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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 does Jack tell the young woman on the train?

2. What does the old potter make in the woman's dream?

3. Who is the maid at Susan and Matthew's home?

4. What does Maureen wear in her hair when Stanley comes to visit?

5. At what age do Maureen and Shirley drop out of school?

Short Essay Questions

1. How do Maureen and Shirley become friends in "Notes for a Case History"?

2. What could be the double meanings for the title, "Between Men"?

3. Why does Susan think she is a hypocrite prior to her death?

4. What was life like for Matthew and Susan Rawlings prior to their marriage?

5. What is the premise of "A Room"?

6. What does Jack's dream reveal to him?

7. What happens in the story after Hetty's death?

8. What seems to be missing from Matthew and Susan's life as their marriage extends?

9. Why does Susan consider leaving a note for the coroner before she dies?

10. Why is Hetty originally willing to move from the streets to an official home and what stops her?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explain Lessing's writing style. How does she deliver information? How does she develop characters? What is the general tone of her stories? What is the most appealing aspect of Lessing's writing for you? Explain.

Essay Topic 2

The author uses more than one iteration on the theme of disappointment. Identify at least two characters in the stories who either embody or experience disappointment then cite an example to support your answers.

Essay Topic 3

Create a character study of Susan Rawlings from "To Room Nineteen". What are her physical characteristics? What are her motivations? What are her fears? What are her dreams? What else can you say about Susan?

(see the answer keys)

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