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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 the political Left believe in, according to Lessing?

2. What was Lessing's concern regarding the application of science on human behavior?

3. According to Lessing, what religion has encouraged Europeans to kill in the name of God?

4. According to Lessing, people crave__________.

5. Lessing felt that the party ruling Rhodesia was ____________.

Short Essay Questions

1. What was Lessing's opinion regarding war as a basis of our mentality?

2. Why was Lessing not surprised by the story of the attack on the British miner who was beaten by his friends?

3. According to Lessing, how is the group mentality different from individual mentality?

4. Why did Lessing feel that our ability to consider differing viewpoints might save the human race?

5. Why did Lessing believe the tendency to buy into vilification was a form of popular lunacy?

6. What was the political climate in Lessing's country when she was growing up?

7. What service did Lessing feel that novelists brought to the world?

8. When onlookers recognize that others are lying, Lessing believed they refuse to protest the lies for what purpose?

9. Lessing believed that if humans could learn from our history, we could change our future in what respect?

10. Why did Lessing suggest that strengthening individuality would lead to a better world in the future?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In her early days in Rhodesia, Lessing joined the Communist party.

1) Why did she join this group?

2) What did she like and dislike about being a Communist?

3) What did she learn from the experience?

Essay Topic 2

The mob mentality is an idea Lessing attributes to many of the shortcomings of the human race.

1) What is the mob mentality?

2) How does it work when a problem is at hand?

3) At what point does this mentality serve as a detriment to society?

Essay Topic 3

Examine the role of the individual in society, citing examples from the text to support your theory.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 663 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample