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. Where is the character of Geoffrey Birch from?

2. Where is the Aborigine going that Quick Lamb picks up hitchhiking in Chapter VI?

3. Kings Park in Perth has panoramic views of what river?

4. Who do Quick and Rose see watching them from the wheat while they’re camping on vacation in Chapter X?

5. What season is it when Rose stops typing for Toby Raven in Chapter VIII?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the character of Lucy Wentworth represent symbolically in the story?

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

3. What purpose does Rose’s relationship with Toby Raven serve in the narrative?

4. What is seen on the walls of the library at Cloudstreet in Chapter IX? What do these images represent?

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

6. How does Toby Raven respond when his work is mistaken for another writer’s at the party in Chapter VIII? What is indicated by this response?

7. What is foreshadowed by Rose’s realization about leadership in Chapter X?

8. What bad things begin happening after Sam Pickles has foreseen bad luck in Chapter IX?

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

10. What is foreshadowed by the odd glow that surrounds Quick Lamb in Chapter VII?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the characters of Lester and Oriel Lamb in the novel. How old are Lester and Oriel when the story begins? How many children do they have? How is their relationship characterized? In what ways are the Lambs similar and different than the Pickles family?

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

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)

This section contains 879 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample