1 Why does Mariamma accept her marriage to Big Appachen? She secretly loves Big Appachen She believes marriages are "decided by adults" She sees the marriage as a way to escape her abusive mother Her beloved father desired she marry young 2 How does Thankamma treat Mariamma on their first meeting? With disdain and disgust, suspecting Mariamma has leprosy With kindness and encouragement, assuring her that the marriage will be successful With excessive enthusiasm, convinced Mariamma will cure the Condition With suspicion, believing Mariamma is taking advantage of her brother 3 Why does the wedding venue have an emotional impact on Mariamma? It is the same church where her father's funeral was held She believed the priest would object to the marriage, and feels hopeless when he ignores her pleas She recognizes it as one of the churches Saint Thomas established in Kerala The groom refuses to marry in a Christian church, making Mariamma feel her marriage is invalid 4 Why does Mariamma think her husband's choice to walk home is strange? Everyone in Kerala travels by boat He has a disability that makes walking difficult Sailing to the groom's home is an important part of the wedding ceremony He refuses to walk with Mariamma, though she is afraid to sail 5 How does Jojo treat his new stepmother? He mistakes her for the ghost of his biological mother He screams and threatens to hurt her He refuses to acknowledge her and hides whenever she enters the room He immediately clings to her and follows her around 6 What event makes Mariamma feel comforted on her first night in her husband's home? An elephant her husband rescued, Damo, visits her window and caresses her Mariamma's husband gives her a pair of gold earrings Jojo calls her "Big Ammachi" Thankamma invites Mariamma to sleep in her bed 7 Which of her husband's behaviors does Mariamma find strange and concerning? He is clearly intelligent but rarely speaks He fears water, refusing to go out in the rain or travel by boat He does not keep any pens, paper, or books in the house All of these 8 Why does Mariamma begin to fear for her mother's well-being? Her mother never sends a letter or visits In her letters, Mariamma's mother warns her not to visit Mariamma dreams about her mother drowning Every time they meet, Mariamma's mother seems nervous and unwell 9 How does Mariamma convince her husband to bring her to church? She makes a wish on the food she prepares him, as Thankamma suggested She cries and expresses the depth of her lonliness She threatens to leave him if he neglects her faith She promises to baptize Jojo if he escorts them to church 10 How does Mariamma's husband indicate that he is ready to treat her as wife? He involves her in decision-making on the farm He presents her with a pair of gold earrings on her birthday He begins to join her for dinner each night He asks her to sleep in his room instead of Jojo's 11 What does Mariamma's mother reveal when she arrives at Parambil? Mariamma's uncle lost the family fortune gambling Mariamma's mother has cancer and is dying Mariamma's father is still alive Mariamma is pregnant 12 Why is Jojo's death shocking and ironic? After avoiding water his whole life, he drowns in a puddle on land The day Baby Mol is born, Jojo collapses with no warning Though he hates bathing, Jojo jumps into the river, where he drowns After the entire household nearly died of fever, Jojo dies falling out of a tree 13 What shocking secret does Mariamma's husband share after Jojo's death? Each generation, a member of the family dies by drowning He cannot read He was treated like a prisoner at Parambil growing up All of these 14 What incites Digby's mother's depression? Her mother, still living in Ireland, dies unexpectedly Her partner, Archie, abandons her for another woman She is terminated from her job after organizing a worker's strike She is discriminated against because she is Catholic 15 How does Digby cope with the chaos in his early life? He reads books about India and daydreams about going there He draws images of people and anatomy He sneaks out of the house to attend racy variety shows He begins drinking at the local pub 16 Why does Digby decide to join the Indian Medical Service? His mother's lifelong dream was to visit India He is unable to get a good job in England because he is Scottish and Catholic He has a mysterious medical condition that he thinks tropical weather can cure He feels passionate about providing medical care to people in the British colonies 17 Why does Digby feel overwhelmed when he begins working at the hospital? His supervisor, Claude Arnold, is bigoted and often intoxicated at work The illnesses Digby is asked to treat are more severe than those he encountered in England Though he was oppressed in England, he is given significant privilege in India All of these 18 What life-changing lessons does Digby learn from Ravi and Krishnan? Surgeons are born, not made Connecting with patients is essential for healing No two surgeries are the same It is more important to respect a patient's wishes than save their life 19 Why do Digby and Celeste immediately connect at the Arnold's Christmas party? They realize they met once as children They both appreciate art, particularly portraiture They are both devoted to their vocation as surgeons They are both Scottish and miss their home 20 Why does Claude accidentally cause Jeb's death? He is intoxicated when he performs the surgery Determined to be "right," he insists Jeb's affliction is an abscess, not an aneurysm He refuses to properly prepare and cuts an artery All of these 21 Why is Claude unable to hide his role in Jeb's death? Jeb's brother-in-law, a train operator, brings a visiting official to a protest A letter is published in the local paper calling for an investigation Jeb was a notable member of his community All of these 22 What plan does Claude suggest to Celeste to clear his name? Threatening his Indian colleagues with violence so they do not testify against him That he and Celeste file for divorce, accusing Digby of having an affair with Celeste to discredit him Counter-suing Digby for defamation Escaping to England and changing his name 23 What does Digby show Celeste when she visits his apartment? Two tickets to Scotland for them to run away together A photograph of his mother, who looks like Celeste A collection of books he selected for her His many paintings of her 24 Why does Celeste choose to end her affair with Digby? She realizes she really loves Claude She needs to establish her own identity She worries if she falls in love with Digby, she will never leave India She is afraid she will be blackmailed by Claude's family 25 Why does the fire in Digby's apartment spread so rapidly? Celeste intentionally set the fire and made sure there was plenty of kindling available Flammable painting materials are scattered throughout the room The monsoon season has not started and the air is dry The apartment has no open windows