c) Raja’s Delicacy / d) Royal Treat Answer: c) Raja’s Delicacy
How was the astrologer’s business lit? a) Municipal lights / b) A flare above the groundnut heap / c) A gas lamp / d) A cycle lamp Answer: b) A flare above the groundnut heap
Why did the lack of municipal lighting suit the astrologer? a) He liked the dark / b) He had not intended to be an astrologer and knew nothing of the future / c) He could hide from police / d) It saved him money Answer: b) He had not intended to be an astrologer and knew nothing of the future
The astrologer was as much a stranger to the stars as … a) his own family / b) his innocent customers / c) the vendors / d) the auctioneer Answer: b) his innocent customers
His success was a matter of … a) real astrology / b) divine power / c) study, practice and shrewd guesswork / d) luck Answer: c) study, practice and shrewd guesswork
What would the astrologer have done if he had stayed in his village? a) Become a priest / b) Worked as a trader / c) Tilled the land like his forefathers / d) Become a teacher Answer: c) Tilled the land like his forefathers
How far did he have to leave his village behind? a) Fifty miles / b) A couple of hundred miles / c) Ten miles / d) Five hundred miles Answer: b) A couple of hundred miles
His working analysis of mankind’s troubles included all EXCEPT: a) Marriage / b) Money / c) Health / d) Tangles of human ties Answer: c) Health
How long did the astrologer wait before opening his mouth? a) Two minutes / b) Five minutes / c) At least ten minutes / d) Fifteen minutes Answer: c) At least ten minutes
How much did he charge per question? a) One pie / b) Two pies / c) Three pies / d) One anna Answer: c) Three pies
What typical statement would he make about a person’s efforts? a) “You will be rich soon.” / b) “You are not getting the fullest results for your efforts.” / c) “You have a long life ahead.” / d) “Danger is near you.” Answer: b) “You are not getting the fullest results for your efforts.”
What did he often ask about a woman in the family? a) If she is ill / b) If she is not well disposed towards the person / c) If she will marry soon / d) If she has a secret Answer: b) If she is not well disposed towards the person
According to the astrologer, what causes most troubles? a) Bad luck / b) The person’s nature / c) Evil spirits / d) Poverty Answer: b) The person’s nature
Which planet does he mention in his analysis? a) Mars / b) Jupiter / c) Saturn / d) Venus Answer: c) Saturn
He says the person has an impetuous nature and … a) a kind heart / b) a rough exterior / c) a sharp tongue / d) a generous soul Answer: b) a rough exterior
What did the nut vendor do as a signal to go home? a) Shouted / b) Blew out his flare / c) Packed his nuts / d) Closed his cart Answer: b) Blew out his flare
What light remained after the nut vendor left? a) A blue flame / b) A green shaft of light / c) A red glow / d) A yellow beam Answer: b) A green shaft of light
When the green light was blotted out, the astrologer saw … a) a policeman / b) a woman / c) a man standing before him / d) a dog Answer: c) a man standing before him
The astrologer first invited the stranger to … a) show his palm / b) pay money / c) sit down and chat / d) light a cheroot Answer: c) sit down and chat
What did the stranger thrust under the astrologer’s nose? a) A knife / b) A coin / c) His palm / d) A cheroot Answer: c) His palm
The astrologer felt … when challenged. a) happy / b) piqued / c) sleepy / d) amused Answer: b) piqued
How much did the stranger first throw to the astrologer? a) One pie / b) Three pies / c) One anna / d) One rupee Answer: c) One anna
What did the stranger demand if the astrologer was bluffing? a) Double the money / b) An apology / c) Return of the anna with interest / d) His turban Answer: c) Return of the anna with interest
The astrologer asked for five rupees if his answers were satisfactory. What did the stranger say? a) Yes / b) No / c) Maybe / d) Eight annas Answer: b) No
Finally, the stranger agreed to pay eight annas provided … a) the astrologer answered first / b) the astrologer gave twice as much if wrong / c) the astrologer lit a cheroot / d) the astrologer showed his face Answer: b) the astrologer gave twice as much if wrong
What did the stranger light? a) A lamp / b) A cheroot / c) A match / d) A flare Answer: b) A cheroot
How did the astrologer see the stranger’s face? a) By the flare / b) By the gas light / c) By matchlight / d) By the green shaft Answer: c) By matchlight
The astrologer’s voice became … a) loud / b) cheerful / c) faint and shaking / d) angry Answer: c) faint and shaking
The stranger did NOT want to hear about … a) his search / b) a woman / c) his past / d) his village Answer: b) a woman
The stranger’s main question was: a) Will I be rich? / b) Shall I succeed in my present search? / c) Will I live long? / d) Is my enemy dead? Answer: b) Shall I succeed in my present search?
