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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 central theme in the novel relates closely with the Pickles family?

2. 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?

3. Who gets married in the beginning of Chapter VII?

4. What has Dolly Pickles broken in her accident in Chapter IX?

5. To what department is Quick Lamb transferred in the opening of Chapter X?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the significance of the discussion about the black man voting in Chapter X?

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

3. How does the relationship between Dolly and Rose Pickles evolve in Chapter IX?

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

5. What themes and/or motifs are the central focus in Chapter VI?

6. How does the author’s structural development reflect his themes in Chapter IX?

7. What is represented symbolically by the naked children in the wheat in Chapter X?

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

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

10. Where does Quick Lamb work in the beginning if Chapter VI? How is he injured on the job in this chapter?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and discuss the accident that injures Fish Lamb in Chapter II and the repercussions of this accident. How has Fish’s mental status changed from the accident? Why? Who feels to blame for the incident?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the author’s depiction of the house at Number One Cloud Street in the novel. How large is the house? What history of the home is detailed in Chapter III? In what ways is the author’s depiction of the house similar to his depiction of the novel’s characters? What does this foreshadow?

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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