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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. Why does Battersby's sister warn Matilda about him?

2. Each time the men go by Fitz and Teena's house, what do they find Fitz doing?

3. What kind of appeal is the narrator making when he says "being as I want to tell the truth, I have to say that that is how it happen" (14)?

4. What word does Poor use to refer to a marijuana cigarette?

5. When they are smoking in the park, where does Poor offer to take Harry later that evening?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the narrator say to his audience about his decision not to offer more details about Poor's appearance and origins?

2. Describe the talent of Battersby's that the narrator talks about on pages 6 and 7.

3. What observations does the narrator make about hidden ambition before telling the story of how Gallows came to England?

4. Other than the money, what do the things that Battersby imagines the genie bringing him all have in common with one another, and what does this demonstrate about Battersby himself?

5. How does the sentence "I mean, you think it have a lot of obeah and black magic in the West Indies, but if you listen to some of these Nordics" illustrate the unusual aspects of this book's narrative voice?

6. What did Battersby often listen to on his radio, and why did he stop?

7. What number does Bat imagine giving his apartment, and why is this important to him?

8. When the novel opens, what is Battersby doing?

9. Describe Matilda's conflicting thoughts about Jean's being a sex worker.

10. What does Battersby mean when he tells Alfonso that the weather forecaster is talking about "depression and high pressure" and that these are "things the boys know about" (4)?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How is The Housing Lark itself potentially an example of using humor as a defense against pain? Consider how the characters use humor as a deflecting device and defense mechanism. Then, do some research into Sam Selvon's background and his other works. What evidence do you find that suggests whether or not Sam Selvon's writing of The Housing Lark as a comedy is similar to his characters' use of comedy? Support your ideas with evidence from the text, and cite all sources in MLA format.

Essay Topic 2

The Housing Lark is a novel that conveys much about the importance of community--Selvon uses characters, plot details, narrative voice, and other tools to reinforce his meaning. How does he also use the structure of storytelling itself to reinforce the novel's messages about community? What structures might he have chosen rather than his "ballad" format? How does this pattern of digression into individuals' stories and return to the central plot of the housing plan transmit an important message about community? Write an essay that analyzes how the novel's structure supports its concerns with the importance of community. Support your ideas with evidence from the text, and cite all sources in MLA format.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay that analyzes the layered meaning of the book's title. How does the title point toward the idea of a quixotic quest? How does it create expectations of humor? How does it exemplify the way that humor is used to deflect from pain throughout the novel? Why "lark" instead of "folly" or "plan" or "quest"? Support your ideas with evidence from the text, and cite all sources in MLA format.

(see the answer keys)

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