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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 has the narrator done with her second lover today?

2. Where has the woman in #3 moved?

3. Which one of the men approaches the woman on the last day of their rooftop job?

4. How does Jerry prepare to make the special dive like the other boys?

5. In "The Woman" Herr Scholtz says that a woman had an affair with him ___________________.

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the premise of "A Man and Two Women"?

2. What is "The Eye of God in Paradise"?

3. What is the meaning of Rose's obsession with adopting Jill?

4. What is the significance of the author leaving the heart behind?

5. How is Mr. Brooke in "The Witness" typical of Lessing's characters?

6. How do George's fears about Rose canceling their wedding plans come true?

7. What does George ask of his ex-wife as he struggles with the physical pain of a break up?

8. How is the story, "How I Lost My Heart", different from some of the other stories in the book?

9. What is the premise of "One off the Short List"?

10. What surprises Mary and Hamish about the Germans they encounter?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Create a character study of Hetty Pennefather in "An Old Woman and Her Cat". What are her physical characteristics? What are her motivations? What are her fears? What are her dreams? What else can you say about Hetty?

Essay Topic 2

Describe the role of the family in Lessing's stories.. What does it mean for some of the characters? How does the family evolve in its support of each other? How are some of the families fractured? Give examples.

Essay Topic 3

The author uses more than one instance of irony in the book. Cite at least two other examples you can identify in the stories and note why they are examples of irony.

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