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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 Jean is talking with Harry about her job, what job does she compare it to?

2. What does the expression "as if butter won't melt in his mouth" mean (8)?

3. As her conversation with Matilda continues, what second objection to Harry does Jean raise?

4. Which man volunteers to keep an eye on everyone and fine them if they are caught wasting money on drinking, smoking, or dating?

5. What do Battersby and Harry go out to get when Battersby's friends gather at his apartment?

Short Essay Questions

1. When Jean and Harry go out into the hallway to fix the fuse, what do they discuss?

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

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

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

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

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

7. What is the story of how Gallows came to live in London?

8. How did Gallows come to meet Battersby and his friends?

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

10. 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?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What are the various functions of the West Indian vernacular language used in The Housing Lark? Why does it matter that this is the dialect used by the narrator? How does this dialect contribute to meaning and tone? Write an essay that takes and defends a position on these issues. Support your ideas with evidence from the text, and cite all sources in MLA format.

Essay Topic 2

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.

Essay Topic 3

In one lesson, you imagined a possible ending for The Housing Lark and then explained what messages your proposed ending would send regarding the tension between the pragmatic and the ideal. Now that you have finished the book, write an essay that analyzes its actual ending: explore the ideas about "use" and "dreaming" conveyed by this ending. Support your ideas with evidence from the text, and cite all sources in MLA format.

(see the answer keys)

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