Question answer By Vikas Swarup

1.

Q&A
By Vikas Swarup

2.

Vikas Swarup is an Indian diplomat and writer.He is best known as
the author of the novel Q & A.Swarup's debut novel, Q &
A, tells the story of how a penniless waiter in Mumbai becomes the
biggest quiz show winner in history.Critically acclaimed in India and
abroad, this international bestseller has been translated into 43 different languages. It was shortli
sted for the Best First Book by the Commonwealth W riters'
Prize and won South Africa's Exclusive Books Boeke
Prize in 2006, as well as the Prix Grand Public at the 2007 Paris Bo
ok Fair. It was voted winner of the Best Travel Read (Fiction) at the
Heathrow Travel Product Award 2009.

3.

Prologue
Th e n o ve l b e g i n s wi t h R a m M o h a m m ed
Th o m a s b e i n g a b d u cted b y t h e p o l i ce a t
n i g h t. Th e p o l i c e t o r tur e h i m a n d a s k h i m
a b o u t t h e q u i z s h o w h e s t a r red i n , W h o
wa n t s t o wi n a b i l l i o n? Ra m wo n t h e q u i z
b e f o re t h e p r o d u cers h a d e n o u gh m o n e y t o
a c t ua ll y a wa r d t h e wi n n e r o f t h e f i r s t p r i z e,
and the police try to get Ram to admit that
h e c h e a ted t o s a y t h a t h e d i d n 't d e s e rve
the prize.

4.

Name the blockbust ing film in w hich
Armaan Ali starred w ith Priya Kapoor for
the very first time? Was it
(a) Fire, (b) Hero, (c) Hunger, or
(d) Betrayal ?"
R a m k n o ws t h e a n s we r t o t h e q u e s ti on a f t er t h e
s t o ry t h a t h a p p e ned t o h i m a n d h i s f r i e nd Sa l i m
i n t h e c i n e m a. Th e t wo o f t h e m c a m e t o wa t c h a
m o vi e a b o u t Ar m a a n Al i , o f wh i c h Sa l i m wa s a
f a n . Sa l i m d i d n ' t wa n t t o b e l i e ve t h e t e r ri bl e
r u m o r s a b o u t h i s i d o l . Bu t i t wa s i n t h i s m o vi e
t h e a ter t h a t t h e i n c i de nt o c c urr ed. Sa l i m wa s
h a r a ssed b y h i s h e r o Ar m a a n Al i . Ac c o rdi ng t o
Sa l i m , Ra m k n o ws t h e a n s we r t o t h i s q u e s ti on.

5.

What is the sequence of letters
normally inscribed on a cross? Is it
a) IRNI, b) INRI, c) RINI or d) NIRI?
This chapter is about Ram's childhood.
Immediatel y after his birth, he was sent to an
orphanage. where father Timothy took him
from. He gave it a Christian, Muslim and
Hindu name to protect it from the civil wars in
India. He also learned English there. And he
learned almost everything about the Catholic
Church. That was why he knew the answer to
the question.

6.

Which is the smallest planet in our
solar system? Is it a) Pluto, b) Mars, c)
Neptune or d) Mercury?'
In this chapter, Salim and Ram work for a man
who has a daughter. The father beats his
daughter every day and one day the girl was
sent to the hospital from her injuries.
Then Ram promised the girl that he would
look after her cat, whose name is Pluto.
That's why he knows the answer to the
question. At the end of the chapter, Ram
thinks he killed the girl's father. He
threw him from the top floor of the house.

7.

Surdas, the blind poet,
w as a devotee of w hich
god: a) Ram, b) Krishna, c)
Shiva or d) Brahma?
This chapter tells about Ram's life in the
orphanage where he went after Father Timothy
died. At the orphanage, he finds a friend, Salim.
They went to Maman to earn money. They walked
the streets pretending to be blind to collect
money. It was there that they learned the songs
of Surdas, who was blind. When they realized
that they were learning his songs because they,
too, had to be blinded for the sake of earning
money, they ran away. That's why he knows the
answer to this question.

8.

When a government declares a foreign diplomat
persona non grata, what does it mean? Is it a) that the
diplomat is to be honoured, b) that the diplomat's tenure
should be extended, c) that the diplomat is grateful or d)
that the diplomat is not acceptable?
In this chapter, Ram works for the
wealthy Taylor family. The head of the
family took his wealth for granted. But
he was kind to Ram and trusted him. At
the end of the chapter, Taylor was
arrested for high treason and deported.
He became persona non grata in India.

9.

What is the capital of Papua New
Guinea? Is it a) Port Louis, b) Port-auPrince, c) Port Moresby or d) Port
Adelaide?'
This chapter is about Ram working as a
bartender in Mumbai. There he meets a man
named prakash rao. He tells how his wife
from New Guinea made him a voodoo doll.
He tells him stories about how he stole
money from his brother. And how he gave him
headaches with the voodoo doll. At the end of
the chapter, it is revealed that his brother
has died.

