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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. When Poor realizes that Harry is feeling down because of Jean, what does Poor suggest?

2. What is Gallows looking for when he comes into Battersby's apartment?

3. Why is Battersby thinking about money while he makes his morning tea?

4. Why does Gallows say that he feels sorry for Harry?

5. What is the narrator's purpose in listing the English behaviors and beliefs that he lists on pages 3 and 4?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is ironic about the difference between the food Battersby imagines on page 2 and the food he genuinely likes?

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

3. What is ironic about the story of Fitz's marriage?

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

5. How does Harry end up holding onto Poor's pack of cigarettes for him?

6. Why does the narrator say that weather forecasters should be "diplomats" (4)?

7. According to the narrator, what are Alfy's, Nobby's, and Syl's real thoughts about buying the house?

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

9. What is ironic about the way Syl's West Indian origins were exposed to his landlord?

10. Describe the woman that Gallows depended on for food and a place to live when he first came to London.

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

In The Housing Lark, the characters live, work, and socialize primarily in Brixton. But many other areas of London are mentioned by name. Write an essay in which you make and defend a claim about how these other areas of London are used in this text. What ideas do the various London boroughs and suburbs stand in for in the book's discussion of things like immigration, prejudice, and insider and outsider statuses? Support your ideas with evidence from the text, and cite all sources in MLA format.

Essay Topic 3

Choose a passage of two to eight pages that strikes you as particularly comic. Explicate the use of comic techniques within this passage. Identify the types of comedy within the scene and then explain the specific techniques used to create this humor. Support your ideas with evidence from the text, and cite all sources in MLA format.

(see the answer keys)

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