The astrologer finally agreed to speak if the stranger gave him … a) five rupees / b) eight annas / c) a rupee / d) ten annas Answer: c) a rupee
The astrologer’s first revelation was: “You were left for …” a) poor / b) dead / c) sick / d) alone Answer: b) dead
What had passed through the stranger once? a) A bullet / b) A knife / c) A spear / d) An arrow Answer: b) A knife
Where was the stranger pushed? a) Into a river / b) Into a well / c) Off a cliff / d) Into a fire Answer: b) Into a well
Who saved the stranger? a) A friend / b) A passer-by who peeped into the well / c) The astrologer / d) The police Answer: b) A passer-by who peeped into the well
The stranger clenched his fist and asked, “When shall I get at him?” The astrologer answered: a) “Tomorrow” / b) “In this very town” / c) “In the next world” / d) “Never” Answer: c) “In the next world”
According to the astrologer, the enemy died … ago. a) one month / b) two months / c) four months / d) one year Answer: c) four months
Where did the enemy die? a) In the same town / b) In their village / c) In a far-off town / d) On the road Answer: c) In a far-off town
The stranger’s name was … a) Guru Nanak / b) Guru Nayak / c) R.K. Narayan / d) Nayak Singh Answer: b) Guru Nayak
The stranger’s village was … days’ journey due north of the town. a) one / b) two / c) three / d) four Answer: b) two
The astrologer told the stranger to take … and be gone. a) the next train / b) a bullock cart / c) a bus / d) a horse Answer: a) the next train
What did the astrologer give the stranger to rub on his forehead? a) Oil / b) Sacred ash / c) Vermilion / d) Sandalwood paste Answer: b) Sacred ash
The astrologer warned the stranger never to travel … again. a) northward / b) eastward / c) southward / d) westward Answer: c) southward
If the stranger obeyed, he would live to be … a) seventy / b) eighty / c) ninety / d) a hundred Answer: d) a hundred
Why had the stranger been leaving home now and then? a) To trade / b) To look for the man and kill him / c) To visit temples / d) To see the astrologer Answer: b) To look for the man and kill him
The astrologer said the enemy was crushed under … a) a tree / b) a lorry / c) a train / d) a building Answer: b) a lorry
Hearing about the enemy’s death, the stranger felt … a) sad / b) angry / c) gratified / d) confused Answer: c) gratified
The stranger gave the astrologer … before leaving. a) a rupee / b) a handful of coins / c) eight annas / d) nothing Answer: b) a handful of coins
What time did the astrologer reach home? a) Late evening / b) Nearly midnight / c) Early morning / d) Afternoon Answer: b) Nearly midnight
Who was waiting for him at the door? a) His child / b) His mother / c) His wife / d) His neighbour Answer: c) His wife
The astrologer flung … at his wife. a) his turban / b) his bag / c) the coins / d) his palm leaves Answer: c) the coins
How much money did the wife count? a) Ten annas / b) Eleven annas / c) Twelve and a half annas / d) One rupee Answer: c) Twelve and a half annas
What did the wife want to buy with the money? a) Rice and lentils / b) Jaggery and coconut / c) Clothes / d) Oil Answer: b) Jaggery and coconut
The child had been asking for … for many days. a) a toy / b) sweets / c) a new dress / d) a story Answer: b) sweets
The astrologer called the stranger “The swine” because … a) he was dirty / b) he cheated him (promised a rupee but gave less) / c) he ran away / d) he fought with him Answer: b) he cheated him (promised a rupee but gave less)
After dinner, where did the astrologer sit? a) On a chair / b) On the pyol / c) On the bed / d) On the floor Answer: b) On the pyol
What load did he say was gone from him? a) Debt / b) The thought that he had a man’s blood on his hands / c) His customers / d) His bag Answer: b) The thought that he had a man’s blood on his hands
Why had he run away from home? a) Because of debt / b) Because he thought he had killed a man / c) Because of a famine / d) Because his family threw him out Answer: b) Because he thought he had killed a man
Who was alive, according to his revelation to his wife? a) His father / b) His enemy / c) His friend / d) His son Answer: b) His enemy
The wife gasped and said: “You tried to …!” a) steal / b) run away / c) kill / d) lie Answer: c) kill
Where did the astrologer say the incident happened? a) In this town / b) In their village / c) On the road / d) At the park Answer: b) In their village
