View a FREE sample

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

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Fish Lamb entertain himself by spinning at the dinner table in Chapter III?

2. Who becomes the chief baker and ice-cream maker at the store in Chapter III?

3. What does Quick Lamb begin clipping from the newspaper and hanging on his wall in Chapter IV?

4. What did Sam Pickles’s father do for a living?

5. How many children do Lester and Oriel Lamb have in Chapter II?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. What is symbolized by Fish’s fit during the celebration of Guy Fawkes Day in Chapter IV?

4. Who moves into Cloudstreet after Quick Lamb has left home in Chapter V? How is this character introduced?

5. What are Rose Pickles’s perceptions of her parents, as seen in Chapter I of the novel?

6. How does Sam’s change of luck affect the outcome of events that take place in Chapter IV?

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

8. What theme is introduced through the character of Rose Pickles in the beginning of Chapter I?

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

10. What is revealed about the character of Oriel Lamb in the second half of Chapter III?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the character of Wogga McBride and his role in the narrative of Cloudstreet. How does Quick Lamb first encounter Wogga McBride and his brother? How does Wogga die? How does his death affect Quick? Why?

Essay Topic 3

Describe and discuss the character of Beryl Lee in the novel. Where does Oriel meet Beryl? Why does she invite Beryl to live at Cloudstreet? How does she fit in with the two families there? Why does Beryl leave Cloudstreet? Where does she go after leaving?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 874 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample