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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. In an experiment referenced by Lessing, groups fought individuals about the length of _____________.

2. In Russia and Czechoslovakia, people confessed to ridiculous crimes during __________.

3. Concerning conformity, Lessing believed that __________had the most influence on an individual.

4. Lessing is convinced that too many people are ____________.

5. Lessing believed that groups cause people to __________.

Short Essay Questions

1. When confronted with a group opinion, why is it often difficult to maintain an opposing, individual opinion?

2. What relationship does communism have with the individual?

3. Why did Lessing publish books under a pseudonym?

4. During the Korean War, why were American soldiers confessing to crimes they had nothing to do with?

5. Why do most people believe they are not susceptible to brainwashing?

6. Why would Margaret Thatcher use an advertising agency as a method to get elected?

7. What is the price an individual might pay if he resists the group mentality?

8. Who is Jean Rhys? Why did all of her work become popular?

9. What type of ideas can be put into a subject's mind during the brainwashing process?

10. When it comes to commentators and critics, what breeds an air of familiarity with viewers?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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

Essay Topic 2

Examine one of the following examples, supporting or refuting Lessing's belief that these groups vilified the opposition in order to uphold their cause.

1) The miner who was beaten in Britain.

2) The Christian religion.

3) The political Left.

Essay Topic 3

Mass insanity is a concept Lessing used to describe the tendency of people to accept ideas based on nothing found in reality. What did she mean by this?

(see the answer keys)

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