What did the astrologer do with his enemy when they quarrelled? a) Beat him / b) Passed a knife through his body and pushed him into a well / c) Poisoned him / d) Buried him Answer: b) Passed a knife through his body and pushed him into a well
What did they do on the day of the quarrel? a) Worked together / b) Drank, gambled and quarrelled / c) Travelled together / d) Went to a temple Answer: b) Drank, gambled and quarrelled
The astrologer said, “It’s time to sleep,” and … a) went inside / b) stretched himself on the pyol / c) closed his eyes / d) lit a lamp Answer: b) stretched himself on the pyol
The astrologer had thought he had the blood of a man on his hands for … a) a few months / b) one year / c) many years / d) a week Answer: c) many years
He ran away from home, settled in the town and married his wife because … a) he liked the town / b) he was in love / c) he was afraid of being traced by his enemy / d) his parents arranged it Answer: c) he was afraid of being traced by his enemy
The wife was … when she heard he tried to kill. a) happy / b) shocked (gasped) / c) excited / d) proud Answer: b) shocked (gasped)
The story ends with the astrologer … a) crying / b) laughing / c) yawning and going to sleep / d) leaving the house Answer: c) yawning and going to sleep
What had the astrologer really intended to be when he began life? a) A farmer / b) Not an astrologer at all / c) A teacher / d) A trader Answer: b) Not an astrologer at all
Why did the astrologer never open his mouth for ten minutes? a) He was shy / b) To gather enough material from the client’s talk / c) To rest / d) He was praying Answer: b) To gather enough material from the client’s talk
The astrologer’s eyes were between: a) two lamps / b) painted forehead and dark whiskers / c) a turban and a beard / d) two scars Answer: b) painted forehead and dark whiskers
What effect did the saffron turban create? a) Religious awe / b) Colour scheme that never failed / c) Fear / d) Confusion Answer: b) Colour scheme that never failed
The path through the Town Hall Park was … a) wide / b) narrow / c) closed / d) muddy Answer: b) narrow
The groundnut vendor’s names were … a) true descriptions / b) fancy names changed daily / c) the same every day / d) copied from the auctioneer Answer: b) fancy names changed daily
The astrologer’s place had … municipal lighting. a) full / b) partial / c) no benefit of / d) excellent Answer: c) no benefit of
The astrologer’s customers were described as … a) clever / b) rich / c) innocent / d) educated Answer: c) innocent
What did the stranger do after sitting down? a) Slept / b) Talked continuously / c) Sucked his cheroot and puffed out ruthlessly / d) Read a book Answer: c) Sucked his cheroot and puffed out ruthlessly
The astrologer shivered in the stranger’s … a) voice / b) grip / c) shadow / d) light Answer: b) grip
The astrologer said “There is a woman …” but the stranger … a) listened carefully / b) asked about her / c) stopped him / d) laughed Answer: c) stopped him
The astrologer muttered … before answering. a) a prayer / b) a few incantations / c) a poem / d) the stranger’s name Answer: b) a few incantations
When the astrologer said “Guru Nayak”, the stranger was … a) pleased / b) taken aback / c) angry / d) indifferent Answer: b) taken aback
The astrologer told the stranger that his enemy died in … a) a hospital / b) a well / c) a far-off town / d) a fire Answer: c) a far-off town
The enemy died under a lorry, but the astrologer also said he died … a) peacefully / b) as he deserved / c) in his sleep / d) by drowning Answer: b) as he deserved
After the stranger left, the place was … a) crowded / b) noisy / c) deserted, dark and silent / d) lit by many lamps Answer: c) deserted, dark and silent
The wife was overjoyed because … a) her husband returned early / b) she could buy sweets for the child / c) the stranger was dead / d) it was a holiday Answer: b) she could buy sweets for the child
The astrologer promised his wife that his enemy … a) would return / b) was dead / c) was alive / d) had become rich Answer: c) was alive
The astrologer described his younger self as a … a) hardworking farmer / b) silly youngster / c) clever merchant / d) learned priest Answer: b) silly youngster
The story implies that the astrologer himself was the one who … a) saved Guru Nayak / b) died under the lorry / c) attacked Guru Nayak years ago / d) was a real prophet Answer: c) attacked Guru Nayak years ago
