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. What is the person waiting by the gate holding when Kip leaves the villa?

2. What time do Kip and Hana play the game in the villa?

3. What does Caravaggio give the English patient in Chapter 6?

4. What/who picks up the English patient in the desert?

5. To whom does Hana write a letter before she leaves the villa?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the hiding game that Hana and Kip play in the dark.

2. What does Kip's story about the bomb in a pit represent?

3. What occurs that leads to changes in the relationship between Kip and Caravaggio?

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

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

6. How does Kip save another life from being lost after Lord Suffolk?

7. Explain the conflict between Hana and Caravaggio concerning the English patient's identity.

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

9. Why is Kip extremely upset in Chapter 10?

10. Why would the English patient need to be particularly careful around Geoffrey Clifton? What was significant about his character?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The English patient experiences flashbacks in this story that refer to his prior experiences with the desert and the plane crash. What do these flashbacks teach us about the English patient? What purpose do the flashbacks serve in the story?

Essay Topic 2

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?

Essay Topic 3

Identify at least three instances of foreshadowing in Ondaatje's novel. Why would Ondaatje include these instances? How would the story change if they had not been included?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 707 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample