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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. How long after dawn would the garden be a blaze of heat, frantic with noise and butterflies?

2. When the Gasanawa group went to the December races, what would they order on their way?

3. What color dress did the Dutch governor's daughter wear when she appeared as a ghost?

4. What color were the walls in the old governor's home when the Dutch first built the house?

5. What was the occupation of the first of Michael's ancestors to arrive in Ceylon?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the tombstone Michael and his family discovered in a church in Colombo.

2. What was Mervyn like when his dipsomania would recur?

3. Describe Michael's wildness at his farewell party.

4. How did Michael eat the curry he had for lunch at the old governor's home?

5. What did Michael see in a dream when he was staying at a friend's house near Lake Ontario?

6. What was the heat like in Colombo?

7. What did Michael dream on page 27?

8. What happened at Philip Ondaatje's funeral?

9. What were the occupations of Simon Ondaatje and his brothers?

10. Describe the thalagoya.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Mervyn had an obsession with trains. Discuss why Mervyn's train rides became notorious.

Essay Topic 2

Michael described Kuttapitiya, the last estate where he and his siblings lived as children. Discuss Kuttapitiya and the Ondaatje's life there.

Essay Topic 3

Michael and the children came upon a dead kabaragoya on the beach. Compare the kabaragoya and the thalagoya.

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This section contains 805 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample