10 Questions about Life of Pi | Literature

Answer: Piscine

Piscine Molitor Patel in full. After suffering humilating versions of his first name Piscine takes the opportunity upon attending a new school to introduce himself as Pi Patel. His father named him after a swimming pool in Paris that family friend Francis Adirubasamy delighted in describing, "It was the crowning aquatic glory of Paris, indeed, of the entire civilized world."

Answer: Pondicherry

Pi's father was "founder, owner, director, head of a staff of fifty-three" of the Pondicherry Zoo. Previously a French enclave, Pondicherry joined the new Indian republic on November 1st 1954.

Answer: All of these!

Fascinated by all three religions and unable to choose between them Pi elects to adopt Muslim, Hindi and Christian practices. He manages to keep these activities a secret until a fateful day on the beach when he and his family bump into priest, pandit and imam.

Answer: Tsimtsum

With Japanese officers and Taiwanese crew the Panamanian registered ship sinks halfway between the Philippines and Midway. "The ship sank. It made a sound like a monstrous metallic burp."

Answer: Zebra

The zebra, already suffering a broken leg from its flight into the lifeboat, is eaten alive by the hyena. "It protested with diminishing vigour. Blood started coming out its nostrils. Once or twice its head reared straight up, as if appealing to heaven..."

Answer: consumed

The Hyena eats Orange Juice! Orange Juice is the name of the Orangutan. She comes aboard the lifeboat drifting on a raft of floating bananas and despite a brief resistance is killed by the hyena.

Answer: Richard Parker

An odd name for a wild animal, the tiger received its name due a clerical error, Richard Parker in fact being the name of the hunter who captured the beast. "All the papers we received with the cub clearly stated that its name was Richard Parker, that the hunter's first name was Thirsty and that his family name was None Given."

Answer: Plan Seven - keep him alive

At first Pi attempts Plan Six - a war of attrition, but quickly realizes that he has little chance of outlasting the tiger, who when hungry enough will attack and devour him. Pi resolves to train Richard Parker using a whistle found in the supply chest and with the aid of the tiger's tendency to become seasick.

Answer: Mexico

The lifeboat comes aground near the town of Tomatlan in Mexico. No sooner have they struck land than Richard Parker leaps off the boat and races into the jungle leaving Pi distressed at their parting. "Then Richard Parker, companion of my torment, awful, fierce thing that kept me alive, moved forward and disappeared forever from my life."

Answer: French

The cook removes the injured sailor's diseased leg to use as bait for fishing, carves up and consumes the sailor's corpse when he dies. Later he decapitates Pi's mother throwing her head at the boy and is eventually killed by Pi without a struggle. "He gave up. He let himself be killed, though it was still a struggle. He knew he had gone too far, even by his bestial standards."