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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. How long does the English patient stay in jail?

2. To whom does Kip talk to about his brother?

3. Who does Kip work with in Westbury?

4. How does the English patient respond immediately after he falls in love with Katharine?

5. When the rumor of war begins, where does Madox go?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why would Kip share with Caravaggio the story about dismantling a bomb in a pit?

2. What is Kip's relationship with Lord Suffolk like?

3. Explain how the English patient came to be severely burned.

4. How are Caravaggio and the English patient similar in their motivation for love in this chapter?

5. Explain how Madox dies and why this is significant.

6. What impact does the death of Lord Suffolk have on Kip? How does it affect his relationship with Hana?

7. Describe the scene in Naples that Kip tells to Hana.

8. How does Hana resolve the issue of her father's death?

9. Explain the reasoning behind Caravaggio wanting to drug the English patient.

10. How is prejudice brought up in Chapter 7?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What do you think is the main theme of Onjaatje's novel? Identify at least three events in "The English Patient" that communicate this theme.

Essay Topic 2

What is the tone of "The English Patient"? Why would Ondaatje choose to write the story in this type of tone? What impact does the tone have on the way the reader perceives the characters and sequence of events?

Essay Topic 3

Ondaatje uses a narrative point of view throughout his entire book. Why do you think he chooses to write this way? What are the pros and cons of using this point of view in this particular story?

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