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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. Why did Lessing believe the bull owner had no control over his response?

2. During a riot in Brussels, what shocking act did humans perform on corpses?

3. Which leader of the miner's strike was referenced by Lessing?

4. In what time period did Lessing grow up?

5. How did the whites feel about the blacks in Rhodesia?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Lessing's prediction concerning what every viewpoint will become with time?

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

3. What was the purpose of cutting down a tree associated with a traitor? Why did Lessing find it ridiculous?

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

5. What is remarkable about the fact that the blacks were treated as second class citizens in Rhodesia?

6. What ideas do the quotes prior to "When in the Future They Look Back on Us" demonstrate?

7. What did Lessing mean when she said that groups will often "vilify their opposition"?

8. What comments did Lessing make about the length of time the white ruling class was in power in Rhodesia?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Support or refute the following statement, citing examples from the text, "The mob mentality has dominated individual thought throughout history."

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

During the Korean War, U.S. soldiers were brainwashed into confessing crimes they did not commit. This began a government investigation into brainwashing. How might government knowledge of brainwashing affect society?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 651 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample