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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 type of business do Maureen and Peggy decide to open?

2. In what year does Hetty die?

3. The woman is reminded of a potter named ____________________.

4. Which of the following does NOT describe Hetty?

5. What is the key to Jack's happiness?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What is the significance of the story's title?

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

4. What seems to be the turning point in Matthew and Susan's marriage?

5. What drives Hetty to living a life alone on the streets?

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

7. Why does Susan fabricate having a lover?

8. What does Jack do with his life after the death of his father?

9. What is the time period of "An Old Woman and Her Cat"?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Does Keyes end James Orkney's story on a note of hope for him or the continuance of his struggle to come to terms with his flawed relationship with his father? Give your perspective and two reasons to support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

Explain the role of women in England in the mid-20th century when the women in the stories are living their lives. What precedents do they feel compelled to follow? What restrictions do they have? What freedoms did they have that 21st century women do not have?

(see the answer keys)

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