Q & A

Q & A

• Genre: Fiction; contemporary
• Originally Published: 2005
• Reading Level/Interest: Adult/college
• Structure/Length: 12 chapters with prologue and epilogue; approx. 308 pages; approx. 11 hours on audio
• Protagonist and Central Conflict: Ram Mohammad Thomas, a teenager from a poor background in India, wins a fortune on a TV quiz show but is soon arrested on suspicion of cheating; the show’s producer can’t imagine someone like him would know the answers to all the questions. The novel unfolds in vignettes from Thomas’s life as his lawyer asks him to explain how he knew the answer to each question.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Torture by police; sexual exploitation; sex work; violence; attempted rape; rape, including statutory rape; sexual assault, poverty; degradation

Vikas Swarup, Author

• Bio: Born 1961 in Allahabad, India; earned degree in history, philosophy, and psychology from Allahabad University; had a distinguished career as a diplomat before writing his first novel; focuses on the lives and struggles of everyday Indians in his fictional works; known in association with the award-winning film Slumdog Millionaire, which was  inspired by Q & A and was republished under that title; received an honorary degree from the University of Guelph (Ontario, Canada) in 2022, among many other honors
• Other Works: Six Suspects (2009); The Accidental Apprentice (2014)
• Awards: ALA Amazing Audiobook for Young Adults (Slumdog Millionaire; 2010); Commonwealth Writer’s Prize for Best First Book (shortlisted)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit:

• Differences in Social Class
• Religious Tensions
• The Savior Complex

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Unit, students will:

• Develop an understanding of the cultural and historical context of social class and corruption in India that incite Thomas’s conflict.
• Analyze paired texts and other resources to make connections via the text’s themes of Differences in Social Class, Religious Tensions, and The Savior Complex.
• Plan and construct a game show to share important plot events based on details from the novel.
• Analyze and evaluate the author’s purpose and character details to draw conclusions in structured essay responses regarding Thomas’s recurring dream, Swarup’s illustrations of corruption, and other topics.