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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. Who comes looking for Quick Lamb when he rows the skiff upriver in Chapter IV?

2. What is Lester Lamb’s occupation in Chapter II?

3. What war is under way in Chapter III of the novel?

4. Fish Lamb seems to recognize everyone in his family except for whom in Chapter III?

5. How does Sam injure himself on the job in Chapter I?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. How is Fish’s mental state transformed in Chapter V? What has led to this transformation?

4. How does the author examine the themes of heredity and family in Chapter I?

5. How do Sam’s actions in Chapter III propel the plot of the narrative forward?

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

7. How does Oriel Lamb respond to the departure of Quick from Cloudstreet in Chapter V?

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

9. What events occur in January of 1951, according to the narrator in Chapter V?

10. How does the Lamb family perceive the concept of “luck,” as seen in the second half of Chapter III? What symbolizes this perception?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and discuss the character of Dolly Pickles and her relationship with her husband Sam. How is Dolly’s appearance described in Chapter I? What clues in the text indicate dissatisfaction within Dolly regarding her marriage to Sam Pickles? How is Dolly’s relationship with her children characterized?

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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