View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What makes Gerald's wife laugh when reading his manuscript?
(a) The "dreadful puns."
(b) The magenpies.
(c) His spelling.
(d) His family.

2. What does Gerald's secretary, Sophie, eradicate from his book?
(a) Commas.
(b) Split infinitives.
(c) Dreadful puns.
(d) Misspellings.

3. What does Theodore send Gerry to assist him in his field work?
(a) A notebook and pen.
(b) A pocket microscope.
(c) A compass.
(d) A magnifying glass.

4. What does Gerald say living on Corfu is like?
(a) Like living in the Garden of Eden.
(b) Like living in a dream.
(c) Like living with the three stooges.
(d) Like living in one of the more flamboyant and slapstick comic operas.

5. What kind of transportation do the Durrell's use to get to town?
(a) Spiro picked them up in his Suburban.
(b) Two horse-drawn cabs.
(c) One stretch limo.
(d) Two taxi cabs.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Spiro not like about the man that Margo goes swimming with?

2. How does Gerry describe the Corfu winter?

3. How does Gerry describe his mother at the beginning of Part I: Chapter 1, The Unsuspected Isle?

4. What is the name of Gerry's tortoise?

5. What are in the two cases the customs officials are holding of the Durrells?

Short Essay Questions

1. How was the health of the Durrell family in Part I: Prologue, The Migration?

2. What does it say about Larry's character that he has invited friends to stay at the villa when there is not enough room, and he does not tell Mother until they are almost there?

3. What bonding event do Gerry and Leslie share? Why do you think this is appealing to Gerry?

4. In the garden, Gerry finds an earwig's nest, and posts a sign for passers by to beware and keep quiet. What words were spelled correctly on the sign, and why is that significant to his character?

5. Why was Thursday tea with Theodore an appointment Gerry would not have missed for anything?

6. What was Theodore's opinion about life on Mars?

7. How did spring affect Mother, when left undisturbed by Larry? What affect did this have on Larry?

8. How does Gerry describe the Daffodil-Yellow Villa?

9. How did Gerry compress five years into one book?

10. Gerald's original intent for his book was an account of the natural history on the island of Corfu. Why did that change?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 752 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample