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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 was Rhodesia ruled by?

2. What did Lessing reference as a method groups use to encourage others not to think?

3. According to Lessing, what is a recipe for social disorder?

4. What did Lessing think about the ideals held by the political group she briefly joined?

5. Which sciences did Lessing feel gave the best data regarding human behavior?

Short Essay Questions

1. In the anecdote about killing the bull, what did Lessing suggest that the farmer's revenge actions on the bull demonstrated?

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

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

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

5. Why was Lessing discouraged by the application of behavioral data uncovered through the "soft sciences"?

6. Why did Lessing join a communist group in Rhodesia?

7. Why does Lessing consider the age of Arthastra to be significant?

8. In terms of collective beliefs during her life time, what idiocy struck Lessing?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Lessing felt that humans suffered from an "awful primitivism." What were some of the examples she gave to support this theory?

Essay Topic 2

Akhnaton was an Egyptian ruler who changed the concept of Egyptian religion in spite of popular opinion.

1) What factors allowed Akhaton to be a free thinker?

2) What was the response from the masses?

3) What effect did his decision have on the future?

Essay Topic 3

When examining the miner's strike, Lessing noted that onlookers knew both sides of the debate were lying about the issues, yet people took sides in spite of the lack of accurate information.

1) What type of information should people use to come to conclusions?

2) What type of information do people typically use to come to conclusions?

3) What does Lessing say about the tendency of people to come to conclusions in spite of a lack of information?

(see the answer keys)

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