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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. What was Mervyn's favorite resthouse?

2. At the time that Michael traveled to Ceylon, how old was his Aunt Dolly?

3. How old was Lalla when she received a small inheritance?

4. How much of a dowry did the woman have that Lalla tried to get her brother to marry?

5. How tall was Michael's Aunt Dolly?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why did it take so long to drive from Colombo to the tea estate?

2. When Mervyn was in his twenties, why did he stop a train ten miles out of Colombo?

3. How did Lalla's father throw caution to the wind when he married a Dickman?

4. What did Doris coach the three older children to do when Mervyn lapsed into one of his alcoholic states?

5. Why was it thought that Rene de Saram's husband was the victim of someone's charm?

6. What was Michael's Aunt Dolly like?

7. What did it take to build a road from Colombo to Kandy?

8. How did Lalla die?

9. How did Michael describe the only picture he had of his parents together?

10. What did Doris do when she was leaving Mervyn and he threw the car key into the tea bushes?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Michael described his paternal grandfather and his uncle. Compare Philip Ondaatje and Aelian Ondaatje.

Essay Topic 2

During April and May, Michael's family would move to Nuwara Eliya. Compare Nuwara Eliya and Colombo.

Essay Topic 3

Michael referred to Lalla as an eccentric. Discuss eccentricity and why Lala was considered to be eccentric.

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This section contains 793 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample