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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 Australian slang term from the novel is an affectionate insult referring to someone who is unfashionable?

2. How does Fish Lamb die in Chapter X?

3. What is strange about Quick Lamb’s appearance when he is discovered sick by his employers after going out in the boat in Chapter VI?

4. What job has Quick Lamb taken in the beginning of Chapter VI?

5. The serial killer that terrorizes Perth in Chapter IX is based on what real-life figure?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is represented symbolically by the black hitchhiker that Quick Lamb meets in Chapter VI?

2. What does Rose Pickles initially find attractive about Toby Raven in Chapter VIII? How do her feelings change?

3. What is foreshadowed by Oriel and Quick’s catch of prawns in Chapter VII?

4. Who is the opening narrator in Chapter VI? What is described in this brief scene?

5. What does Quick dream of when he is knocked unconscious in Chapter VI?

6. How is Rose’s position in work and society described in the beginning of Chapter VIII?

7. What happens to the images on the walls of the library at Cloudstreet when Rose gives birth in Chapter IX? What does this symbolize?

8. What purpose does the appearance of the black man serve in Chapter IX?

9. How does the author address the concept of faith through Oriel and Lester in Chapter X?

10. What advice does the black man give to Sam in Chapter X? What does his advice symbolize?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the narrative style of the novel. From whose perspective is the first section of the story related from? Is the narrative told from a past or present tense? What are the notable elements of the author’s narrative style? How does the narrative change throughout the novel?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the theme of luck as perceived by the Lamb and Pickles families in the novel. How is this theme symbolized by the spinning of the butter knife by the Lamb family? What role does luck play in the establishment of the grocery store? How do the Pickles differ in their perceptions of luck?

Essay Topic 3

What is the significance of the names in the novel? Why are “Quick” and “Fish” Lamb given these nicknames? What do you think the family name “Pickles” signifies? How are the characteristics of the Lamb and Pickles families represented by their names?

(see the answer keys)

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