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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 does Caravaggio knock off the table at the beginning of Chapter 8?

2. Where does Kip's brother go instead?

3. Where does Kip return after figuring out the bomb?

4. Kip boards a ship to where?

5. Why was the English patient leaving Gilf Kebir?

Short Essay Questions

1. In the beginning of Chapter 10, how does Kip prove that he is intentional about making his relationships with others solid?

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

3. Why do you think Caravaggio is so eager to disprove the English patient's identity?

4. Do you find that Kip becomes more or less likable as the novel comes to an end? Why?

5. Describe how Katharine and the English patient fall in love.

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

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

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

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

10. Why is Kip extremely upset in Chapter 10?

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

What is the purpose of a foil in literature? Describe one character in Ondaatje's novel that you believe is a foil of another character. Why do you think Ondaatje may have created characters in his work that emphasize each other's qualities?

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

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