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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 do Kip and Hana do after they wash their hair?

2. Who does Hana use as a pawn?

3. What nationality does Caravaggio suspect the English patient is?

4. Who does Caravaggio suspect the English patient is?

5. Who does the English patient eventually tell about his affair with Katharine?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. What revelation does Kip have regarding his tendency to seek out affectionate relationships?

5. How is the symbol of the Western religious icon brought into Chapter 10?

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

7. Do you think Caravaggio was justified in forcing the English patient to talk about his identity? Why or why not?

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

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

10. What do you think it would be like to be Geoffrey Clifton in this story? Why?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

There are several instances of irony in Ondaatje's book. Identify at least one of these instances and describe why Ondaatje may have used irony when describing this particular situation.

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

Ondaatje uses a great deal of imagery in his book, particularly in the final chapters. What specific examples of imagery did Ondaatje include? How does this imagery add to the readers' experience of the story?

(see the answer keys)

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