Chapter 1
1. Why might the American be frightened by a man with a beard? (1)
2. How does the narrator know that the man is American? (2)
3. Where does the American prefer to sit in the café? What might this suggest? (2)
4. Why do you think the American doesn’t take off his jacket, even though it’s hot in the café? (3)
5. How does the narrator answer the question about what he thought of Princeton? (3)
6. Why is it not surprising that the narrator did better at Princeton than most of his American counterparts? (3-4)
7. What are foreign students supposed to do when they finish their educations at Princeton and other top schools? (4)
8. How does the author describe Underwood Samson and Company? (5)
9. Why does the American become “worried” at the bottom of page 5? What do you think he’s reaching for in his jacket?
10. How is the narrator’s comment about the American’s lack of understanding of Urdu a subtle jab at him? (6)
11. How does the narrator describe Jim, the interviewer from Underwood Samson? (6-7)
12. How does the narrator describe Lehore? (7)
13. How Changez react when Jim questions him about his financial aid status? (7-8)
14. How does Jim react to Changez’s rise in temper? (9)
15. How does Changez feel about Jim? (9)
16. Was Changez’s family poor in Pakistan? Explain (9 – 10)
17. Explain the statement that in a traditional society such as Pakistan’s “status declines more slowly than wealth.” (10)
18. How does Changez perform on the interview task given to him by Jim? (12-14)
19. What bond does Jim think he has with Changez when he hires him? (14)
20. How does Changez react when he gets back to his Princeton dorm? (14)
21. Read the paragraph on page 15 carefully. What did Princeton do for Changez? What didn’t it do?
Chapter 2:
1. Why does the narrator contrast the female art students with the other women nearby? (16)
2. Contrast how Changez paid for his Athens vacation as opposed to Erica and the other Princeton graduates? (17)
3. How is Erica described? (17-18)
4. Contrast Erica’s and Changez’s feelings about being alone? What does Erica’s response suggest about her mental state? (19-20)
5. How does Changez feel about Chuck and Mike? (18-21)
6. On page 22, what distracts the American?
7. How does Changez react when he is caught looking at Erica when she goes topless on the beach? (23-24)
8. What does Erica mean when she says she doesn’t think she has ever met someone as polite as Changez? (25)
9. What does the narrator mean when he says that “being in Pakistan heightens one’s sensitivity to the sight of a woman’s body”? (26)
10. Who is Chris? What do we learn about him? (26-27)
11. How does Changez answer Erica’s question about what Pakistan is like? How does Erica respond? (27)
12. What is “home” for Erica? (28)
Chapter 3:
1. Why does the narrator compare the American’s behavior to an animal too far from home? (31)
2. How is old section of Lahore more “democratically urban” than the newer parts? (32)
3. In what ways does the narrator feel at home in New York? (32-33)
4. In what ways does the author feel troubled by the comparisons between America and his home country? (34)
5. How is Underwood Sampson a “meritocracy”? (35-38)
6. What did all the trainees at U-S have in common? (38)
7. Why does the American become upset by the beggar? (40)
8. Describe Wainwright? Why do you think he and Changez get along well from the start? (40-41)
9. How does Changez’s “foreignness” give him an edge at his job (42)
10. Read the last paragraph on page 45 carefully. What message does Changez seem to be sending to the American with his observations about the changes in the street?
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