10.

W ho i nve nt e d t he r e vol ve r ?
Wa s i t a ) Sa m ue l C ol t , b ) Br u c e
Br o wn i n g , c ) D a n W e sson, o r d )
J a m e s R e vo l ve r ? '
In this chapter, Ram takes a train to Mumbai
to m eet Salim . He's carrying the m oney he
got f or wor k ing at the T aylo r hous e. O n the
train, he meets the family and tells their son
about the m oney. T heir son, envious of Ram ,
tells the robbers about the m oney. Ram then
kills one of the robbers to protect the
beautiful daughter of the fam ily. But the
second robber escapes with his m oney. He
killed him with a revolver that had the
creator's name written on it.

11.

W hi c h i s t he hi ghe st a w ar d f or ga l l antry gi ve n
t o t he I ndi a n a r me d f or c e s? I s i t a ) M a h a Vi r
C h a k r a, b) Pa r a m Vi r C ha k r a , c ) Sh a u r ya
C h a k r a o r d ) As h o k C h a k r a? '
In this Chapter, the war begins between India
and Pakistan. So Ram hides in the bunker.
There's an old man tells of the heroic war
stories that inspire everyone. From his
stories, he knows the answer to the question.

12.

How many Test centuries has India's
greatest batsman Sachin Malvankar
scored? Your choices are a) 34, b)
35, c) 36 or d) 37?
Five years have passed since Ram and Salim last met.
Salim tells Ram that he started acting in movies but only
in small roles. Then he got a job at Ahmed's house. W ho
earned money by betting on Indian cricket matches and
always won. Then he noticed strange things that Ahmed
receives a yellow letter every week with a photo of a
person and then after a while they talk about the death of
this person in the news. And when Ahmed received a
letter with a photo of the producer Salim, who promised
t o m a k e S a l i m a s t a r. H e c h a n g e d t h e p h o t o t o a p h o t o o f
Maman who wanted to blind Salim and Ram.

13.

Neelima Kumari, the Tragedy
Queen, w on the National Aw ard in
w hich year? Was it a) 1984, b) 1988,
c) 1986 or d) 1985?
This chapter tells the story of Ram's work in
the house of Neelima Kumari, a once -famous
actress. She was very sad because she was
beaten and injured by an unknown man. She
commits suicide to stay beautiful forever. But
her body is found only a few weeks later when
it has become ugly.

14.

i n w hich one of Sha k e spear e' s pl a ys i s t he r e a
c ha r a cte r c a l le d C os t a r d? I s i t a ) Ki n g L e a r, b )
Th e M e r c ha nt o f Ve n i c e, c ) Love ' s La bour 's Los t
o r d ) O t h el l o?
In this chapter, Ram becomes an illegal guide. There he
meets the prostitute Nita. She cannot leave the brothel
because of her brother, who forces her to engage in
prostitution. Nita's brother tells Ram that he can buy her
back for 400,000 rupees. He steals this money from a woman,
but gives this money to a man who has a sick son. Ram does
not know the answer to this question but he finds a business
card in his pocket of a man whose son was ill and calls him.
The man thanks him for saving his son and gives him the
correct answer.

15.

B e e t hove n' s Pi a no Sona t a N o. 2 9 , O pus 1 0 6 ,
a l s o k now n a s t he ' H a m m e r k la vi e r Sona t a ' , i s
i n w hich k e y? I s i t i n a ) B f l a t m a j or, b ) G
m i n o r, c ) E f l a t m a j o r, o r d ) C M i n o r ?
One last question. Ram doesn't know the
answer to it. During the break, he wants to
shoot the host because he found out that he
was the one who beat up Neelima. He
chooses an answer at random and wins the
grand prize.

16.

Epilogue
Ram finished the story he was telling his
lawyer. The lawyer tells him that she is the girl
who was beaten by her father and she went to
the hospital. And she tells Ram that her father
did not die then, but only broke his leg. Now
she knows that Ram did not deceive her and
helps him to free himself.

17.

Differences between the
film and the book
- In the film, the main character and Salim are siblings and
g r o w u p t o g e t h e r, i n t h e b o o k t h e y a r e f r i e n d s a n d m e e t b y
chance in an orphanage. The bookish Salim is very
different from Salim in the film: unlike the violent Salim in
the film, in the book Salim is very kind and dreams of
b e c o m i n g a n a c t o r.
- The character of Latika is not in the book at all, but the
prostitute Nita, with whom the main character falls in love,
served as the prototype for Latika in the film.
- Many episodes were not included in the film, including
t h e m a i n c h a r a c t e r ' s w o r k f o r t h e A u s t r a l i a n a m b a s s a d o r,
the film star Neelim Kumari.