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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. Who shot Arthur in Chapter 17?

2. What was the name of the couple who ran the private school where Hortense worked after she left the government upper school?

3. In Chapter 16, how many GIs are incensed when GIlbert and Queenie have tea?

4. What did Gilbert mistake some insects for in Chapter 19?

5. In Chapter 16, what rank was a white American soldier who told Gilbert to salute a superior officer?

Short Essay Questions

1. What were Butchers' Association trips?

2. In Chapter 4, what news did Hortense receive of Michael Roberts?

3. What were the Ryders like who ran the school where Hortense worked in Chapter 3?

4. Why was Hortense not able to get a job at the Church of England school in Kingston?

5. What business did Gilbert's mother have and why?

6. In Chapter 10, what sound does Hortense hear once she is in bed, and what is the noise?

7. Who were Hortense's parents?

8. How did Gilbert manage to leave a tea shop when some GIs were hassling him?

9. When Gilbert returned from the war, where were his siblings?

10. How does Gilbert look when Hortense arrives in England?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Conflicts between characters are often caused by a problem. What are some conflicts that occur in the novel? Are the conflicts in the book mostly man vs. man, man vs. nature, or man vs. self? Are they internal or external conflicts?

Essay Topic 2

Colors are sometimes associated with mood. If you could assign a color to represent the mood of Small Island, what color would it be? Why? Would you choose different colors to describe the mood in different sections?

Essay Topic 3

The climax in a novel is the highest point of tension and a turning point. What is the climax of Small Island and why is that incident the climax?

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