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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 is Lester Lamb’s occupation in Chapter II?

2. What was the old woman that previously owned the house at One Cloud Street doing when she died, according to the narrator in Chapter III?

3. What is the name of the department store where Rose Pickles begins working at as a switchboard operator in Chapter V?

4. What Australian coin-flipping game does Sam gamble on in Chapter IV?

5. What is the name of the talking cockatoo that Sam Pickles wins gambling in Chapter IV?

Short Essay Questions

1. What scene is depicted in the brief section prior to the opening of Chapter I?

2. What is significant about the author’s depiction of the house on Cloud Street in Chapter III?

3. How are fates of the Lamb and Pickles families compared to one another in Chapter II?

4. What is foreshadowed by the central event that occurs in Chapter II of the novel?

5. How are Quick Lamb and Rose Pickles described in the beginning of Chapter V? How old are they at this point?

6. What is the central event that dominates Chapter II? Why is this event important in the story?

7. What is foreshadowed through the character of the black man that appears in Chapter III?

8. What is author Tim Winton’s focus in Chapter V? How does this chapter serve the novel?

9. How is Fish’s mental capacity changed after his accident?

10. What question is raised by Sam’s intuition about his luck changing in the beginning of Chapter IV?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the family history of Dolly Pickles in the novel. What secret does Dolly reveal to Rose about her mother? How has Dolly’s past influenced her actions in the story? Do you think that Dolly is an empathetic character? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the traditions, history, origins, and cultural relevance of Guy Fawkes Day and its celebration by the Lambs and Pickles in Chapter IV. Why does Fish Lamb become upset when the Guy Fawkes effigy is burned? What does his behavior symbolize?

Essay Topic 3

Analyze and discuss the character of Rose Pickles and the narrative focus on Rose in Chapter I. How old is Rose when the novel begins? What is Rose’s relationship like with her brothers and parents? How does Rose’s character evolve throughout the novel?

(see the answer keys)

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