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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. To what did Countess Mavrodaki invite Gerald to be her guest?

2. Before Donald and Max leave the Durrells, what were they given to drink?

3. What was Max doing in the kitchen when Margo walked in?

4. Of what did Margo accuse her mother during their conversation with Mrs. Haddock?

5. In what room did the Countess and Gerald eat their meal?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did Gerald find in a field an old woman was cultivating? What did Gerald do with his find?

2. Where did Margo go for treatment for her acne and weight gain? With whom did she stay? Was the treatment successful?

3. Who was the Countess Mavrodaki? Why did she contact Gerald? What was Larry's reaction to her letter to Gerald?

4. Who arrived at the house in the middle of the night? Where did they come from and why did they come to the villa? How did the family react to their arrival?

5. Who did Gerald and his mother find sitting on their front porch the afternoon they returned from their excursion into the olive groves? Where did this person come from and why? How did Mother get along with this new guest?

6. Who did Gerald entrust to care for his baby hedgehogs while he was gone for the weekend with his mother? What condition were they in when he returned?

7. Who was Mawake? What was unusual about Mawake?

8. How did Mother respond to meeting Mawake and Mrs. Haddock? How was this reaction unusual for Mother? What was the conclusion of the meeting?

9. Who was Demetrios-Mustapha? How did he get this name?

10. What did Donald want to read to Larry? What was Larry's response? What was Mother's response?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Before Chapter Four, Durrell has placed a quote from Professor Anstead, "Hospitality is, indeed, now no less than in classical times, a sacred duty in these islands, and it is a duty more conscientiously performed." How does this quote apply to the Durrell family? What are some examples of the hospitality they have offered to guests? What kinds of hospitality have been offered to them?

Essay Topic 2

Durrell dedicated his memoir to Theodore Stephanides. Who was Theodore Stephanides in Durrell's life? Why do you think Durrell dedicated his book to him?

Essay Topic 3

Describe Mother and her different roles in the memoir. She is a mother and the keeper of the Durrell family. What else does the reader know about her from reading the memoir? How does she relate to others?

(see the answer keys)

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