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. Why does Caravaggio sneak into the room of the German general?

2. What is the real reason why Hana is staying with the English patient?

3. How has the war affected the villa when Hana and the English patient first arrive?

4. What does his lover say to the English patient in response?

5. Where in the villa does Kip sleep?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Hana's daily life in the villa.

2. What event in Chapter 3 brings Hana and Kip closer together?

3. What activities do Hana and the English patient do together?

4. What is the general purpose of Chapter 4? Is it effective?

5. Describe Kip and his fascination with religious symbols.

6. What sort of presence does Kip have on the other characters in the villa?

7. What is Hana's reaction to Caravaggio's arrival at the villa?

8. How does the entry of Geoffrey Clinton into the story change the plot?

9. What purpose does the piano serve in the villa?

10. How does the narrator recount the English patient's adventures in the desert?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The title of Ondaatje's work, "The English Patient," seems straightforward yet indicates a particular significance about one character. In your opinion, why does Ondaatje choose this particular title for his work? What does this title signify? What does it tell readers about the story?

Essay Topic 2

What effect does World War II have on Ondaatje's novel? How does it add to the story? What impact does the war have on characters, and how might they be different had the story been set during a different time?

Essay Topic 3

Identify the concept of a tragic hero (or heroine). Describe one character in Ondaatje's book that you think can be described as a tragic hero, and explain what makes them fit the description. Why does Ondaatje decide to include this particular character in his book? What does he or she represent?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 749 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample