Chapter: 01. The Cabuliwallah
A. Answer these questions.
What particular habit of Mini vexed her mother but was cherished by her father? Describe the Cabuliwallah’s appearance when Mini first saw him from the window. What was the special meaning of “father-in-law’s house” for the Cabuliwallah? Why did the narrator initially try to send Rahmun away on Mini’s wedding day? What physical item did Rahmun carry as a reminder of his own daughter? How did Mini’s reaction to Rahmun’s “father-in-law’s house” question change on her wedding day compared to her childhood? B. Answer these questions with reference to the context.
“I really believe that in all her life she has not wasted a minute in silence.”
a. Whom does ‘she’ refer to?
b. What does this line tell us about ‘her’ primary characteristic?
c. What is the speaker’s attitude towards this characteristic? “Ah,’ he would say, shaking his fist at an invisible policeman, ‘I will thrash my father-in-law!’”
a. Who is the speaker of these words?
b. What double meaning did ‘father-in-law’s house’ hold for the speaker?
c. Why would the speaker shake his fist at an ‘invisible policeman’? “The idea had suddenly come to him that his daughter too must have grown in this long time, and that he would have to make friends with her anew.”
a. Who is ‘him’?
b. What specific event triggered this realization for ‘him’?
c. What does ‘make friends with her anew’ suggest about the nature of a parent-child relationship over time? C. Think and answer.
How does the passage of time affect the characters and their relationships in the story? Provide examples for at least two characters. The story explores different kinds of “separation.” Discuss at least two examples of separation depicted in the narrative. What message does the story convey about generosity, not just in terms of money, but in terms of understanding and empathy? 
Comprehension