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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. Who falls in love with the English patient at the beginning of Chapter 5?

2. What organization does the English patient belong to?

3. Why does Hana like the villa?

4. Why do Kip and Caravaggio go into the valley?

5. Which unit of the British army is Kip a member of?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Kip and his fascination with religious symbols.

2. Describe the significance of the Geographical Society in the story.

3. Why does Katharine decide to breaks off her affair with the English patient?

4. Describe the scene in the English patient's room before Kip's partner dies.

5. How and why is Caravaggio tortured by the Germans?

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

7. How would you describe the relationship between Katharine and the English patient?

8. How does the English patient behave when he and Katharine are apart?

9. What is Katharine's first reaction when she falls in love with the English patient?

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

Some have identified the plot of "The English Patient" as somewhat confusing. Would you agree or disagree? Why?

Essay Topic 2

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?

Essay Topic 3

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?

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