A Guardian and a Thief Quiz: 20 Questions to Test Your Understanding

About This Quiz

This quiz covers the entire arc of Megha Majumdar's A Guardian and a Thief (2025). Questions are grouped into plot/sequence, character motivation, theme/symbol, and synthesis sections. Each question is based on details from the novel; distractors are plausible but demonstrably incorrect. After the quiz, you'll find a complete answer key with brief explanations.

Part 1: Plot and Sequence (8 Questions)

Question 1 (Multiple Choice)

What event triggers the central conflict of the novel?

A) A flood destroys Ma’s house on the morning of departure.
B) Ma’s purse containing immigration documents is stolen.
C) Mishti falls ill and cannot travel.
D) The US consulate revokes the family’s visas.

Question 2 (Multiple Choice)

On Day 1, Ma steals food from her workplace. Where does she work?

A) A government ration shop
B) A community kitchen
C) A shelter
D) A supermarket

Question 3 (Short Answer)

What item does Mishti spot on the thief in the security camera footage on Day 3?

Answer: A Scooby‑Doo T‑shirt

Question 4 (Multiple Choice)

During the Day 2 break-in, what does Boomba take from Ma’s hidden storeroom?

A) Gold jewelry and cash
B) A toy truck and a framed drawing
C) Rice, lentils, cashews, raisins, carrots, and milk powder
D) Passports and a cell phone

Question 5 (Multiple Choice)

How does Boomba gain entry to the billionaire’s wedding feast on Day 5?

A) He bribes a guard with food.
B) He poses as Mishti’s guardian and brings her along.
C) He uses a forged invitation.
D) He sneaks in through a service entrance.

Question 6 (Short Answer)

What happens to Dadu on Day 6?

Answer: He dies peacefully in his sleep.

Question 7 (Multiple Choice)

On Day 7, why are Ma and Mishti unable to board their flight to America?

A) Their forged passports are discovered.
B) They arrive too late.
C) All flights to America are canceled due to protests.
D) Ma decides to stay in Kolkata.

Question 8 (Multiple Choice)

In the final chapter (Chapter 17), what object does Boomba use to break into Ma’s empty house?

A) A crowbar
B) A parrot
C) A pressure cooker
D) A secateur

Part 2: Character Motivation (5 Questions)

Question 9 (Multiple Choice)

Why does Boomba steal from Ma’s house?

A) He is a professional thief hired by a rival.
B) He needs food and money to care for his own family.
C) He wants to prevent Ma from leaving India.
D) He is paid by the shelter manager to discredit Ma.

Question 10 (Multiple Choice)

Why does Ma herself steal from the shelter’s supplies?

A) She resents the shelter residents.
B) She is forced to by the new manager.
C) She needs extra food to feed her family during the shortage.
D) She plans to sell the food for profit.

Question 11 (Short Answer)

What deal does Boomba propose to Ma when she confronts him at the shelter on Day 3?

Answer: He will return the passports if she gives him her house.

Question 12 (Multiple Choice)

Why does Dadu steal an orange from a child on Day 4?

A) He wants to sell it for cash.
B) He is hungry and desperate to feed Mishti.
C) He is confused by his age.
D) He is trying to get arrested.

Question 13 (Multiple Choice)

What drives Boomba to lie to his parents and claim that Ma’s house was given to him?

A) He wants to impress them.
B) He wants them to move in safely and avoid revealing his crimes.
C) He plans to sell the house later.
D) He believes the lie will protect them from the police.

Part 3: Theme and Symbol (4 Questions)

Question 14 (Multiple Choice)

The repeated motif of the “hexagon” in the novel most directly represents:

A) The shape of the city’s new buildings
B) The billionaire’s wealth and the inequality it creates
C) A secret society of thieves
D) The design of the forged passports

Question 15 (Short Answer)

What do the forged passports that Ma acquires on Day 6 symbolize?

Answer: They represent moral compromise and the desperate measures families take to migrate.

Question 16 (Multiple Choice)

The “climate visa” in the novel highlights which theme?

A) Environmental justice and the selective nature of migration
B) The ease of international travel
C) The superiority of Western countries
D) The failure of climate science

Question 17 (Multiple Choice)

What does Dadu’s garden and the sparrow that appears in his memories most likely symbolize?

A) The lost past and the hope of renewal
B) The danger of urban development
C) The fragility of the climate
D) The bond between father and daughter

Part 4: Synthesis Questions (3 Questions)

Question 18 (Short Answer)

Both Ma and Boomba are described as operating from “ferocious love.” How does this similarity create the novel’s central conflict?

Answer: Their love drives them to harm each other’s families – Ma steals to feed her child, Boomba steals to feed his; each tries to secure their child’s future, leading to a violent collision over the stolen passports.

Question 19 (Multiple Choice)

The phone conversations woven throughout the novel primarily serve to:

A) Advance the plot through secret information.
B) Show how migration separates families and forces them to hide their struggles.
C) Provide comic relief from the grim story.
D) Reveal the characters’ hidden plans.

Question 20 (Multiple Choice)

Which statement best captures the novel’s view of hope?

A) Hope is passive and leads to disappointment.
B) Hope is a savage force that drives characters to compromise their morals.
C) Hope is only available to the wealthy.
D) Hope is always uplifting.

Answer Key

Part 1: Plot and Sequence

B – The theft of Ma’s purse (containing passports and visas) initiates the week-long crisis. (Chapter: About the Book)
C – Ma steals from the shelter where she works. (Day 1 digest)
Scooby‑Doo T‑shirt – Mishti spots the shirt on the thief in Mrs. Sen’s security video. (Day 3 digest)
C – Boomba takes rice, lentils, cashews, raisins, carrots, and milk powder. (Day 2 evidence; the chapter also mentions the toy truck but the full bin contents are as listed)
B – Boomba brings Mishti with him, posing as her guardian, to gain entry to the feast. (Day 5 digest)
He dies peacefully in his sleep. – Day 6 digest.
C – All flights to America are canceled due to protests after the hexagon looting. (Day 7 digest)
B – Boomba uses a parrot to gain entry. (Chapter 17 digest: “using a parrot to gain entry”)

Part 2: Character Motivation

B – Boomba’s motivation throughout is to care for his family (brother Robi, parents). (Day 2 and Boomba chapter digests)
C – Ma steals food from the shelter to feed her family during the shortage. (Day 1 digest)
He will return the passports if she gives him her house. – Day 3 digest.
B – Dadu is desperate and hungry; he steals to feed Mishti. (Day 4 digest)
B – Boomba lies to bring his family into Ma’s house without revealing his theft and violence. (Chapter 17 digest)

Part 3: Theme and Symbol

B – The hexagon is both the billionaire’s residence and the site of the wedding feast; it symbolizes extreme wealth and inequality. (Day 5 and Day 3 evidence mention the hexagon and billionaire)
Moral compromise and desperate migration. – Day 6 digest shows Ma obtaining forged passports after Dadu’s death.
A – The climate visa system highlights how only some people can escape climate disaster, while others are left behind. (About the Book and Chapter 12)
A – Dadu’s memories of his garden and the sparrow evoke a lost, more peaceful time and a glimmer of renewal. (Day 6 evidence: “Garden symbol, Sparrow symbol”)

Part 4: Synthesis

Their love drives them to harm each other’s families – The novel sets up two families each fighting for their children’s future, which inevitably leads to a violent clash. (About the Book digest)
B – Phone calls (Chapters 3, 5, 9, 10, 12, 14) show family members hiding hardships, revealing the strain of migration.
B – The novel redefines hope as a “savage force” that Ma and Boomba both embody, pushing them to steal, lie, and harm others. (Chapter 9 digest: “redefines hope as a savage force”)