1. When Rukmani's son Arjun wants to work in the tannery, she tells him that he is not of the caste of tanners. Explain the caste system in India.

2. Write a paper using Ira's maturation and loss of innocence to allude to the growth of British industry in India.

3. Explain how the devastation of natural disasters, such as monsoons and droughts, affect the economic stability of rural families.

4. Contrast Eastern spiritualism with Western materialism.

5. Using instances in the novel to support your thesis, write a persuasive paper for or against arranged marriages.

6. Compare and contrast agricultural societies and industrial societies.

7. Write a paper explaining the role of women in rural south Indian village society.

8. Discuss the importance of religion in traditional cultural practices.

9. Research the relationship between Britain and India in the 1940s to 1950s. How does Kenny's attitude toward Rukmani characterize Britain's attitude toward India?

10. Detail the impact of economic change on traditional societies, using both India and America as examples.

11. Do you think the caste system is a form of segregation and discrimination?