The Reluctant Fundamentalist

Multiple Choice and Long Answer questions create ideal opportunities for whole-book review, unit exam, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. At the start of the novel, Changez assumes that the stranger is uneasy because of his appearance. How is this an example of foreshadowing?

A) Later, readers discover that a man who looks like Changez has attacked the stranger prior to the start of the novel.

B) Later, readers discover that after 9/11, Changez was frequently stereotyped for his appearance.

C) Later, readers discover that Changez looks very different from the last time the stranger saw him.

D) Later, readers discover that Changez is actually uneasy because of the stranger’s appearance.

2. Despite the awe he feels when starting at Underwood Samson, how does Changez feel when he realizes that Pakistan is declining financially?

A) Resentful

B) Content

C) Relieved

D) Sad

3. What best describes the role of the reader in the novel?

A) The reader is the “you” to whom Changez is speaking while he breaks the fourth wall.

B) The reader is the “you” to whom Changez is speaking and is therefore the stranger.

C) The reader is an omniscient party listening to Changez speak to the stranger and knows what will happen based on situational irony.

D) The reader is “you” and is cast in the role of Erica.

4. How does Hamid create a tone of suspense through the stranger’s uneasiness at the café?

A) The stranger is holding Changez hostage, and Changez is trying to stall for time by recounting his life in the United States.

B) The stranger is afraid of Changez and readers know that Changez is an unreliable narrator.

C) The stranger is familiar to Changez but not to readers, and so readers are eager to discover where the stranger will appear in his story.

D) The stranger constantly reacts to those around them, reaching under their jacket for an undisclosed item that could be a weapon.

5. What does Changez’s decision to act like an American when he arrives in Manila reveal about his character?

A) It shows that he typically does not try to “blend in” with American culture.

B) It shows that he is becoming more and more American the longer he works at Underwood Samson.

C) It shows that he is tired of being stereotyped as Middle Eastern.

D) It shows that he hopes to advance within his company.

6. Why does Changez smile when he sees the footage of 9/11?

A) He is grateful that he is not in America at that moment since he is still in the Philippines.

B) He is becoming more radicalized.

C) He is pleased to see someone bring America to its knees.

D) He is happy to know that Erica is safely in Greece.

7. What do bats symbolize to Changez?

A) Regret

B) Erica

C) Hope

D) Survival

8. Which of the following describes how Changez’s life in the United States shifts after 9/11?

A) He is treated more fairly by his coworkers, who understand now what he is going through as someone from a country that frequently experiences violence.

B) He is stereotyped for his Middle Eastern appearance more often and grows resentful of his American peers.

C) He is able to finally be with Erica since she opens up to him about her fears after the attacks.

D) He is constantly afraid that he will be arrested based on his appearance, and this ultimately ruins his career.

9. What role does Jim play in relation to Changez?

A) He tries to help Changez, especially in the face of the racism he experiences after 9/11.

B) He antagonizes Changez, especially after their trip to the Philippines and Changez getting searched at the airport.

C) He is Changez’s best friend and the only person with whom Changez discusses Erica.

D) He is a stoic boss who doesn’t care about Changez’s life.

10. What effect does the invasion of Afghanistan have on Changez?

A) It makes him fear for his family in Pakistan.

B) It gladdens him to see America responding to the violence of 9/11.

C) It angers him since he views Afghans as friends.

D) It reminds him that he’s not going to be able to go home again.

11. Which of the following most accurately describes how Erica symbolizes America to Changez?

A) Her desire to be a novelist reminds him of America’s desire to write its own story.

B) Her beauty reminds him of New York at night.

C) Her willingness to be an outsider reminds him of America’s political standing.

D) Her nostalgia reminds him of the way that America reacts to the 9/11 attacks.

12. What role does ambiguity play in the novel’s conclusion?

A) It leaves readers unsure what Changez’s role in his student’s plan is when he is finally confronted by the stranger.

B) It leaves readers unsure of whether they should support Changez.

C) It leaves readers unsure of whether they should trust the stranger.

D) It leaves readers unsure of the truth of Changez’s narrative.

13. In what way does Changez see himself in his politically-minded students?

A) He sees how they will follow the same path that he has by going to America for university.

B) He sees that they too wish for a more peaceful world.

C) He sees how smart they are and understands their dissatisfaction with the way the United States acts in the world.

D) He sees that they have no pride in being from Pakistan, a feeling he once had.

14. What does Underwood Samson come to represent by the end of the novel?

A) The American Dream

B) America’s capitalist system

C) Changez’s future

D) India and Pakistan’s relationship

15. What event most solidifies for Changez his feelings about the United States?

A) His conversation with Juan-Bautista about janissaries

B) His discovery that Erica has gone missing

C) His exit interview with Jim when he leaves Underwood Samson

D) His time with the stranger in Lahore

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. What is a frame narrative? How does Hamid use this structure in The Reluctant Fundamentalist to tell Changez’s story?

2. What does it mean that Changez might be a “reluctant fundamentalist”?